West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1885-01-21

people should not be consulted
that they should have grog shop;
anyhow in spite of their protests
The legislature said in effect: eve
will not allow the people to express
their wish, because we know it will
be in favor of prohibition. If it
would be in favor of license
we would gladly afford an OPP,
portunity to establish that fact.
At subsequent session the Repub'
lican legislature submitted to the
people two distinct propositions,
one in favor of license, the other in
favor of prohibition. No one had
petitioned for license. The people
of the State, by the plebiscite, on
two separate and formal occasions,
had decided that point: that they
would not have license. But for
all that the Republican legislature
forced it once more upon them. In
counting the ballots it was found
that there we're Cor were said to be)
$4,000 in favor of grog-shops, while
there were (returned) $4,000 in
favor of prohibition, but the Prohi-
bitionists were defeated by false
counting.
Senator Sherman, Judge Forak-
er, the Republican candidate for
governor, and many other leading
Republicans in many speeches
during the canvass did their best
to talk up license and talk down
prohibition. But for all that the
votes for prohibition returned were
three times more than those for Ii
cense, besides great mass of pro-
hibition votes thrown out by Re-
publican officials and not counted,
and we would be justified in think
ing that, as the prohibition vote
was certainly diminished by false
counting, the license vote was
probably increased by the same
means. l submit to you, Mr.. Rus
sell, whether the temperance men
of Ohio had just reason tor resent
ment against Republican leaders
But they smothered their wrath,
and of the 325, 700 prohibition votes
only a small fraction of them car
ried it TO the ballot-box. Why?
Because they hope to accomplish
the suppression Of the liquor traffic
through the Republican party
more surely and more speedily
than through independent action.
"In New York the Republican
State Convention pledged the par
ty to submit to the people a pro-
hibitory constitutional amend
ment. The temperance men gave
the party great victory, whereup-
on the Republican legislature re-
pudiated the party pledge, declaring
itself not bound by it. This act
ion of the Legislature was justified
and defended, | believe, by the en-
tire Republican press. But for all
that only small part of the Pro-
hibitionists of that State abandon
ed the Republican party-not
enough of them, in fact, to accom-
plish its defeat without the added
votes of others who had no sym pa
thy with prohibition. Why are
you so angry with the Prohibitions
lists, while you seem to have no re-
sentiment towards Curtis, Schurz,
Clarke, and that other man who
would have been in the peniten-
tiary long ago but for false swear
ing?
$50 you propose TO abandon the
temperance cause and to do your
best to bring on war between the
Republican party and the Prohibi-
tiopists. That you cannot do.
The Prohibionists will make no
war except upon the liquor-trahic.
Their batteries are erected and
their guns planted only against
that. They have no ammunition
to spare for any other purpose.
Their shot will not hit or hurt any
body who does not put himself in
the way. You propose in your
wrath to put the Republican par
ty in the way. If that should be
done, what would come oft? Will
you spike the prohibition guns ?
Will you capture their works ?
Will you drive them out of their
entertainments? Will you induce