The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-10
THE QUESTION OF "CURsTNe, y

ated' for the same reason. The Journal is
"humiliated" because man of the sound
sense and good judgment Of Mr., Goodwin can
pen sentence like this:
eve are beaten-beaten by plurality of
less than l,20e in the State of New York.
whereupon everybody, even the ordinarily
level-headed Journal, turns TO cursing ST.
John and his mere handful of supporters"
This is very Illuminating, and the humilia-
ton IS the deeper because others than Mr..
Goodwin, for whose characters and consciences
we have the highest regard, have said about
the same thing. So far as the journal is
concerned we are prepared to offer
handsome chrome to Mr.. Goodwin or to
any one else who will discover in our utter
ances any courses" Unfortunately uttered
against those who supported Mr. St. John,
whether they be ga handful" or not. For
Mr. st. John himself we have expressed
profound and hearty contempt; con-
tempt, we are free to say, that is growing
the more we find out about him. We believe
we know him to be what the st. Louis Globe
Democrat called him. "a brainess and mer-
eenary sneak" Certainly Mr. Goodwin, or
any other ProhibItionist who heard his dia-
tribe delivered here in the Circle would not
''brainless. His speeches proved him to be a
narrow minded, egotistic, unprincipled up
start, indulging III epithet and denunciation
and cheap and tawdry wit unworthy
any one, but particularly of one who
arrogated to himself holer and better
character and purpose than the candidate of
any other party. This, we know, was the YER
dict Of some of the strongest Prohibitionists
in the State who heard him. That he is
mercenary may not be legally proved; but it
is morally certain that, so far as he is con-
.cerned, St. John is a Prohibitionist for reve-
nue. only-not possibly for money but for the
position and notoriety that comes to him.
When the Republicans of Kansas, after hav-
ing elected him twice as Governor, concluded
that they had had enough of him, he at once
abandoned his political convictions and con-
nections, and predicated his entire presiden-
tial campaign upon the desire to- defeat the
Republican party. What the Republicans and
the temperance men of Kansas and of Iowa
two States that have prohibition laws
think of st. John is told by the vote he re-
ceived. and by the further fact that his col
leagues in the temperance work in Kansas
would have nothing whatever to do with him
at their recent meeting, but cast him out so
decsively that he had not the impudence to
come back into another session. To Course"
such man as st. John; to Course"
such man as John B. Finch,
who, so soon as the defeat of Mr. Blaine was
definitely assured issued a congratulatory
address to the Prohibitionists of the United
States; to curse the men who, we all know,
sold themselves and their influence to the
Democratic party, either for money or for
the qualification of personal vanity or malice;
to course" man who says of the defeat of
the Republican party that ''our meanest
enemy is downs not to Course" the many
honest, conscientious, devoted temperance
men, who, under what we think mistaken
convictions, voted for st. John; and the
Journal, for one at least, has always been
particularly careful to make the distinction
1t is not creditable to Mr. Goodwin's intel
hgence and candor-and he has full supply
of both-that he confoun2s the two. The
Journal reprehends, and proposes to continue
to reprehend, those who it believes make
merchandise of any good cause-who
"steal the livery of heaven to serve the
devil I'M" but for Republicans to be tazon to
task as ''cursing" Unfortunately an entire
body of men. and to be subjected to taunts
and sneers therefor, only proves that nothing
is so ephemeral as gratitude nor nothing so
scarce as justice, particularly among those who
pirate the loudest of having monopoly of the
virtues. Very recent political history can be
successfully appealed to to answer the question
who have been the friends of the cause of |
temperance reform and who its enemies.
What temperance men themsclves-Pro-
hibitionists-thought Of the st. John move
ment is revealed in tho vote Mr. Goodwin
cites the figures In Ohio 1923. 900 people
voted for prohibition. Within twelve months
only II, 900 voted for st. John. Did St. John
represent the prohibition sentiment of
Ohio1 In Indiana two years ago, a !