Smyrna times., 1885-01-07
For the Smyrna Times
Temperance incubation.
BY REV. T. o. AYREs.

MIR. EDITOR Il have just read that |
splendid article in your last issue |
which you took from the Salem South |
JerSeymdR. | want to write my apprO-
val all over that article. l did not |
vote for St. John and what's more of
the same yarn don't intend to vote
for any such men. The St. John fol- |
lowers may continue to vote in the
water bucket if they want to; but
shall DO no such thing. The true plan
OIL which to work the temperance ques-
tion is to call it just what it is, namely:
a moral question, and then go at it
from the local option standpoint. 1t is
just such question as theft, rape,
murder, profanity, SANDER and such
like. When did we have one party in
the campaign cOntcndng for and
another party against murder?
Never, that 1 know of. We don't
want a st. John Prohibition ticket.
Such tickets will do us harm every
time. In this great movement we are
not Democrats and Republicans. We
are not cranks-or ought not to be-
Suppose St John and Daniel had
been elected. What then? Why,
Mr.. Daniel would have been President
of the Senate. Yes, Mr.. Daniel, who
was openly declared in the Conven-
ton to be incompetent to conduct the
deliberations of the meeting. And
Mr.. St. John would have been elevated
to the Presidency, position for which
we have never heard any one declare
him competent In England they
have what they call grass inOculating
The process is to cut and put down
small pieces of grass sod. They grow;
sow their seeds and 50 spread out and
cover the whole yard or lawn. A sort
of grass local option. Now temper
ance local option is the plan on which
to work the temperance question.
! complementary makers of Delaware
you have it in your power to pass a
/ bill and make law that will meet the
demands of the case in your State.
Give your people chance to express
themselves on the subject. Don't be
afraid of it. 1t would be a good thing
just now for some one to start an
anti-pOlitical temperance society in
Delaware and in all the States. Do
as we have done here in Maryland.
We don't know anything about pOLit-
zeal temperance. We do know of and
use moral temperance. Our Legisla-
ture is Democratic and never falters on
the temperance question. And, if the
Republicans were to carry the State
the moral tone of the Legislature
would stand the same. Many of us
think it was great misfortune for Mr..
Daniel to take the part he did in the
late campaign. He hurt his own in
fluence for good and damaged the
cause here in Maryland. Just so long
as you Delawareans continue to rush
into the field with political temper
ance tickets, just so long will you con-
tinue to scare away your friends. Lift
the temperance question out of and
dbOUe politics and men of all parties
will come to your help. Yes, to your
help against the mighty foe that is
cursing the very affairs of Gods house.
, Local option works so smoothly in
, Maryland that our people never think
of it in connection with their party
/ politics. They vote their party ticket
straight out, then vote separate ticket
for or against the sale of liquor.
, Then again local option is strictly
, and purely Democratic and at the same
time purely Republican. The major.
. ity vote settles the question. And it is
, the right of such a vote te be heard
t and obeyed.
r So far as we know no mans political
: record is hurt in Maryland because he
t vote for or against local option. If 8
e man votes for the sale of rum in Mary,
g land we say he needs a little moro
: good preaching and then proceed tt
,. supply his need. We don't denOunc,
g him, mark him, and fight him when h'
d asks for place on the ticket. We LEI
G him so on till he comes to see that ht
n can think, act and be free to do will
: his vote as he thinks best, and aOe ge
: has UOte in the end.
Q The above is about the position W,
= took in 1869 and 10. While we hell
!: the State Office of the Good Templars
" the point in the speeches used to be
o Law does not make sentiment, bu
k sentiment makes law. The work o
IL reformers is to make sentiment, an,
IS the people will make law"
Ie We have not learned much better