The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-10-03
I'm. liz Ere IInlier.
The Only Kemedy.

The only Remedy
The only remedy for the suppression OF
,b. Liquor Traffic is Prohibition, 1t used
.o he total abstinence, but that did not last.
Prohibition, to be securd, needstwo things
let strong party to put it through our ie-
pislatures; and I'd, strong party TO back II
m with friendly legislation If prohibition
"a q failure in Kansas and Iowa, IT Is be
cause of unfriendly legislation and strong
marty to back itup All persons not direct
" engaged in the liquor business, If honest,
agree that it is great curse and advocate
its curtallment or suppression 1t Is about
100 wears since this battle against the de-
mon in this country began, under DIR. Rush
az frat as means of regulation. 1t was
stimulated that men should get drunk only
at stated times This was soon found to be
q hogus arrangement. Then dawned the
,dea Of total abstinence. This was the plan
of the noble Washingtonians In 1888, fol
lowed by the Woman's Crusade In Ohio in
1879 This was God inspired movement,
and started the mighty wave that Is sweep
ing our country at this time, Maine had
long since proclaimed prohibition, 1t is true,
and stood as a beacon light to all the states
and as its rock bound coast beats back the
wild Atlantic, so Maine has reared her
strong unbroken front against the liquor
power. In Pennsylvania light glared up
only TO 90 out In utter darkness by uniriend
" LEGISLATION. New Hampshire, Rhode IT,
land, Michigan, Minnesota, and even I'LL
nois gave us prohibition laws under Demo
cratic rule for brief season. Massachu
sets, Vermont and Delaware gave us "A
taste when the wings were in power; ana
New York, rs a non partisan measure, gave
US little prohibition legislation. But mel
Their Of the old parties gave us these meh
sures as a party; they simply stood neutral
II the question, and permitted the people,
without reference to party lines, under the
pressure of strong popular agitation tol
force the law upon the statute book. Tol
their discredit it must be said, whenever
they, as parties, did take position, in almost
every instance 1t was against the law. Even
In Maine the temperance people were driv-
en- to the necessity OF organizing third
party and voting its ticket to keep the re-
publican party from going over to the IL
quor interest,
And now Prohibition party has become
a necessity. If the hand of God is in IT
II must and will succeed, We have alrea-
DIV lin 1880 sent out our little Monitor,
which has made big hole in one OF the
rotton hulks of the old Merrimacks and we
will be ready again with more Monitors
in 1888, fully equipped for war again In
1892; and if need be, in 1896, we will blow
all their old whisky ships on to the land,
high and dry, and sweep into power.
| close this rambling article with the elo
ouent words of President w. w. Greer, OF
Vienna, Pa;
Our fathers sunk deep tie foundation
for the piers of the bridge leading from
despotism to freedom They founded them
on eternal truth, They sprung across the
States, from Maine to California, two lofty
political arches, one conservative, one liD-
eral, with abundance of space for other
arches, should either of the two old ones
prove insufficient or untrustworthy Ere
long the old Wing arch fell, its timber so
decayed that the nails of freedom would
not hold the plank of abolition, and at once,
as II by magic, the new arch of Republi-
cauism sprang into existence, a veritable
bow of promise That grand and graceful
bridge, which the world saw and admired,
has carried millions from bondage to lib
erty.
Hardly had the noble work been accom-
plished when signs of decay appeared.
The worms oil patronage, office and plumber
made serious inroads into the once lovely
structure, and when In 1884 IA newplank
was offered for its repair, like the old abo.
lition plank, II was rejected, and that once
fair structure vanished Sad and discour-
aged as old and progressive patrons OF that
bridge became, they did not lose heart, but
reared at once that beautiful structure,
whose airy but symmetrical lines can only
be traced as yet by the eye of faith, as II
penetrates the dim and misty years TO come.
Over the bridge so dimly outlined are des-
tined to cross for many decades the serfs of
strong drink and the slaves of appetite, fur
above the seething tide Of vice and the en-
quilting maelstrOm of drunkards life and
drunkard's hell, to that beautiful life be
yond. Such is the hope, this the aim of
the Prohibition party. Friends of God,
frifnjs of our fallen brother, friends of
the suffering and poverty stricken wife and
children of the drunkard, good men and
true of both parties, come out TO us.
Yours very truly for the right,
JOSHUA PUsEY.