The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1886-07-22


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And the Temperance sentiment ID pretty
strong in Florida, and 1t Is to be regretted
that some Of in representatives,, demo
ersts, too, are inclined TO ~carry ii into
polities-" They are earnest men, dsutt-
les sincere in their convictions, bat we
trust they viii see their duty clearer than
70 identify themselves with any move
ment thai viii lose their votes TO the
democratic parry, on which depends the
progress and prosperity Of the State
The support Of prohibition ticket. which
ID DOW being discussed in the peninsula,
would be mostly drawn from the class of
population that is almost exclusively dem
ocratic. We protest that the temper
aDce question should have no place in
our politics, A. a religious @question
should not Moral and religious points Of
difference among men At this day and il
this country are not TO be arbitrated in
the field Of politics, Dor are they TO be
dictated by governments- If Prohibi-
ton ticket is to be put in the field why
DOT Baptist ticket, Or q Methodist, Or
other ticket TO sustain = particular creed
or deOominasional preference: Religion
should certainly claim as earnest effort as
morals-but it would not be promoted by
such methods, for its ticket would Ger
tainly be defeated and it's cause generally
injured by bitterness between sects. Po-
litical parties are the business agencies by
which Providence works out the gov
ornamental Affairs of men, and while
there should he honesty in politics
as in mercantile, professional Or other pur-
suits, there need not be any sentiment
TO interfere with proper efforts in carry
ing out legitimate purposes. Sentiment
can have no place in battle, when duty
calls the soldier To kill for his coun,ry's
sake, nor should it have when he il sum
moned TO the bloodless battle Of the BAL
lot TO sustain the party which should pre-
vail for his country's sake. Ideas in
morals a. in religion become fanaticsm
when they assume a phase which denie.
the rghts Of individuals, and conse-
quently affects the prosperity Of commu-
mites.
As to the little sneer Of the Philadel-
phia Press We may remark that it cannot
afford 70 risk the odious comparison Of
temperance sentiment " in its own city
With the moral impulse in such direction
in Alabama or any other Southern State.
Statistics show that there are in Phila-
delphia 1888 licensed drinking saloons,
Or one saloon for every twenty-nine votes
cast in that city at the Last Presidential
election. This would indicate general
drinking habits among the people, women
az well a. men taking beer Or spirits u
make up trade that will support 80
many places in the business. In the State
Of Maine, the very nest in which prohibit
ton was Matched by old Neal Dow, the
drinking places exceed those Of Florida in
the proportion Of about five To one
That is, if the population Of Florida
e4ualled that of Maine, about FIVE drink
| ing places To one we have now would az
ford our people the like facilities for tip
ping that are enjoyed by the good people
of Maine Prohibition went into the pol
itics Of Maine and other Northern States
and the final result is just oppo
site U the aims Of those who
may have been upright Of purpose
however unwise, when they initiated it,
measures History shows that the prose
cution Of extreme views in moral, social
or poll ical regime, as in religion, is but
persecution and defeats the object II
the few advocates Of prohibition who
now propose TO put ticket in the field
in Florida seduce but a small proportion
of the democratic voters they may disor
ganize the party and cause the gov
eminent of the State TO ,,ass into The
hands of the republican party, composed
almost entirely OF negroes, and it is whole
some reflection for the agitators TO con
trast the chance Of temperance sentiment
and moral progress developing under The
sway of the blacks with the chance I'm
der the sway of the whites Let them
consider the matter in this view alone
and they must be satisfied Of the absurd.
ity of their prohibition ticket movement
and if they consider the general results
affecting the State and people that arc
involved they should understand that &C
ton tending to take the control Of the
State government from the whites is q
Great Crime. "When only twenty-thre'
men can be gathered in State like Ala
bAma who are willing TO become respon
sible for Prohibition State Ticket" how
many can be gathered in Florida by MIR
Morgan None we trust, but if in like
proportion to the population as in Ala
bama only six men, including himself
j. b. Whitfield, B. L., Of Tallahas