Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1884-10-09
ST. JOHNS SAY.

He Accepts the Nomination of the Pro
hibition Party for President of the Unit
ed States-A Word or So on the Plat
form.
Following is. st. Johns letter of accept
ance:
OLATHE, KAN, September 26. 1884.
To Fon Samuel Dickie, Chairman OF Committee
Etc:
MY DEAR SIR-In formally accepting thu
nomination for President rendered to me
by the National Prohibition Convention, al
Pittsburg, Pa, July %, 1884, / take the
opportunity to state that while the honor
was neither sought nor desired by me, YET
it is greatly appreciated, bestowed as it was
by a convention com posed of delegates who
in point of moral worth and mental ability
were fully equal if not superior to any con.
vention ever assembled in this country
War for Union is over, rebellion has been
crushed, African slavery abolished, old
issues have passed away and with them
shouldgo old prejudices and sectional strife.
To-day the products of the North and South
float in friendly relations in the same chan
nels under the same flag, every section of
the same government. There never was q
to, and when it was more important they
should stop and think than now. With
factories shutting down, banks breaking,
merchants failing in business, securities I'M
settled, Western wheat selling at the home
market for forty cents per bushel, and hun
dreds OF thousands of industrious mechan-
les and laboring men who are willing to
work, but can get nothing to do, it seems to
me that the time has come for the people.
who are the source of ali political power,
to call halt, and stop and think, for there
must be q reason for this condition of
things. The little time and space the old
parties can spare after dealing out the full
measure of personal abuse and vilifcation
that each seems to think the other merits.
is mainly devoted to discussions of the
tariff question, ignoring all matters that
relate to the moral elevation of the people.
am of the opinion that the manufacturer.
who by reason of the depressed condition
of business, has been compelled to make
an assignment for the benefit of his cred
itors will not find relief in agitation of that
question, nor will the average farmer be-
come very enthusiastic over its discussion,
with his wheat not worth as much in the
bin as it cost him to produce it.
The amount received by the Government
for duties on imports is less than SOC, OOO,-
600 annually. There are about $4,000 re-
tail dealers in intoxicating liquors in the
United States, each of whom pays to our
SOS in consideration of which
sum they are permitted to carry on their
business for the term of twelve months
When we add to this the amount paid by
the distillers, brewers and wholesale deal
ers, we find that the interest of the Gov
eminent in the manufacture and sale of in
toxicating liquors is about $50, 600 900 an
nually. This trade, sanctioned as it is by
the laws of our country, costs the people at
the lowest estimate one thousand million
dollars per year, not to speak Of the de-
stroyed homes debsuched manhood, pow
erty, heartache, crime and corruption it
proauces. This disgraceful business should |
be suppressed, and the enormous sum of
money that undsr the present ys-