The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-22
The ProhibitIonist Third-Party Attitude.

The ProhibitIonist Third-Party Attitude.
To the Editor of the Indianapolis journal
L see occasionally in the Journal communi
cation from some correspondent. usually
preacher or professor, who ought to know better
a defense of the course pursued by st. John,
the fraud and his followers, in the late election
Having eyes, these people will not see, and
ears, they will not hear" but persist in blindly
defending what they ought to know was crime
and an outrage on decency. In the State of
Kansas, where the ''sham" Prohibitionst is bet
ter known than anywhere else, his vote was very
small. When Colonel D. r. Anthony, the able
editor of the Leavenworth Times, was asked if it
was not strange that he received such small
vote in that State his reply was:
Not at all 1t was not strange The Repub-
licans of Kansas, when st. John went East, saw
through the whole game, and took the only
course they could take The temperance men
all repudiated him. St John went East and
made the best bargain he could. We have it on
the best kind of evidence that he took $25 900
for his part in the campaign. The Republicans
promised him that amount before the October
election in Ohio, and held him off in that State.
When Elkins found that Ohio was won for the
Republicans he declared the bargain off and let
ST. John take his course. He went direct to the
Democrats, and threatened to withdraw from
the campaign unless he was paid the amount
and he brought them to terms. say we can
prove this charge as satisfactorily as any such
charge can be proved. In the light of the result,
is it any wonder that Kansas Republicans
should have no use for ST. Johnp
The charge is here explicitly made that St
John was bride taker, and on the market to
secure the best price he could get and failing to
get what he asked of the Republicans, he went
to the Democrats and secured his price. Let it
be remembered that this charge is made by
responsible party-a citizen of his own State,
and one who knows what he talks about. 1t is
to be feared that the course pursued by these
people in the late election will have disastrous
effect the cause of temperance Already
preparations are being made in Iowa to elect
Legislature which will call another constitu-
tional convention for the purpose of striking the
prohibitory clause out of the Constitution of
that State. Iowa and Kansas are Republican
States and the prohibitory clause was put there
by that party, and it remains to be seen whether
the party will go back on its record. The Dem
ocrats in both States did their best to prevent
prohibition there, as everywhere else, and will
no doubt vote to repeal the clause whenever the
opportunity offers These facts were well
known to the Prohibitionists East and West
and yet when the Republican party nomiuates
man for the presidency who, by all his habits
and surroundings is committed to prohibition,
tho par excellence friends of that cause unite
with the Democrats and thereby render his cleo
ton to that great Office impossible. Will they
tell us why the party of great moral IDEAS
should now help them along' In tho late cleo