The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-05-02
THE THIRD PARTY MOVE
MENT

ment in the state, they could not il
our opinion have hit upon happie
plan to accomplish that result than b,
the organization of a third party move
ment 1t was evident at the very open
ing of the annual session of the Stat,
Temperance Alliance last week in Bal
timore, that very serious difference o
opinion existed as to the future polio,
of the organization. a series of 1eso
lutions offered early in the session b.
Mr.. Janvier. of Kent county, precepi
tated a debate characterized by consid
cradle bitterness. The preamble to thu
resolutions declared that,
WHEREAS, 1t is generally believed
that the Maryland State Temperance
Alliance has become partisan in char
acter, and that a partisan policy will be
injurious to our cause. Therefore be il
Rcsok'cd, That the policy Of the
State Temperance Alliance is strictly
non partisan.
ResoIs,ed, That the executive COM
mlttee and officers of the Alliance tc
be elected are not ct liberty, when act
ing in an official capacity as officers OF
the Alliance, to use the Alliance, its in
fluence or its funds for partisan pur-
poses.
RcSol0ed, That these resolutions
shall have the force of constitutional
amendment, and shall continue efec-
tive and in full force until repealed al
an annual meeting by a twothirds vote
of the members present, general notice
having first been given through the
Baltimore papers thirty days before the
meeting.
So far as these resolutions were dec
laxative of the non partisan character
of the Alliance they were not opposed.
The censure, however, which they i'm
piled of the action of Mr.. Daniel and
his fellow Officers in nominating an
electoral ticket last fall, the Alliance
thought was not merited. because the
Alliance, it seems, at its session last
year, had passed a resolution directing
its officers to nominate a Prohibition
electoral ticket in Maryland, in the
event of the two political parties failing
to commit themselves to Prohibition in
their platforms.
That partisan act of a body which
claimed to be non-partisan had, how
ever, one result. 1t showed that the
great masses of the temperance voters
Of the state were in favor of a non
partisan presentation of this question
of Prohibition. The meagre vote cast
for the Prohibition electors last fall was
unmistakable evidence of this SEN
timent. The statistics of that vote were
sufficiently convincing to the wise lead
ers of the temperance sentiment IN
Maryland that the non partisan policy
was the true one for the Alliance to
pursue.
Take Cecil county for an example
He1 qualified voters had adopted Local
Option-a stepping-stone to absolute
probationary a majority of over 16oc
votes, yet the temperance voters of this
county, including under that term all
who are in favor of restrictive legisla-
ton on the liquor question, cast but
meagre vote of sixty-eight (6S) ballots
for the Prohibition electors. So in
every other county of the state, the
paucity of this vote demonstrated I'M
mistakably the opposition of the great
body of temperance men throughout
Maryland to the partisan act of the
State Temperance Alliance, the whole
vote in the state only being 2,S27.
With this experience before them the
wiser leaders of the "Alliance" saw the
necessity of fixing Alright its status as q
progressive organization. They saw that
the people of the state were really in
terested in this question, both in its
moral and economic aspects. That
they regarded the unrestricted manu-
facture and sale of Intoxicating liquors
as a great public evil which ought to
be abated. They saw, moreover, that
all the local successes achieved through
out the state had been the practical
outcome of an absolute elimination OF
politics from the temperance issue.
They saw that the liquor traffic was
strongly entrenched behind political,
social and monied influence. That
mems political and social prejudices
had to be consulted, or at least respect
ed, before the question could be sub
mitted to them on its merits.
These prejudices were recognized
hindrances, not only in temperance re-
form, but reforms generally, and they
had to be removed by discussion and
appeal, by argument and by education
of public sentiment in the right direc-
ton. They saw that existing political
organizations could not be suddenly
destroyed by paper edicts bearing on
their face the convincing argument of a
higher morality. Recognizing these
hindrances to the immediate success of
Prohibition, the true friends of Prohi-
bition wisely reafirmed at their recent
session the absolutely non bipartisan
character of the Alliance.
They said: 1--WE are convinced that
the best means to insure a continuance
of this effectiveness (of the Alliance)
is to maintain its original position as a
bipartisan organization. Whatever
the future may develop as to a new
political organization our present d,
verse convictions and political afilia-
tons and the existing status and de-
mand of our cause in Maryland require