Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1884-10-23
A Prominent ProhIbItlonIst's Views.

W. II. Spencer, Of Florence, Mass,
has written the following letter to the
New York Ereping Post:
SIR: am temperance man, a. total
abstinence man, and Prohibitionist,
and yet am going to vote for Grover
Cleveland-and this is the reason why.
Let me illustrate by story which ! did
not borrow of the Rev. Mr.. Hall, Of Buf
fa,o.
Several nights since I was called into
the heart of this city (you may say to see
d patient Or sick parishioner, or, as 8
great statesman, 'sto cast an anchor te
the windward," just as you please),
when, almost directly in front Of our city
hall, where the treasury is located; saw
several drunken men lying In and about
the gutter OF course, my first impulse
was to help the poor fellows up and tc
a place of safety, and to that end !
thought of summoning the policeman
st. John, and exhorting him to prohibit
the repetition Of such scenes in our city;
but before | had time to move one step.
| heard low whistle in the direction o
the public treasury; and. glancing up tn
way, I saw man on ladder with q k
of burglars tools in one hand and darh
lantern in the other, and heard footsteps
of confederates near; and the man on
the ladder could see had made hole
in the wall opposite the money-safe, and
as he peeped through | heard him say to
his pals; 'Boys, there's millions in it !
do not feel that shall prove deadhead
in the enterprise. see various channels
in which / know | can be useful And
Just then the light of the lantern flashes
full in his face, and | see, for shame! it
is the face of one we had trusted in ex-
aIted positions, and of one who was still
masquerading before the people as q wor-
thF claimant for further promotion.
What was my duty under the circum-
stances2 Although am Prohibiti0Rist,
| did not hesitate long between my desire
to lift up the fallen in the gutter, and to
prevent that fellow ON the ladder with
dark lantern from lifting himself up any
further in the direction he was going.
knew the former would stay quietly there
for some time-for a good while, indeed
but knew that the latter must be ar
rested speedily in his career, or never, SO
paid all my attention to him.
Who tells me it is unjust to liken
James G. Blaine to common thiefl |
would not, by any means, do SO. He
is not common thief, because he is
very uncommon one. No one ought
ever to suspect him Of the crime Of rob
bing neighbors' hen roosts, or of pre-
seuting his pistol at the head of the
traveller on the highway and demanding,
. Your money or your lifcw do not
believe there is anything of the petty
sneak-thief about him-no highway
robber in his character, no midnight
house burglar; but l do believe that he
is incomparably a more dangerous man
than if he were any or all of these put
together, for his vice is an insidious evil,
that grows like hidden cancer at the
heart of all law, order, freedom, national
security, and prosperity; moral dry
rot, which, unless checked in its
growth among public men, will eventual
ly and inevitably undermine the very
pillars OF this republic. If our govern
ment officials are to use public positions
as a ladder to reach up to private gain;
to use influence as a jimmy to pry open
vaults of wealth Cprivate or public, it
matters little), theE they are nothing
more nor less than burglars of the re-
fined sort. plying their trade on grand
scale. And this burglarious conduct is
what James G.. Blaine has been convicted
of out of his own mouth, as any one who
runs and reads should see--Enless he be
Republican office e-holder or office
seeker
Now, sir, it seems to me the national
peril is SO great that every Prohibitionist
should turn for the moment from the
men in the gutter and go for the fellow
on the ladder with the dark lantern in
his hands. And how shall we catch him
and arrest his carecr2 BY the only pos
sible means voting for Grover Cleve-
land. If he does not get in as guardian
OF our rights and trustee Of the nation,
the other man will Mr.. Cleveland pos
sesses those political virtues which are
not only important, but absolutely es-
scntial, IN the incumbent Of the chief ex-
ecutive Office, if he is to resist the pc.
culiar temptations and perform the