Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-09-24
THE THIRD PARTY
Mr.. Hatfeld Submits Another Com
g%seO,ication on tie Subject Of
Prohibition.

Why the Movement U@s Started dnc
Whit IL has accom-
pIished.
From The Inter Ocean.
CHICAGO, Sept. l6i-The third
party has now been in existence anC
active for a full year; it may not be
amiss to. inquire what it has accom-
plished during this time. One rea-
son urgedfor the organization of the
new party was alleged fact that all
previous efforts to promote the TEN
perance reform had proved failures
We were told that moral snasion and
total abstinence societies, and oreani,
cations like the Sons of Temperance
and local option laws had all been
tried and found to be of little value.
AS nothing remained but, the forma-
ton of a new political party, that
must be done to save our country
from the curse of rum. But is it
true that the temperance reformation
has proved a failure. So far is this
from deing true that it might be
affirmed with as good a show of
reason that Christianity has proved a
failure. After more than half a
century of earnest effort, we have
whisky, and grog-shops, and drunk
ards. After more than eighteen
centuries OF Christian endeavor,
there are still sinners, and infdeIs,
and heathens in the world. What,
Their, shall we vote the gospel a fail
ure and say that prayer aud preach
ing and personal efforts for the sal
walton of souls are vain aud useless?
Shall we decline the means appoint.
ed by the head of the chulch for the
evangeliZation of the world because
they have not been as successful as
we desireda Are noisy street parades
with their harlequin dresses, and
horns, and tambourines an improve
ment on the methods of Christ and
his apostles? Every departure from
the old paths is not an advance in
the right directions. THIS new party
was called into existence in contempt
of the fact stated by Bishop Merrill,
"No great reform involving moral
elements has ever been successfully
carried out in this country through
the agnay of a separate political or
ganization." UP to the present time
there is not a single indication that
the political Prohibition party is
likely to create an exception to this
universal rule. | will not character
ize in fitting terms the arrogant as
sumption, that the managers of this
party are the special and pre-eminent
friends of prohibition. If we are to
believe some of the champions of
this third party, it is not therumsell-
er nor the drunkard who is respon-
sibility for the evils of intemperance
but the temperance men who refuse
to vote at their dictation. 1t should
be borne in mind in this connection
that the enactment of p%ronibitcry
laws is not the end for which the in
telligont friends of temperance are
laboring. They aim at nothing less
than removal of all the evils that re-
svlt from the use of intoxicating
drinks. Writing, speaking, voting,
are all with them means to this end.
When and where, and how they are
to speak, and act, and vote, they
must decide for themselves without
submitting their judgment or con.
science to the dictation of a little
knot of self-appointed censors.
Some things have been made 50
plain during the past year that sway
faring men though fools" and blind
ought to be able to discern them
1t bias been demonstrated:
shat this third party movement
does not command the confidence Of
secure the cooperation Of more than
a mere fraction of the friends of
prohibition.
We were assured one yearago thai
this party would poll a round mil
lion of votes at the approaching
presidential election. When the
ballots were counted they were
found to be, if my memory is cor.
rect, about $4,000 short. Ohio cas-.
100000 votes for prohibition on ;
non-partisan platform, thirty times al
many votes as st. John securued ;
few weeks afterward. In examining
the election returns one is struck by
the fact that the States that are mos
pronounced in favor of prohibition
give as a rule the smallest vote fol
the third party. The pioneer STATE
Of Maine gave IA 900 votesfor pro
hibition and about 2,l00 for tn