River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-12-18
Still More Comments.

EDITOR JOURNAL: AS Mr.. A. M. Hutch
inson has continued his comments, al
low me little more space for more COM
ments First, / wish, for the sake OF
argument, to concede that all Prohibit
tionists are honest and sincere in their
temperance principles, but / deplore
their policy. / concede that my love for
the Republican party is strong, and be-
lieve that every Republican when he
looks back over the past record of the
party has reason to be proud that he is
a Republican. Mr.. Hutchinson finds
fault with the Republican party because
it did not accede to the wishes of the
Prohibitionists at the Chicago convention.
Allowing this to be true, believe in the
old maxim, ssOld men for council, and
young men for war" That the great
mass of temperance people differed with
the Prohibitionists, there can be no
doubt; that the great mass of temperance
people who stood by the Republican par
ty believed it to be the best course for
the advancement of the temperance
cause that they feel hurt, and are griev-
ed that so many should desert the main
army and go discriminating by them
selves there can be no question.
The oldest and wisest men in the Unit
ed States, men who have grown gray la
boring in the cause of temperance, men
who have stood in the front of this great
battle, and led ON the great army of tenn
perance, advised all the temperance men
to vote the Republican ticket. Did they
do it? No, a few who thought themselv-
es wiser than these old and tried sol
diers, deserted the main army, deserted
their old leaders and friends, those who
were laboring with might and main to
put down the great evil of incompetence,
and gave the enemy the benefit of their
influence. Mr.. Hutchinson says the Re-
publican party allowed itself to be throt-
tied by the whisky power. He also
claims that the Prohibit;onists have gain
ed largely in numbers during tile last
campaign. / do not believe the Republi-
can party has been throttled by the
| whisky power; therefore | cannot agree
with him on that point / know that all
| the advantage that temperance people
| have gained by legislation over the liquor
traffic, has been through the Republican
| party; and | believe that the immense
| bound from comparative local obscurity
as political faction to national promi-
| nence las Mr.. Hutchinson says was
| caused by the Prohibitionists entering in
to copartnership with the Democratic par
| ty and receiving their influence and mon
| ey to obtain Prohibition votes
| Now after the battle and after taking a
calm and dispassionate review of the
| whole matter, have not the Prohibition
lists made mistake? Great reforms are
not enacted in day, week or year, and
| / believe Prohibitionists had all the
needful work they could attend to in OBJ
tanning constitutional amendments in the
states before launching National Prohi-
bition party, which could in this crisis do
| GOOD htItT halinua rrroat har RIM tn h a
temperance cause. Mr.. Hutchinson says
they have thrown grass and nobody car
ed and now they are going to throw
| stones and some one is liable to get hit
Well, in answer to this part of the argu
ment l shall only say this, they want tC
be very careful and not throw theil
stones with boomerang or they may re-
bound to their own hurt, and so far as we
are concerned we shall not come down
until we get our pockets full of apples
Mr.. Hutchinson says the Prohibitionist'
are looking farther on for results. We
presume that is what they have always
been doing, and fear that unless they
change their tatics they will keep looking
until Gabriel blows his trumphet before
| they get any results favorable to thu
cause of temperance. Mr.. Hutchinson
says there is cancer gnawing at tn,
vitals of this nation. | am not physl
clan or surgeon, but understand can
Ger is something that is very rarely cured
and fear the Prohibition plaster will b.
| of no effect, and so far as the blood caus
ed by the Prohibition knife is concerned
we are not timid and shall not shut on
eyes at the sight of blood, SO stab away
We believe in the face of the over
whelming disaster which has overtakel
the nation in consequence of the actiol
of the Prohibition party they shoul'
manfully apply themselves to the duty o
rebuilding the well nigh lost cause.
A. Cook.