Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-09-18
THE MOVEMENT FOR A PROHI-
BIIION TICKET.

The fact that there is not prohibition
ticket for the legislature being run in any
Republican county of Virginia, and that
they are confined exclusively to Democrat
ic counties, seems TO US enough to induce
Democrat to hesitate to take part in a
movement in which small number of
Democrats are to combine with large
number of Republicans to beat the DEMO-
cratic ticket. Some of the enthusiastic
Prohibition men assert, and we give them
credit for perfect good faith in the
assertion, that they have waited long
enough and now must do something. One
would think from this that crisis had
arrived, that the county of Augusta was
in imminent peril Of being overrun with
liquor saloons and that the very salvation
of the people required immediate action.
If the outside or inside world forms that
opinion of our county iC will make great
mistake and do great Injustice TO Angus
ia. Let Us look for moment at the
real situation. Augusta county has about
thirty. five Thousand Inhabitants and is
nearly forty miles square. There are,
we are informed, in the whole of this ter
Eitory not more than four places where
liquor is sold to be drunk on the premi-
ses or by retail. Three Of these places are
in one section of the county within 3 few
miles of each other on the turnpike lead
ing to Highland and in the mountains
among sparse population. How has this
state of things been brought about ? Not
by making Prohibition political issue,
but in consequence Of the moral sentiment
of each community in the county op-
Grating through the law as it now stands,
and as it is administered by fair Judge
Would a prohibition law improve this, or
would it give birth to large Illicit trade
in liquor is question we are not discuss
ing here, but simply pointing to what re-
suits the moral sentiment can accomplish.
But liquor is freely sold in Stanton by re-
ised in their platforms to give local op-
tion law. which is the equivalent OF Pro-
hibition wherever adopted. This IS an
other step forward made in response to
the moral sentiment of the people.
With things moving forward as con.
fessedly we'll as this, why is this crisis
which can only be met by putting up Pro-
hibition tickets in Democratic counties only?
Why, if it is moral question does not the
moral necessity extend to Republican
counties? Leaving this question to the
consideration Of those Democrats who are
70 tod I'm
new party, we pass to another. No mat
ter what, or how opposite to that end may
be the intention of the Democrats engag-
ed in this movement the result will be to
divide the Democratic party. We have
just had an experiment made in Virginia
of small number of Democrats uniting
with large number of Republicans to
carry purely practical measure. They
united. and the Republican party swal-
lowed up che vast majority Of the Demo- |
Gratis who we're in the ranks with them.
Not one in ten escaped to return to the |
Democratic party. Let Prohibition !
ticket be put in the field. 1t will be resisted |
by the regular Democrats; breaches will |
ensue, just as occurred between the Read. |
juster Democrats and their brethren. It |
will be the old story-You abused me
during the campaign Y GU said wasn't ]
D Democrat You called me so and so'
'I'll never go into your ranks again. NC.
And there they are at last. out OF the Dem.
Ocratic party Of their own free but short
sighted will. and into that minority called
'he Republican party Their influence in.the
Democratic party, which might
shape and. as we have shown, has shaped
its policy in favor Of temperance, forever
gone. and they allied to weak minori-
ty which will not have the power to aid