The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-06-04
PROHIBITTON IN POLITICs.

subject OF prohibition as q political
force, special attention being given to the
candidacy of ST. John In the last presi-
dental campaign. 1t is shown, as has
already bean repeatedly and plainly de-
monstrated, that the prohibition move
ment. which was organized at PIttsburg,
tended entirely to the promotion of the
Democratic party's chances of success,
and really made Clevsland's election
possible by depriving the Republican
party OF votes that it souId have had,
not only on general principles, but OF
aid and comfort previously given to the
temperance cause. The Prohibitionists
OF the st. John variety chose, in other
words, TO "rebuke" the only party that
had ever given them favor or SYM
patby by helping to win victory for
the party that never failed in any in
stance 10 denounce and resist their efforts
TO suppress the liquor traffic. Accord
ing to their peculiar logic, having gain
ed all they could for the present from
the Republican party, the best thing to
do was TO take away the power of said
party to render them any assistance in
the future.
1t Is not to be believed tor a moment
that they had any hope of elccting their
own candidate for president They made
no pretense OF that sort. Neither did
they pretend TO be working simply for
virtues sake, without any preference
between the two great parties of the
country. st. John openly proclaimed
his hostility TO the Republican cause,
"a -.
mated by the same feeling. 1t was we'll
understood that the Prohi bitlonIsts were
in the main Republicans, and that the
subtraction of their votes from the Re-
publican strength meant Just so much
addition to the Democratic opportunity
of carrying the election. So fully
was this realized, as the returns
prove, that Democratic prohibitionlsts,
while standing by the local nominations
| of their party, refused, as a rule, to vote
for 1t. John, and cast their ballots di-
rectly for Cleveland. The object of chief
importance In their scheme was to beat
the Republican party: TO that end, every
| other consideration was practically sub
| ordinated. There Is nothing to be plead
cd for them, therefore, on the score of
| Ignorance or misapprehension. They
knew exeactly what they were dong,
| and reloiced over II when il was done.
To say that this result was utterly IN
| justidable is to state il mildly. In all
| our political history there has not been
another such fragrant instance of evil
returned for good, and treachery for
| friendship and confidence. The COM
plant that the Republican party had not
been sufficiently courageous and pro-
/ gressive in its treatment of the liquor
| question was without any warrant of
fact. On the contrary, there was decid-
ed testimony to the effect that it had
gone too boldly and too far in that re-
spect. 1t had professionally passed
| temperance laws IN different states of
| such a radical and stringent form
1 that they could not be enforced
laws which were IN advance
| of public sentiment, that Is to say, and
therefore serving to show that more had
really been attempted than the people
were willing to Indorss, even in as good
q cause as that of the home VS.. the sa-
loon. 1t was clearly not for want OF Re-
| publican sympathy with positive and
/ adequate temperance methods that the
| dreams of the PrOhIbitionists had not
been realized before the opening of the
| last presidential contest; and certainly
the Democratic party had never mani
/ tested any such interest in the work of
redeeming the land from the curse of
/ uTuuheuuC5S uS CuIlIleu IL 10 support LOT
| temperance purposes
All this is presented in Gail Hamil-
| tons article with explicit and instructive
force. She takes up, also, the familiar
claim OF the st. John people that they
are initiating the tactics of the Adolf
j tiOnIsts, and dispOses of It by showing
| that the two causes have little in COM
mon, and that the little they have in
common forbodes disaster to ProhibI-
ton partisanshIp. The cid Liberty
party, she declares, and everybody
knows, did not nominate Fremont, elect
Lincoln or emancIpste the slaves.
1t did precisely what the Prohibition
party has done, made a shy at every
thing, and accomplished nothing" eX-
cept to defeat Clay and elect Polk, and
thus bring on the Mexican war, with Its
burden of expense and loss OF life, and
the subsequent acquisition of territory
/ for the upholding of more slave states,
out of which came the WIlmot proviso
struggle, the fugitive slave law, the re-
peal of the Missouri compromise, the
bred Scott decision, and finally, the war
of the rebellion. Slavery was IN fact
abolished, she points out. on the line of
mo more extension of slave territory"
which corresponds exactly with the
moderate aud rational system of prohlbi-
l NAOA Nhob 10 oANONalCA ny III SIOoOFg
DIR. Thayer and others. "The only les
son that the Birney movement teaches
to the prohibition party" she adds, sis
the uselessness of its existence; the
only presage is q speedy dissolution"
The idea of anticipating any benefit to
the temperance cause throughout the
country from the election of Demo-
cratic president and the restoration OF
J Democratic practices and influences il
the management of the affairs of the
government is prepOsterous, of course
: All the traditions and sentiments of that
party are opposed to the ends which the
Prohibitionists have in view. WhR
the result OF such an experiment is NOR
ally certain to be, may be seen, in 9
small way, in Maine, where venture o
, similar kind has been carried to actuA
conclusion. at the election in Port
land last March third ticket was pu
IN the field by the Prohibitionists with q
} professed desire to facilitate the enforce
ment of the state temperance law 1t re-
ceiveL only Alb out of the 1888 votel
cast but that small vote sufficed to pre-.
vent an election, and the Democratic
candidate for mayor lacked only 80 vote
) | of plurality. The result, practically
. was TO give Portland free whisky by thu
action of the Prohibition party; anC
since then the law has been q dead let
j ter, aud tipping prevails openly and 4
| an extent never known before. One ex
q ample OF this kind is sufficient to indi
cate the general tendency of third par
ties as temperance agencies. There i
5 no need of a third party in our polite
g to advance the great and beneficent re
form to which the ProhIbitionists CLAIM
. to he so ardently attached; but there /
| need, as Gail Hamilton urges, OF intiU
D euce and instruction To bring people u
}, To the standard already established b
=, the Republican party, and to make ei
fective the laws already IN existence o
the subject of the liquor traffic.
| :