The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-10-22
The True Policy.


The Prohibition party moYeme
has been encouraged by the Democl
ers in the expectation that it w0ul.
most of its votes from the Republican.
thus contribute to Democratic succel
has heretofore been the case), proved a bt
erang to the Democracy in the recent o.
election. Notwithstanding the ProhibitorS
party vote increased, yet the additional vote
came mainly from dissatisfied Democrats.
The Democratic candidate for governor went
so far in his defence of the liquor traffic and
drinking that many Democrats expressed
their disgust by voting the Prohibitory party
ticket.
On the other hand, Republican Prohibition
lists. contrasting this attitude of the Demo-
cratic candidate with the avowal of the Re-
publican candidate that the liquor traffic IS
an evil to be restrained to the utmost limit
that public sentiment VIII allow, and the
drinking habit source of mischief to be
avoided rather than encouraged, clearly
saw that to cast vote for the Prohibitory
party ticket was to practically give tnelr ald
to place enemies of temperance and temper
ance legislation in power, while 70 cast
vote for the Republican ticket was to give
their aid to the party which has enacted all
the temperance legislation in the statutes OIL
the Northern States and has usually shown
itself ready to go as far in this direction as
they believe public sentiment would lend
support The exceptions have been so lew
that, in contrast, they emphasize the general
rule A.,
r1If this new development should make the
Democratic leaders distrust the prohtableness
sf their policy of encouraging the ProhibitO-
nv party movement as Democratic AID, ana
satisfy them that there is even in the Demo-
cratic party a temperance element which
will resent such unblushing catering to the
liquor interest as characterized Hoadlys
speeches, much advantage will come TO the
cause of temperance. The result IN ONO
clearly shows that very few Republican Pro
hibits snists (and more than three-tourths OF
the PIohibitionists of the North are Republi-
cans) can hereafter be persuaded TO leave the
party which has given them all the legisla-
tion they now have, and join third party
movement which in the sixteen years Oh lts
existence has not secured single line OF
practical legislation, but which has only dl-
yided and weakened the temperance host,
and thus deferred practical triumphs.
When the prOhibitory party movement
started in Ohio, the friends of prohibition,
working through the old parties, had already
been able to place on the statute book a law
authorizing any municipality to prohibit the
traffic, by means of which the State was sure
ly being worked up to general prohlDitlon,
and in the constitution provision prOnlDlI-
ing license, together with law imposing
heavy tax on any person who sold liquor
The prohibitory party movement put DEM
ocratic legislature in power which repealed
the law authorizing municipalities to prohib-
it the traffic, created Democratic court
which declared unconstitutional the law tax
ing LIQUOR dealers, leaving the sale of liquor
entirely free, elected Democratic governor
who has spent his time in denounclng prohi-
bition and commencing license saloons and
drinking, and divided the friends OF temper
ance and weakened temperance sentiment.
1t will take Ohio, where public sentiment re-
specting the liquor question is far behind the
sentiment in Maine, many years to get back
where she was few years ago;
Nothing has been better established by ex-
perience than that the cause of temperance
and temperance legislation can be far more
successfully advanced by non-partisan meth
ods than by any independent party move
ment Wherever temperance men have
worked through the two great parties, bring
ing their influence to bear in the nomination
and election of candidates favorable to them
for positions which have to do with liquor
legislation, in such manner as to make 1t
clear that public sentiment was with them,
they have secured the ends sought in legls-
lation. and strengthened the cause in moral
directions; and wherever they have insisted
on maintaining a separate party, and making
independent nominations where there were
candidates nominated by the old parties ia
vorable to temperance views, thus practical
ly making war on their own friends, and dl-
Yiding the temperance host, the cause has
retrograded.