The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1884-10-24
CAMPAIGN SUPPLEMENT.
Political Prohibition an Obstruction to Republics
igan well the Facts then render their Verdict

shall rise little higher, so that they,
too, can be prohibited. Where we can
have total prohibition, we will take 1t
gladly. Where we can have only par
tial prohibition, as I'm this State, we
will take that with thanks. We do not
propose to take our place with the
IMPRACTICABLE REFORMERs
who say: Give us total prohibition
or If not, we will have free rum We
do not want free rum. We will well
come every advance toward prohibit
ton, keeping that rs the end ever in
view"
While the republican party does not
expect to take the last line of entrench-
ments first in its combat with this
recognized evil, it will ever be ready
to advance its lines as rapidly us public
sentiment will permit.
THE REPUBLICAN PLATFORM OF 1872.
1t was not our intention at the be-
ginning to go outside of our own state
In the presentation of facts, but the
wholesale vituperation and falsehood
uttered by political prohibitionists
against the republican platform of 1872
calls for more than a passing notice.
The 10Th resolution in that platform
reads as follows:
"The republican party proposes to
respect the rights reserved by the peo-
pie to themselves as carefully as the
powers delegated by them to the states
and to the federal. government. 1t dis
approves of the resort to unconstitu-
tional laws for the purpose of remov-
Ing evils by interference with rights
not surrendered by the people to
either the state or National govern
ment." From these words political pro-
hibitionists claim that the republican
party took strong ground against all
Sunday and temperance laws. There
is not word in the above plank which
could be so construed. Besides this,
Sunday and temperance laws have
always been recognized as constitu-
tional. The plank was framed and
adopted to meet the issue which the
democratic party had forced upon the
country i'm its charges that "the repub-
lican party was in favor of centralized
government; and that it believed the
military superior to civil power" 1t
is true that Mr.. Raster, whom prohibit
tionists delight to quote, claimed that
this resolution was written to cover the
ground that prohibitionists charge, but
the language of the resolution does not
admit of such an Interpretation. No
other member Of the Philadelphia con-
vention ever made such wicked and
unfounded charge. Suppose that Mr..
Raster had written that resolution him
self with the full intent of having it
mean just what he says 1t did, such
claim would not be valid unless the
great wrong and crime appeared on
the face of the resolution. The rules
of Interpretation do not authorize any
one to 60 away from the plain meaning
of these plain words and take Mr..
Raster's say so as to what the resolu-
ton really means in order to blacken
the names of the honored men who
adopted that resolution. A deed of
land is not what the scrivener intends
1t shall be, but what the grantor and
grantee say it shall be. That resolu-
tion was just what the National repub-
lican party intended it should be, and
that was To meet the democratic charge
of Capitalization as set forth i'm the
liberal republican platform adopted at
Cincinnati. May and which afterward
became the democratic platform at
Baltimore. The fourth plank in that
platform said: Local self-government
with impartial suffrage will guard the
rights of all citizens more securely
than any centralized power. The pub
lie welfare requires the supremacy Of
the civil over the military authority,
and the freedom of persons under the
protection of the habeas corpus. We
demand for the individual the largest
liberty consistent with public order,
for the state self-government, and for
the nation return to the methods of
peace and the constitutional limita-
lions of power"
The above is matter of record; now
let us glance at
THE PRESENT CONDITION OF AFFAIRS.
The fight In the present campaign is
between the republican and demo-
cratic parties. The voters of Michl-
gan must choose between the two.
Republican defeat means democratic
Success. Prof. Samuel Dickie, chairman
of the prohibition State central COM
mittee, is DESTROYS of having this re-
suit brought about for he urges his
followers to "uote squarcy against the
republican party eren If IL places the
democratic party in poicer." According
to the figures of the prohibition leaders
the prohibition vote as estimated by
them in this State this fall means moth
ing more or less than the defeat OF sub
mission and the success of democracy.
Honest republican voters should in the
interest of temperance open their eyes
to the situation and promptly and
oppose this scheme to place
In power the democratic party which
Is opposed to submission and to all
legislation.
WHAT Is YOUR DUTY?
Then it becomes question for re-
publicans, with prohibition proclivi-
ties, to decide for themselves whether
or not they will throw the weight of
their votes to the democratic tickets.
This question comes home to every
voter: Will the temperance cause be
best promoted by the success of the
or democratic party? There
can be but one answer. The record Is
before you. Even leading prohibit
tionists admit that at least four-fifths
of the temperance element to-day is in
the republican party; they also con-
tend that the democratic party Is a
whisky party. In view OF these adj
missions no sincere prohibitionist can
t,..l. ha nf