The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-07-11
TEMPERANCE IN POLITICS.

AEMTENANSE lin POLl1lSS.
4 About one year ago there appeared an art
Gle in your excellent paper headed, Who are
responsible? and it then went on to prove
that the weakened Temperance man and
inconsistent church members are the response
BILE parties for the extension and strength of
the rum traffic. That article seemed to have
/ its effect in Atlantic county and caused many
of its voters to leave the dominant parties
when such parties did not put up in nomina-
ton suitable candidates The cowardly poll
ticians will and do say, keep temperance out
OF politics. 1t is no wonder they fear its in
f1uence. The time is fast approaching when
the rum question will take strong hand in
politics, and I am satisfied that it will have
its effect, and the sooner this takes place the
better.
/ At the polls drunkards are made, and at
the polls and there only, will the temperance
men succeed. Whilst I believe in agitating
the temperance question, yet we must not
stop there, for would sooner hear of 1000
votes polled for Prohibition candidate than
hear ten times that number of sermons and
lectures on the benefit of temperance and the
evils of intemperance, when the names of the
agitators are to be found upon license pc
tition or that such cast their vote on election
day for the dear old party. Such inconsis-
tency will never forward the cause of tenn
perance one jot OF title. The only way in
my mind is to come out from among them
Let us put our issue into the politics of our
time as controlling force, and thus remove
the props that now support the rum traffic
God cannot be served by half and half men,
He is the most one-sided being in the uni
verse for God is entirely radical and one
sided, clear over on the side of right, wholly,
absolutely, and forever; and he wants men
and women of that type to fight his battles.
And we have got to fight, repeat sir. In the
language of an honored statesman, "We must
fight" I am glad intelligent voters are
waking up to their duty; they are just
waking up to the fact that voting right, after
all, is the only road to success in the temper
ance cause. The rum power does not care
about words, votes are what count AS soon
as the agitators go farther and vote as they
should pray, the work is accomplished.
Without votes, agitation amounts to but little.
Agitation alone, is just like some of the care
fully worded milk and-water resolutions
offered in some temperance meetings Call
things by their right names, hoist your BAN
ners to the mast. and, if necessary, nail them
there and let the rumseller. and others, see
just under what flag you sail.
Let us vote for principles, first and always,
1 am for separate and immediate action.
These timid parties fearing to offend the rum
power for business or other reasons, are not
for immediate action. They say, hold your
horses, don't offend, the time is coming, etc.
Is intemperance or the rum fend of mush-
room growth? Is it like the gourd that
sprung up in a night? No. 1t has been the
bane of our lives for years. 1t is the curse of
the moment Why nurse such serpent in
our bosoms longer
No matter who placed the liquor question
in politics; it is enough to know that it is
there, and politicians who are trying to carry
water on both shoulders, find it to be dis
turbing element. o that the temperance men
would improve the opportunity they now
| have, and then there would be a bright future
before them but they do not.
Let us then vote right and soon you will
see the politicians ready to make any promise
SO as to secure the temperance mems infiu-
ence. WE'LL high license is recommended !;
but what temperance man is willing to accept
high license as a compromise What differ
ence is it whether the young man gets his
first drink in carpeted hell or in shanty
with sand floor? the effect is the same;
rum is rum.
J. B. Cough was right when he said, /
would rather give to the wretch laboring under
delirium tremens pistol to blow out his
brains than give to the young man his first
glass of wine The rumseller says sometimes
by way of vindication, that he will not sell to
drunken man. Why that is just the person
to sell or give to, SO as to get him out of the
way. But do not give or sell the first glass.
not appear. THos. MCGUIRE.