Sword and shield. (Clinton, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1885-03-28
A THIRD PARTY NEEDED.
BY HORACE WATERS.

In all moral reforms, where two
political parties are allied to and
connected with any evil the people
desire to be rid of, third party is
the only force that can thoroughly
accomplish the work, because Meth
er of the other parties will act in the
matter until forced to do SO by public
opinion, and public opinion can
be made more readily by ballots
than in any other way. In
temperance is the greatest evil and
curse in our land, but both political
parties say to the temperance people
-"Preach, lecture, talk and pray
against intemperance, organize tenn
perance societies to save all the
drunkards made by liquor dealers of
both parties petition the Legisla,
ture to regulate the evil, or for pro
hibitory constitutional amendment,
but don't bring it into politics, for
it will hinder your cause and put
the opposite party into power.
This talk has pulled the wool over the
eyes of thousands of temperance peO-
pie in the United States, but thanks
be to God, the eyes of the friends of
temperance are being opened, and
they are organizing for independant
action in nearly all the States of the
Union. To prove the success OF this
third party, we point to history, and
demonstrate our theories by analo-
gy. The anti-slavery people were
like the children of Israel, forty
wears in the wilderness (from 1900 to
1870, preaching, talking and pray
ing against slavery; but voting for
it (for both parties were then allied
to slavery. In 1910, however, the
anti-slavery men decided that to be
consistent and successful they must
vote as they talked and prayed. So
they organized third party, calling
it the Liberty party" and though
they cast only 1853 votes in the
whole United States for James G..
Birney, their nominee for President,
they thanked God and took courage.
Three of these ballots were cast in
Augusta, the capital Of Maine, one
of which was cast by the writer of
this tract, who, being derided by
one of the editors of the Kenebec
Journal, held up his ballot and said,
''The party for whom this vote is
cast to day will yet rule the land. :
This prophecy was fulfilled in twenty
wears. In 1914, 62,300 votes were
polled for the same candidate. In
1913 the Democrats nominated
Lewis Cass for President, and the
Martin Van Buren men Barn-Burn-
ers, as they styled themselyes) being
dissatisfied, bolted the party. They
did not, however. go over to the
Wing party, but espoused the princi-
pies of the Liberty Party, and
assumed the name Of Free-soilers
They cast 291, ,263 votes for Van Bu-
ren, and the discussions which their
agitation provoked enlightened the
people of all parties in regard to the
evils of slavery, and were the means
of giving the Liberty Party at least
$4,000 more votes in 1852 than they
would otherwise have received.
Now this is a good example fol
the hundreds of thousands of men II
the Republican and Democrat par
ties in the United States who sym
pathize with the Temperance cause
and who are dissatisfied with existin!
parties. Let them join the ProhibI
ton Party and vote its ticket. Thi
will awaken the whole people to
realizing sense of the evils Of intem
perance, and the possibility of
remedy.
In 1852 there were 156, l49 vote
cast for for John ?. Hale, Senate
from New Hampshire, which CAV
the Liberty Party the balance 0
power between the Wing and Domo
cratic parties. In 1854 or 1885
Horace Greely, of the Tribune,
think, stated that the Wing Part
was dead. and the only practica
thing to be done was for its adhe
rents to unite with the Liberty Party
A conference was held, which result
ed In giving up the names OF VIII
and Liberty, and calling the ne
party Republican" +" taking the Lii
erty Party's platform -''No farthe
extension Of Slavery into free terr
tory" About two thirds OF tn
Wing Party at the North, and on
quarter of the Democrat Party unite
with the Liberty Party, and in 185
1,341, ,164 votes were cast for John
Fremont. In 1860, 1,866,352 vot,
were cast for Abraham Lincoln, WI
was elected President, and within fl
years after that the Lord destroyt
slavery.