The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-07-11
FROM THE TEMPERANCE GAZETTE.
A THIRD PARTY NEEDED,

fhOM THE TEMPERANCE GAZETTE.
A THIRD PARTY NEEDED.
DEAR GAZETTE Il am not pleased with the
Republican platform as a whole, on which
James G. Blaine was nominated for president.
As piece of literary composition it is quite
faultless. As piece of political net-throwing
to catch of every kind, it is adroit enough
But why does the committee that composed it
avoid any reference to the large petitions that
were sent to it to make some utterance on wo-
mans suffrage and prohbition-the two most
vital questions in American social and politi-
cal life to-day? And why did not the con-
vention itself supplement the work of the
committee by at least recognizing the exist
ence of these questions? Clearly because
neither the committee nor the convention
wanted anything said on these questions I
look upon this treatment of the temperance
cause by the Republican party as deliberate
rejection of all connection with the temper
ance cause,- much SO as was the rejection
OF Christ by the priests, scribes, Pharisees
and rabble when they cried, sNot this man
but Barabbas Barabbas was a robber and
murderer, and SO are the iquor-sellers, and
by this action of it's national convention the
Republican party deliberately sides with
them. 1t is not quite fair, perhaps, to pre-
judge the action of the Democratic party, but
taking its past record to Judge from it is en-
tirely likely that its national convention will
''go and do likewise" and thus the temper
ance cause be crucified between two thieves.
But it is of the Republican platform that
am speaking 1t will be time enough to crit
icise that of the Democrats after they shall
have made it.
Look at some of the utterances in this Re-
publican, platform. They consist of bids for
votes of particular classes, brides being
q sacrifice of the general interest of the nation
for the benefit of these classes OF these bids
an intense Republican, but more intense Pro-
hibition paper speaks as follows, which quo
tatlon is given because it is exactly in line
of our own thinking and better worded than
our time now admits of giving to our
thoughts .sThe bid for the wool-growers,
most of them enormously wealthy ranchmen,
is to make the blankets and clothing of the
people dearer for the further enrichment of
the said ranchmen. Surely every owner of
sheep will vote for party which is SO liberal
OF the money of the people, most of whom
are lily able to afford the costly wooden gar
ments and blankets which this climate re-
quires. The bid of large expenditure of
national honor in shutting out the quiet So
Der, industrious, self-sustaining Chinese from
our Shores while we admit the refuse of all
other nations freely, and even support great
numbers of them as paupers, should surely get
the vote of all the hoodlums on the Pacific
slope for the party which SO abjectly obeys
their behest. The bids for apparently unlim-
tied additions to the pension lists, which al
ready amounts to hundreds of millions of dol
lars, is offered to soldiers who have hitherto
been left out or have not had enough. The
pension claim agents, and all who can prove
three months of soldiership, will surely vote
for such a party The shutting out of all no.
tice of the most important moral and econom-
ical question of the day, embodied in memoir
ials of temperance organizations which repre-
sent millions of voters, should surely secure
the votes of the distillers and brewers and
liquor-dealers and saloon and bucket-shop
men and their customers for party which
guards their death dealing business SO care
fully. The entire silence, too, of this long
platform concerning woman suffrage, not
withstanding the growing sentiment that the
largest half of the morality and worth of the
nation should not be showed aside from the
polls by bummers, dead-beats, drunkards,
paupers, rowdies and thieves will make all
these classes truly grateful to the Republican
party for entirely ignoring this certainly one
of the most important questions of the nine
teenth century, and one, too, that was point
eddy brought to the notice of the convention !"
| predict that this platform, as whole, by
its servile bids for the votes of the lower and
wickeder classes, and by its utterly ignoring
the only real live questions of the day, and
thus snubbing the best citizens of the land,
will defeat James q. Blaine and sound the
death knell of the Republican party. The
questions kicked aside are backed by too
many strong men of pluck and energy to Ion
ger hold still under such treatment The old
party cry, Vote for the Republican party
1t is the only party that you can expect any
thing from. 1t abolished slavery and will
come out all right on the temperance question.
Vote for it this once MORE" is worn out A
NO ,,artv ic ,,aaded + q Tn