The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1885-08-07
The temperance Alliance.


Mr.. EDIToR-In my second eommuni-
nication in regard to the work of the
Alliance desire To call attention to one Of
the past efforts Of the Alliance that has
proved a failure whenever trusted. hat
has been in the effort to work through old
parties. Candidates have been counting
the favor OF temperance men. holding cut
inducements that if elected they would
look after the interests Of temperance leg
islation. but as soon as elected have
thrown to the winds all such action. Some
honorable exceptions have been made to
this. Oar friends have built up strong ex-
pectatious to have them dashed dowf, and
have said I'VE know not whom to trust.
One would have supposed that they could
never be led into the same trap again, and
yet they have suffered themselves to be led
again, and yet again. into the same trap.
IT seems strange to think that we have
good. intelligent men who allow them
selves to be thus hoodwinked, and stick
TO it. They are to be found in both
the old parties, who bow down and
worship party as truly as though the sue
cess of the country depended upon it.
They profess temperance, talk it, pray
for its success three hundred and sixty-four
days in the year, but wien election day
comes 90 to tile polls and belle i'll action
what they have advocated and prayed for.
Professedly christian members, and even
ministers do this Is it to be wondered at
that we suffer defeat? No, it is not.
The truth is We are the butt and jest OF
men who have true cause for so being.
Ministers of Christ. leading officers in our
churches. with the rank and file of pro-
fessed christians. join with rum-sellers and
whisky drinkers, and beer guZZlers in
making use of their right of suffrage by
voting on the side of intemperance. know
many will deny it, but actions speak louder
than words.
The design of the Alliance was to unite
all the workers in opposing the rum power.
How can this be done while We vote just
as We do? There are enough who profess
to be friendly to the cause OF temperance
if they would only unite, to settle this
question at the coming election. But they
are opposed TO taking the question into
politics. Then settle it and it will be out
of politics. Slavery was settled and it is
out. To You who are members of chris
tan churches appeal. Reason, pray aud
vote. as is your duty. and a moral ref orm,
such as the world has never beheld. will
take place. And who are to do it? You,
and if You fail to do it you are responsible.
1t is not the rum power. 1t is you. De
pend upon it we cannot ignore this duty
without reaping the consequences. Al
ready are we doing this. God has been
calling, but we have not needed and the
power of the beer and whisky traffic has
been increasing. SO gigantic has become
the monster as to fill our land, and the old
serpent of the still is constantly injecting
his venemous poison into our young men
so as to endanger them. and unfit them to
become good citizens. At whose door
lays the sin? At the door of tie church.
Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he
reap" The rum men control the politics
of our nation md lre MD them. You deny
it, but the fact is self-evident. They adj
vocate license and you give it to them, and
thereby protect them in damning your
sons. For the purpose of oyer-thrOwing
this terrible wrong the Alliance was
brought into existence. Republicans and
Democratic politicians ride the license goat.
and the church helps to hold them on for
fear he might get hurt
Like as the ancients deified everything,
men of the present day continue to do the
same with their party and the Alliance.
There are a large number of men who are
convinced in their better senses and yet
cannot for any cause be induced to leave
this land Of bondage and become freemen.
They wear the party yoke however much
it gals them, They do the dirty work Of
the party with the delusive hope of some.
time getting a piece of the tafi'y. Like
turtle they close themselves down ia their
party shell, and try to hold themselves
Obvious from all moral responsibility to
the cause of temperance. Some men,
rather than 10 see the idol of their heart de-
throned, would rather throw an obstruc-
tion in the work Of the Alliance than TO see
it successful, fihcir own peculiar ideas of
its workings are not in the ascendancy
The real truth of the case is. at the next
meeting of our Alliance every church in
our county ought to he well represented.
and also every temperance organization
But some are afraid that something may be
said about prohibition, thereby hurting the
feeling Of the party idol worshiper. What
if there should? | would love to know if
we are not fighting the rum power Moth
ing can please the interests of the runites
more than to fluid detection in the temper
ance ranks. One hundred men in Salem
county, voting as they pray, if they desire
the overthrow Of the rum power, @ill do
more good than five hundred undecided
men. II our Alliance must be kept ham
pered, as it has been for the past few years
better that il become entirely abandoned
than to drag itself along as it is now doing.
| do not wonder that Providence frowns
upon us. II the Alliance is not what we
need let rs take something else Judging