The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-10-17
JOHN p. ST. JOHN
He Writes anothe Letter TO show why
he Must stand as Prohibition
Candidate.

Tie follovs M letter has bsen addressed
20 the gentlemen named by ex-5oyernor
:. John. Prohibition candidate for Presi-
dent;
PHILADELPHIA. Pa. October 1l.-PrO-
fe.ssr THEODORE p. Wool.sy. New Haven
Conn. Hon. Thomas Tzlb7t. North Belle
rssz. Mzss-: Hon. Noah Davis. New York
Ctr. Grant ssaosiricI. Chicago H.: John
!. Fa-veN. Chicago. H.; Rev. r. NJ.
Hatfield. Chicago. H.; Orington Lunt-
William Deerius. Evanston, H.; John
Eraas. Der4er. Col: Ira Buchanan and
john l. Mitchell. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
II. Tie Ne-y York Tri5ua< OF this date |
ii1ld yoHr names appended to = request
that Withdraw from the canvass - the
Prohibition nominee for the Presidency.
together wish al elaborate statement Of
reasons s. by. N your Judgment. should
take TN, eour,e Permit me- 10 reply that
haze gwen your statement and request
such careful consideration. a. coming from
men Of your high character. they merit. and
that / can neither agree with the one nor
comply with the other.
In justice 70 myself and courtesy to you
must refer specifically TO some Of tue
leadln. rea@on~ which you urge. Bear
witl. me Willie l do this in the briefest
possible way.
f'ir>t. You desii7. Prohibition submitted
u tie people separate from other issues,
aud distinct from party politics" de-
sired the Republican party, at it, National
Convention u favor such snbnis sion: the
same desire was expressed through petit
,ions by hundreds Of thousands of others.
and our very moderate wish was there
denied. Believing Prohibition a national
need. II blot out national curse we could
not ask and the Republican party could
not with fairness grant any less. Refus-
f ing that slightest possible recognition,
the party could not longer have the least
+ possible claim upon my vote: because,
Second. The policy Of national prohi-
+ bition has already been clearly defined and
approved by the great body of the friends
+ Of the cause in the United States more
clearly defined and more generally approx
+ cd by these than was a national policy con-
corning slavery when that had common re-
coglIition as national issue, and arrayed
parties in open contest. This national
policy may he summed up in one phrase
+ National sovereignty over the liquor traffic
+ to suppress II, instead of to legalize, pro-
tect and perIetuate it.
Third. Out Of the widespread approval
+ which this policy had attained, and be-
cause % it. came the Pittsburg Convention
f with it, more than 600 delegates. represent
Ing thirty-one States, and, as l believe,
more representation OF the great body Of
+ prohibitionists throughout the country"
( than any other body ever assembled. 1t
was Convention regularly called. with an
unusual interim for temperance people to
/ consider II and Ia plan for it. It's dele
/ gates were citizens Of representative char
acter many Of whom had recently been
+ active workers in,or sympathizers with, one
or the other Of the old parties. They went
there. under plain call, to nominate a
Presidential ticket and for no other pur-
pose and your assertion that "a large part
( OF that Convention opposed placing ticket
( in the field. " has never before been made,
/ 20 my knowledge, is not justified by the de-
tailed reports Of proceedings printed in
leading journals at the time, and is en-
phatically contradicted by reliable wit
nesses. delegates and spectators, who sat
/ in the Convention and are familiar with all
I that was there done and said. On your
third point, therefore, you surely have been
misinformed as to the facts
Fourth. see nothing more confusing"
other, unless You mean that it is confusing
7 the politicians. Had prohibition alone
been referred TO in the platform you might
have objected to ii as a ''one-idea' party
Woman 5 suffrage il relegates to the States
and condemning the policy of both the
old parties with regard 10 the Chinese, it
but speaks, in the old Republican spirit,
the old Republican doctrine, which that
party. in its greed to catch the vote of the
/ Pacific States. now repudiates. AS to i'm
putations upon the Republican candidates,
/ | find only such as appeal to facts; and
/ that appeal you can make as well. They
should serve every occasion OF truth.
4 Fifth. believe the questions consider
cd in the Prohibition platform were as
/ carefully considered. and as authoritatiyely
adopted as amy that have this year been
I presented to the American people, and
am satisfied that they embody, in hisherde-
/ gree, and far more comprehensively, the
well being and prosperity of our country
than do those which have recognition in
both the Democratic and Republican plat
/ forms.
Sixth. 1T is true you say, that the
Republican party declined to make pro-
! hibition an issue in its platform. The
/ party was not asked to make prohibition
an Issue. For the principle it was not re-
/ quested to declare. 1t was merely asked
to favor submitting the question to the
people. If, for it to have done tbs, as you
assert, would have been political suicide, :"