The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1885-06-25
PROHIBITION IN POLITICS.

A recent number OF the North
american ReUie,c contains very
piqnant and suggestive article by
Gail Hamilton on the subject OF
Prohibition as political force,
special attention being given to the
candidacy Of St.. John in the last
Presidential campaign. II is shown,
as has already been repeatedly and
plainly demonstrated, that the Pro-
hibition movement which was Or
ganized at Pittsburg tended entire.
ly to the promotion of the Demo-
cratic party's chances Of success,
aud really made Cleveland's election
possible by depriving the Republi-
can party of votes that it should
have had, not only on general prin-
ciples, but because Of aid and CONS
fort previously given to the tempor-
apce cause The Prohibitionists Of
tho st. John variety chose, in other
words, to "rebuke" tho only party
that had ever given them favor or
sympathy by helping to win vic-
tory for the party that never failed
in any instance to denounce and
resist their efforts to suppress the
liquor traffic. According to their
peculiar logic, having gained all
they could for the present from the
Republican party, the best thing to
do was to take away tho power Of
said party to render them any assis-
tance in the future.
1t is not TO be believed for mom-
ent that they had any hope of elect,
ing their own candidate for Presi-
dent. They made no pretonse of
that sort. Neither did they pre-
tend to be working simply for virN
tues sake, without any preference
between the two great parties of tho
country. st. John openly proclaim
ed bis hostility to to the Republic,
can cause, and his supporters as a
class were animated by the same
feeling. 1t was we'll understood
that the Prohibitionists were in the
main RepubNcans, and that the sui,
traction OF their votes from tie Re-
publican strength meant Just so
much addition to the Democratic
opportunity Of carrying the election.
So fully was this realized, as the reA
turns prove, that Democratic Prohi-
bitionists, wLile standing by tho To-
cal nominations Of their party, re-
fused, as rule, 10 vote for st. John
and cast their ballots directly for
Cleveland. The object Of chief i'm
portauce iu their schome was to
beat the Republican party to that
end, every other consideration was
practically subordinatei. There is
nothing to be pleaded for them,
therefore, on the score of ignorance
or misapproheusion. They know
exactly what they are doing, and re-
joicod over il when it was done.
To soy that this result was utters
ly unjusti6able is to state it mildly.
In all our political history there has
not been another such fragrant in-
stance OF evil returned for good, and
treac hery for friendship and conf-
douce. The compliant that the Re-
publican party had not been sulli
ciontly courageous aud progressive
in it's treatment Of the liquor quess
ton was without any warrant OF
fact. On the contrary there was
decided testimony to the effect that
it had gone too boldly and too far
in that respect. 1t had unquostion-
ably passed temperance laws in dif-
ferent states OF such a radical and
stringent form. that they could not
be enforced-laws which were in
advance Of public sentiment that is
to say, aud therefore serving to
show that moro had really been at
tempted than the people woro will
ing to indorse, even in as good a
cause as that OF the homo VS.. the
saloon. 1t was clearly not for want
Of Republican sympathy with posi-
tive aud adequate temperance meth.
rode that tho dreams of the Prohibi-
tiopists bad not been realized be-
..e.e a.. o,AsninN of the last Presi-
How the'ripy'"s -
.L;ng a thousand diseot@s