The Cecil Whig., 1885-12-05

LIN oPpooilioil W ihlaoi vi MN 3 i'
increasing daily.
The manufactures and dealers in in.
toxicating liquors hope to meet this
hostility by diminishing the number O
"Ioao resorts" By conhning the traffic
as they say to reputable hands.
Therefore they advocate high Ii
cense system, and they ask temperance
men to assist them in securing it.
Here, professed temperance men
and liquor manufactures and dealers
practically take the same ground.
And yet, how can any man who upor
principle is opposed to the sale of Ii
quor as a beverage be willing to favo
law, that confesses the privilege of sell
ing it as beverage, for large sum o
money.
If he is honest in his convictions he
must oppose its sale absolutely, and i
its sale is to be made illegal, why should
it be legal to manufacture it.
As sincere man he is therefore
driven to the conclusion that total pro
hibition of the manufacture and sale o
Intoxicating liquors as beverage, is the
only consistent position he can holc
relative to what every intelligent MAI
confesses is a monstrous public evil.
He is forced to confess that tota
prohibition is the only true doctrine
morally, and the only second govern
mental policy.
To this conclusion we believe large
majority of the people OF this country J
will finally come. 1t may be c",;,c-
time before pubic ju5lic sentiment is suffi-
clently educated up to this point, but
we believe implicitly, that prohibition is
destined to become very soon a great
national question.
The i'll judged policy Of some of its
most advanced advocates in the Presi-
dental contest of 1884, doubtless re-
tards to some extent the growth Of SEN
timent in its favor. But there is enough
merit in it as a great public question to
secure it just consideration by the peo
pie.
The prohibition movement is already
exciting the attention of the prominent
men OF both political parties, and saga
cious politicians are watching the pro-
gress of it with undsguised interest.
That extensively circulated daily
newspaper the New York SIN whose
editor Mr.. Chas. A. Dana, is a very
pronounced advocate of high license
system confesses that it may become AN
element" in the next Presidential con-
test. We think we do our readers
favor by appending here recent arti
Gle of MIR. Dana's which reviews the re-
cent progress Of the prohibition move
ment.
From the manner and the methods
with which the movement is pushed,
North and South, there is some posi-
bility that it will become an element in
the next Presidential contest, if the
managers can succeed in forcing the
issue on the regular party conventions.
The aggregate vote for St. John last
year was only I5I, 500 in total of Io,-
o4S,o6I. This small fraction appears
trihing for political capital, but it is
more than twice as large as the BIney
vote was in 1874, and that defeated
Henry Clay.
Mr.. St. John had scattering support
in thirty-four of the thirty eight states.
Tens of thousands of temperance men
did not vote for him, because they saw
no possibility of his election, and they
therefore put what is called the moral
issue temporarily aside, and voted ac-
cording to their preferences for Cleve-
land or for Blaire. But even with this
apparently insignificant aggregate, the
Prohibitionists actually held the balance
of power in four states, and they might
have determined the Presidential cleo
ton by exercising it against Mr.. Cleve-
land, as will be seen by the figures:
In Connecticut Mr.. Cleveland's plu-
rality was 1888, and Mr.. St. Johns
vote 2,494.
In New Jersey Mr.. Cleveland's plu-
rality was 4,4l2, and Mr.. St. Johns
vote 6,I55.
In New York Mr.. Cleveland's plu-
ra'ity was I,o47, and Mr.. St. Johns
vote 25,oo1.
In Michigan Mr.. Blaine's plurality
was 3,3oS, and Mr.. St. Johns vote
I8,4O3.
These figures have a certain sig
nihcance which sagac:ous politicians
will not be apt to disregard. Small
organizations are much more easily
handled than large ones, especially
when they rest upon moral con-
yiCtion Or sentimental idea. They
generally move in solid column and
do their work effectively. Their
leaders do not allow modesty to in
terfere with propagandism. Every
man of them is an active apostle of
the cause. They now intend to in
terrogate candidates for State and
for national Offices upon temperance,
and to make that question the test
in all close cases. Hence small num-