Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1884-11-13
The weekly ALERT.
WHAT OF THE POLITICAL FUTURE


TIE republican papers down IN the
states arc generally very bitter against
the prohibltionls,s for giving their votes
to ST. John for president and thereby
drawing of from Blaine, and if the pres
ent temper holds out they will for some.
time 10 come lose no opportunity to shy a
brick ut tie mead Of the cold water Can
dila,e whenever and wherever he. comes
up for political office. How far the pre-
sumption is justified that the prohibl.
tiOnisis would have voted for Blaine in
the abs encc OF candidate of their own IS
an open question, but it is not probably
assuming TOO much TO say that's liberal
minority of them would haye done so.
In nc recent contest, however, the pro-
hib,'ionis,s seem to have regarded both
the leading parties as evils, and discard.
ing the old maxim: that "of two evils
choose the least" they acted upon their
own revision of the proposition and OF the
two evils chose neither, the force Of
which is apparent whatever doubts there
may be as to its policy.
Whatever may be said of their imprac-
t,cable theories and tanaticism the pro-
hibitionlsts must be credited with the
courage Of conviction by which they Will
command some respect among those who
have no confidence IN the success of their
object. They haye attained a position in
national polilcs where they can stand on
their dignity and command tesms OF the
two 9. eat parties so evenly balanced.
rhey have reached the most dangerous
point, the crisis Of their existence as q
party. They are in stage of develop.
ncnt now where the WHY dcmagogue will
leave the sinking ship of his old party
and pose as cold water man with an Of
ftcc IN his eye. Each OF the leading par
ties will make an effort to capture the
prohibition party, but IL it stands out a.
third and distinct party against any and
all combinations, as the past campaign
seems to indicate that II will, the time
may come in the not far distant future
when either the republican or democratic
party 10 the desperation Of hopeless dc.
feat Will retire from tho political arena
and assi.nilate with the prohibitionlsts.
Such political amalgamation now seems
improbable, but "politics makes strange
bedfcllows" and those who have studied
the rise and progress Of political parties
IN the United States are not easily sur.
prsed ut strange combinations.
The prohibitionists arc the avowed ad.
voca,cs and champions Of women suf-
frage, and the party that joins with them
IN securing that end will ultimately tri-
umrh, and the party that opposes 1t is as
surely doomed as that this is an age and
nation OF progress. A quarter OF CEN
tury ago IT was an exception and an cx
1rem,,v that a woman was employed to
teach "a school, now they have literally
taken the country as school teachers and
are universally recognized as the most efli-
cient educators of the young and rising
generation. They arc educating the fu-
turc voters of the c)untry, and it is ab-
surdly illogical to say that they are quail
1led to teach our children in the essen
tials OF good citizens and Intelligent
voters and are themselves not capable
voters The objection o: lncapability,
however, has been almost entirely aban-
doned and the question has resolved it
self into one of policy. Whether it would
be good policy to cntlanchlse the women
of this nation we will not undertake to
say, but we do say that whenever either
the democratic or republican party can
see in such course the acquisition OF
siren 9Th or perpetuation Of power neither
viii hesitate to risk the experiment.