St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-24
PR0HIBITI0NISTS
In National Convention Held
at Pittsburg, Pennsyl-
Vanla,
70 Nominate Their Candidates
for President and Vice
President,
And to Promulgate Resolutions De-
cIaring for T0ta al Abolition of
the Liquor Traffic,
Through an Amendment of the National Con-
stitution to be Enforced by Con-
gressional Laws.
Speeches by Men Who Say They Will
Build a Successful Party on This
One Issue.

930 this forenoon that fully ninety minutes
before calling the Prohibition home. commit
tee TO order, that Maj Dunn, of Pittsburg,
chairman Of the committee on arrange
ments, found it necessary to request all but
the delegates to leave the floor. This was
good naturedly complied with without sec
ond invitation, an incident which was illus
trative of the transactions of all prelimina-
ries. Kindly feeling and unity Of aim were
apparent everywhere in the meeting. The
state delegations consultations were more
in the nature of social gatherings, crowded
somewhat for room, to be sure, but with the
absence of fiery, untamed delegates, who
fight for or against unit rules, tariff planks,
and planks ad ,oa4seuns favorite son, etc.
Lafayette hall has not since it was turned
over new from the builders, presen ted so
fresh appearance as it did this morning.
The galleries and stage were tastefu1lY dec
GRATED with evergreens, rare plants, ban
ners, flags, notices, etc. The place was all
that could be desired, except perhaps in the
matter of size. The ventilation, however,
was so excellent as to reduce the discomfort
OF crowding.
The Pennsylvania delegation held lively
caucus this morning and decided to present
the name Of Hon. James Black for the presi-
dental nomination and stand by him as
long as there was a possibility of his get
ting it.
The convention was called to order
promptly at / O'Clock by Gideon l. Stewart,
ana prayer was offered by Rev. DR.. A A.
Minor, of Boston.
The call of the convention was then read
by w. R. W. Nelson, of Chicago, the secre-
tary, followed by America by the band.
The
ADDRESS OF WELCOME
Was delivered Bye. L. Rose, of Pittsburg.
He described it as very great honor and
pleasant duty to welcome to Pittsburg the
delegates of the national Prohibition con-
yention. Never did party more justly plead
for helpthan this one. Back of them was a
century of desolation caused by legalized
liquor traffic. The demands Of the age could
not be met without Prohibition party. As
Noah's ark would not do for a steamship,
neither were the old political parties suited to
this day This was the only political party
that offered to the women of the nation equal
rights with men in managing the affairs of
the government. The prohibition harvest
could not be gathered without the
cooperation of the women. If asked
''What is the influence of women
in public places" the answer
was ''Lucy Hayes" Every nation was in
terested In the work of lhe convention, and
when it came to choose candidate for the
presidency he should be one whose labors
have most richly blessed the cause of proht-
bition.
THE RESPONSE.
Gideon l. Stewart, chairman of the ma
tional committee, responded on behalf of
the convention. The hall in which they met,
added, he said, its historic welcome. Nearly
thirty-two years ago the auti-slavery patriots
assembled in it to organize another national
campaign against the colossal crime which
then ruled and well nigh ruined The repub-
lie. He thanked the citizens of Pttsburg for
Lafayette hail. for its majestic memories, for
its enlightening truths, to teach and inspire
them for the great conflict,
When he had finished his response to the
address of welcome, Mr. Stewart proceeded
20 deliver
THE OPENING ADDRESS.
He referred to the relations between the
liquor crime and the slavery crime. The
ant-savery men, he said, were strangely
blind to the correlation of the two evils.
Their platform twenty-five years ago was
silent rs to the parent crime, of which slav-
cry was but the natural offspring. When
Senator Brown, of Georgia, declared in the
senate some weeks since that African slav
cry was the product of northern distilleries,
he only echoed truth shown in the whole
history of the African slave trade, and
the slavery of America had poured the
DESTROYING curse of the liquor crime
on Africa, and by the feat of aveugiug jus
tice Africa had poured back the curse of
slavery upon America. The two crimes had
mutually sustained and strengthened each
other. The ant-slaverv reformers had lifted
the axe of civil liberty to cut down one great
branch Of the upas tree which, with its ma
lgn shadow had darkeued the republic, and
to-day they met 10 lay that axe to the roots OF
the same upaS, and to remove the main
source of oppression and injustice to labor,
aud of all crime, vice, ignorance, poverty,
debaSement and misery. The whole COM
promise system for the pretended regulation,
taxation and moral cultivation of the liquor
crime was sin against God and
crime against man. The
argument in its support was
all rotten with wrong and reeking with
blood. II was the logic of vipers favored
with the rhetoric of fends. Its absurdity
was equal to its infamy.
One of the most prevalent and dangerous
forms of compromise with the liquor crime
was that of ''local prohibitiou,' or ''local
optous.n A national crime organized aud
IN control of the government demanded
national prohibition by 4 party formed for
the purpose. An attempt TO reform the nat
ional government and to abolish u ruling
national crime by merely changing the laws
and constitutions of the states was as vain
as to expect revolution of the sea BY the
mere winds that turn its waves. With
In state limits constitutional and statutory
prohibition had accomplished great good, but
as opposed TO the national crime they were as
fmpOtent as ropes of sand in the teeth of
Niagara. There were four nominally prohi-
bitiou states at the north and half dozen at
the south, and vet in the late national Re
publican convention ut Chicago not dele
gate from one of those states had dared to
sign minority report on the liquor ques-
lion, aud il was the same in the Democratic
convention. Thus the Republican and Dem
ocratic Prohibtionists were bound rs serfs of
the liquor power, under the lash of the party
keepers. When the Woman's Christian
Temperance union, represented by
its honored aud most worthy
head. Miss Francis Willard,
stood at the door of the Republican national
convention pleading for the protection of
homes, it was treated with silent contempt,
what could more wildly illustrate the abiect