The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-06-12

Il
of the late campaign explodes the
claim to sagacity or honesty. perhaps
both. in this deplorable movement"
lash to retired position the tramps
of the platform who have made the adj
vocacy of this cause a profession, and
seek opportunities to labor at a stipu-
lated price for God. and home, and ma
| tive land. We suffer to-day because we
have permitted an Insignificant but
noisy minority to strut before the Ma
ton as the only temperance men whose
ballots possess a conscience.
We must begin by rebuking the brazen
effrontery of the temperance politician
in such an unmistakabie manner that his
callous cheek shall feel a healthy smart Z"
Tramps? The suave voice of the st.
Louis Jacob has given way to the rough
fist of the old-party- EsaL Brazen eff
frontery? Is it the .'dear sisters" that
''strut?" Surely the Stygian pool is
quickly running foul again. The sweet
womanliness of St Louis strikes out
from the shoulder exactly like the sour
manliness of Chicago. Its only home
likeness is to the lively and vigorous
clapper-clawing in which any loving
and high-spirited family occasionally
engages around the dear domestic
hearth-stone; but the family never
holds it up to the world as the admira-
Bile method of prayer and purity!
PROFESSIONALLY the political Prohibi-
! tionists started out with Sweetness and
Light on their banner As unquestion-
ably the stress of battle and defeat has
given to the sweetness a little acidity
How has the light Jared? Have more
! memorable consc:ences, more delicate
instincts, discerned profounder truths,
held up a loft:er standard. than were to
be found in the old Republican organi-
zation?
At the Louisville Convention, in 1882.
and at the Detroit Convention, q year
later, the w. C. T. U. adopted a resolu-
ton to 'lend its influence to that party
which should furnish the best embodi-
ment of Prohibition principles. In the
autumn of 1884 it selected its party and
lent its influence. Needless to say that
the party selected was not the Repub-
lican party. The party that the w. c.
I. U. considered as furnishing the best
embodiment of Prohibition principles
was the Democratic party. AS between
the Republican and the Democratic
party, the w. c. T. U. candidate de-
clsred for the Democratic party, and
against the Republican party. He said,
ut Worcester, Mass: ''The Republican
party is no better than the Democratic
party on the liquor question. If
there ever was party which deserved
to be ruined,it is the Republican party"
Il will do all in my power to defeat
that party" 1.-The Republican party
has no principles worthy of being up
held by anybody" In Olathe, Kan,
he went farther and sa d he would
rather the Democratic party would
come into power Elsewhere he rec
ognized and justified the fact that vote
for him from Republican was half
vote for Democracy.
The reasoning by which the W. c.
7. U. convinces itself that the Demo-
cratic party flu -nishes the best embOdi-
ment of Prohibition principles. is illus
trated by lis candidates indictment of
the Republican party in Kansas for not
re-indorsing the prohibitOry Constitu-
tional amendment at their last State
Convention The resolution adopted was:
THAT we favor q faithful and honest en-
forcement of the Constitutional Amendment,
that the full effects of prohibit on may be
realized, that the declared will of the people
may be respected and the majesty of the law
be vindicated.
The mind that can believe this to be a
rejection of the Prohibitory Amendment
can Just as easily believe that the DEM
ocratic party is the embodiment of pro
hibitiou. The Prohibition candidate
reads the Republican letter of accept
ance as declaration sin favor of max
ing the liquor traffic permanent in this
country, to the end that the States and
Territories might derive revenue
therefrom. This rendering throws no
light on Republican principles, but it
does throw light on the character and
caliber, the instinct for truth, of the
Prohibition candidate, and of the men
and women that accepted his interpre-
tations.
How successful has been the Pro-
hibition party in developing. marshall
inc or revealing the strength of the Pro-
hibition movement? During the CAM
paign we were repeatedly assured that
the cause was rapidly gaining. The
Prohibition candidate himself talked
hopefully of million votes. and the
htdependent, leading Prohibition pa
per, joined its instinct for truth with st.
John $. and argued upon the basis of
two million votes. The National Pro-
hibitiOn Committee in New York, JAN
uary 8, 1885, gave the recorded vote
for st. John at $1,000 in thirty-four
States. The Union Signal. the organ
of the w. c. I. u, estimates the Amer
lean vote gained to ST. John BY the flu |
sion at $1,000, which leaves the total
Prohib ton vote in all the States $4,000. |
BY no authority and no combination
has the Prohibition vote been set higher
than 10000. The total vote of the |
country was 1O,O36,057.
Comparing this political Prohibition
vote with the Prohibition vote when it
was not made political issue. we find
that in four States-Man ne, Ohio. Iowa
and Kansas -Prohibi.io has received !
go, 900 votes non-political, against 49,
coo votes political, in thirty-four States |
In Iowa alone, after most persuasive |
and even thrilling, but non-political
campaign. Prohibition received 125. 200 |
votes. The political campaign of 1884
reduced that vote. to Lap. Is this an
onward movement Does it Indicate
wise generalship?
The Southern vote. admittedly re-
pressed on other issues, but pronounced
free on this, has an equally uncertain !
sound. The w. c. T. u, five days he
fore the Presidential election. boosted |
that the cry of the ''Selid South had |
little terror for them The Southern |
delegates that sat with the NortheFn in !
"whose. hearts are as our |