The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-05-08
PROHIBITION As 4 HoBBE.

4 1SOA4 0444OH 40 a AO001~
The temperance meeflng at Topeka
Saturday seems to have been the coca
sion Of the opening OF the Thacher Cub
ernatoriAl campaign. II is stated that
none but Thacher men were allowed to
speak, DR.. Phillip Krohn. one Of the
Ablest and most sc,iYe promoters Of tenn
psrance, though present, not being
called upon. A portion of the funds of
the Shawnee County Union, which had
been collected OF the people were used
TO pay for the hall The true friends of
prohibition will regret If it has come TO
the pass that its organizations can be
used for the purposes of personal poll.
tics- 1t may be that the Rev. A B.
Campbell and others of the Temper
ance Union have conceived the idea that
the time has come for them TO
Get up in the business of
political bosses and that they
can successfully masquerade as
such in the name of prohibition If
this is their conclusion, the lapse Of a
few months time will disabuse their
minds on this point in the most emphst-
ic manner.
Mr.. Thacber has right to be candI-
date for governor if he desires to be, but
neither he nar any othsr friend4s pro-
hibition ought to sex to drag the cause
down To subserVe personal euds. Pre-
hlbition has teen too much the sufferer
already by such methods. The Repub-
lican party has done good work for
the Gauss of temperance. This it must
continue by all praper means, on all
proper occasions. Il cannot afford TO
take any backward steps. Neither can
il afford to allow its ranks to become
divided by the allowance of the use of
prohibition to subservs pers Inal ambi-
tio1. ProhIbitionists must fight for
principle, ana its friends must remain
non-partizan among themselves elsa the
cause suffers. Let our candidates stand
or fall upon their personal merits. st.
Johns personal ambition led to blow
to prohibition. The friends of the cause
ought 10 be wise enough TO prevent
another such disaster merely out OF
considerations of personal ambition.
No man ought TO be allowed TO use the
prohibition cause to lift himself into
Office. This, we fear, is what Thaeher
is attempting to do. He was not known
as particularly earnest friend of pro-
hibition until he became a candidate for
governor. Neither by word nor deed has
he made q record that stands out
more prominently than that of hun
dreds of other men who befriend-
ed the cause. He certainly is not more
deserving than many others on this &C.
count. There are other considerations
of equal Importance to the people which
will necessarily enter into the guberna-
torial campaign, and in which Mr..
Thacher may be found Objectionable as
candidate. There are many Repub-
licans who will hardly consent that these
shall be hidden entirely by thus candi-
dates sudden devotion to the cause of
for Mr.. Campbell and the Temperance
Union not to be n too much of hurry
about fixing up candidate for gov
ernor. Other people may want to have
a say in the matter, and, while
the Republicans of Kansas are IN favor
of man for governor who is known
to be friend Of temperance; who is IN
favor of thorough aud uncompromis.
ing enforcement OF the prohibition law,
as well as all other laws on the statute
book; who Is against the Democratic
idea of resubmission of the prohibition
amendment, and who recognizes the fact,
that the temperance people haYIng put
their hands to the pillow cannot look
back; yet they may net be willing 10
allow Campbell s. Co. to dictate who
they shall haYe tor their nominee. All
attempts in that direction will only
complicate the difficulties of the situa-
ton, and will not be in the true interests
of prohibition, III our judgment