West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1884-08-20
WEST VIRGINIA FREEMAN
A FRIENDLY CRITICISM.
That Seventh Plank in the Re-
publican Platform.
CHARLESTON. w. VA

LID. II KEENAN, - w ullS tIl6 writer
voted for the "Merrick Amend
nent" in the Republican Conven-
ton at Parkersburg, and is always
on the side of Prohibition, he
thinks you do the Convention in
justice In your editorial article crit
icizing its action. You say: GAS
before the State Democratic Con-
vention held the week previous, SO
before the Republican Convention,
the Submission question was ur-
gently pressed. 1t was discussed
on every hand. 1t was the Invest
question of the day. 1t took up
more time and attention of the
Committee on Resolutions than all
the planks of the platform togeth-
err; but the committee were afraid
to do right and ignored the ques-
tion in the report"
In your statement that the COM
mittee ignored" the question, we
take issue with you.
The committee reported and
adopted the following plank:
Seventh-That we are in favor
of free speech and free press, and
the right of the majority to rule,
and we affirm the right of the peo-
PIE to petition their government
for redress of all grievances, and
that this right must be respected"
This plank so clearly covered
the question, in the minds of hun
dreds of prohibitionists in the Con-
vention, that they voted against
the amendment offered as being
merely tautelogy.
Whether this plank is sufficient
to satisfy the prohibitionists or
not, it is fair to all parties that
the FREEMAN should give to its
readers all that the Convention
did on the subject, and let the
temperance voters decide for them
selves whether or not the Republi-
cans are pledged to respect their
petitions for redress of grievances.
By the way, would not this be a
good time to display at the head of
the FREEMAN the names of the
men who by their votes in the
Legislature of our State, said the
people should not have the ques-
tion of prohibition submitted to
them, especially the names of such
as are again before the people for
their suffrages The names should
be kept before the readers of your
paper during the campaign that
the people may make no mistake.
Run up the names again.
ONE OF THE PETITIONERS.
OUR CRITIC sELF-ANswERED.
We are especially glad for the
above communication from our
friend, good and true, than whom
there is not a better or truer prohi-
bitionist in the State.
We are glad, because our friends
criticism answers itself so happily
and completely that it leaves us
nothing to do but to point our
readers to the latter part of the
letter as the all-suficient answer to
all it's complaint.
AS properly quoted in the letter,
the FREEMAN condemned in like
manner both the Democratic and
Republican conventions, for refus-
ing to declare in favor of the sub
mission Of the Amendment. And
now while our critic admits that
the Republican Convention voted
down plain resolution in favor of
the submission of the Amendment,
thus putting the party falsely on
record as against submission, be
straightway asks the FREEMAN to
re-publish the names of the gen.
tlemen who by their votes in the
Legislature said, "The people
should not have the question of
Prohibition submitted" &c, &c.,