West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1885-01-21
WEST VIRGINIA FREEMAN
AFTER THE BATTLE.
The Old General Surveys the
Field and COnfrOnts the
Temperance Stragglers.
BY NEAL DOW.

make temperance speeches for you,
don't come to me; I've done with
that forever. I'll have no more to
do with it. Go to your Democratic
friends for help in the tenn perance
cause; you'll have no more from
me-" Such was the brisk saluta-
ton of an honored friend of mine, a
true temperance man and ire
mendous Republican, as we shook
hands at our first meeting after the
counting of those dreadful eleven
hundred ballots Con the wrong side)
In New York Cpl have. no more
to do with temperance and prohi-
bition."
"Why, Russell, you astonish me.
What's the matter with you, now =?
Have you lost your head ?"
"No, I'm quite in my right mind.
The temperance men have defeated
the Republican party, the best
friend OF temperance, and have
brought into power the Democratic
party, the avowed and devoted
friend of the grog shops, and SO Pve
washed my hands of you forever.
Don't come to me for any more
help"
-'You astonish me beyond
measure. There are many men
whom I know who would not sur
prise me by saying that and mani
testing the hot temper which seems
to possess you; but of all my
friends | have considered you one
of the most level-headed, with a
large fund of sound common sense
which seems now to have abandon
ed you entirely. l hope ard be.
lieve it will be only for the mo-
ment."
mo, I've made up my mind; PlI
have no more to do with it,"
"Do you know the fact, or have
you forgotten it, that but a very
small fraction of the friends of tenn
perance voted for prohibition and
accomplished this great disaster?
The great body of them adhered to
the Republican party and earnest
ly desired it's success. Why did
they not all go off to the Prohibi-
ton ticket! Only because they
hoped and perhaps believed, that
the surest and speediest way to
prohibition was by the help of the
Republican party. Those who vo-
ted the Prohibition ticket did so
only because they had abandoned
all hope of help from that quarter.
That's the exact situation. Now
what do you propose to do? Why,
it is to show the entire body of
Prohibitionists that the St. John
men were entirely right, and that
prohibition can have and shall
have no help, no sympathy, and
no countenance from the Republi-
can party. l can speak freely
about this, because tor reasons sat
isfactory to myself I did not aban-
don the Republican party. l earn
estly desire its success, but only on
condition that it be compatible
with the true interests of our fight
against the liquor traffic. In say
ing that / am confident l express
the thought and the resolve of the
great mass of Prohibitionists who
voted the Repub lican ticket. So
far from being in rage as you are
with the Prohibitionists, they are
entitled to admiration for the ex-
traordinary magnanimity with
which they put behind them the
treatment they had received from
the Republican party in Kansas,
Ohio, New York, Massachusetts,
and in some other States. In Kan
sas st. John was renominated as a
candidate for Governor with as
much enthusiasm and unanimity
as Blaine was for President at Chi
cago.. But leading Republicans
conspired against him and resolved
to defeat the party in order to de-
feat him, which they did; and now
they have elected as governor the
leader of that time among the trail
tors TO the Republican party. But
for all that the Prohibitionists of
Kansas smothered their resentment
and voted the Republican ticket
Why? For the reason, and only
for that, they believed the speed.
iaSt WOW tn Tho roali1ofiop of thar