Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-10-07
OlIn Crates.


). nj. DIN, Prohibition candidate for
governor of Wisconsin, spoke in Hyde's
Hall in this city to full house, large |
part of whom were ladies. He spoke |
very rapidly for long time. He is
rather pleasant speaker, lacking ST.
Johns sledge-hammer style, but much
more adroit. He concealed his partisan
ship very fairly until the latter part of
his speech, when he acknowledged that
the principal hope and aim of his party
is to pulyerize the Republican party
and get the gold out of it, He began
his speech by reading what he assumed
was an admission of an enemy of his
party that the Prohibition party is
growing rapidly; but what he read was
from the New York Evening Post,
Mugwump paper which is as anxious
to beat the Republicans as are the Pro-
hibitionists themselves. Then he COM
pared his party and its cause to the
anti-slavery party saying, for the Sec
ond time in the history of the country
the consciences of its citizens are being
reused and confronted with great
national wrong. For second time
this country is to be the battle ground
of great contest between right and
wrong. The question of the existence
of the American saloon is more import
ant than was the question of the exist
ence of Am erican slavery, and it m ust
be settled at the ballot box and by us
as citizens of the state and the nation.
The Prohibition leaders come before
the voters of Wisconsin relying upon
their wisdom and patriotism, believing
that the consciences and judgment of
the people will make themselves heard,
and by the conscientious use of their
privileges as citizens the question will
be rightly settled. The best educators,
ministers and other talent of the coun-
try are leading the Prohibition hosts. 1t
is the American home against the
American saloon, and the Prohibition
lists propose to fight it out on that line
if it takes quarter of century-it
would be quarter of century we'll
spent.
He answered in the negative the
question, Cannot this work be done
outside of political organization or in
side one of the old parties? He said
they were appealing principally to the
men who believe in prohibition, but are
in doubt about the proper method of
obtaining it. He spoke at great length
to show them that the only way to
make prohibition come to stay was to
join the Prohibition party. He repeated
Richmond's story (noted in the HERALD
He admitted that the legislature can
not make men sober, but said the Pro-
hibitionists would do what they could
to prevent the legislature from making
men drunk-just as though the legisla-
ture compelled or induced men to get
drunk-ignorlng, as his party all do,
that men drink whisky because they
want to. and buy it because they want
to drink 1t. and not to accom- modate
the seller.
He spoke not very highly of such tenn
perance workers as Francis Murphy,
who were not in the third party and
said that usually the intense Republi-
caus were not the men who were help
ing drunkards out of the gutter.
Speaking of keeping the liquor ques-
ton out of politics, he said it had al
ways been in politics in Wisconsin, but
1t had been in wrong end foremost
He denounced Rev. Howard Crosby's
position that liquor drinking was an
| individual affair when statistics showed
that 80 per cent. of the idiots and
eighty-seven per cent. of the crimes
in society were caused by liquor. The
800, 900 or 100000 criminals, the $780,
900 paupers and the $4,000 madmen in
the country, made so largely by liquor,
refuted the argument that liquor drink
ing is only an individual affair. The
object of Prohibition is not to break
the individual wine glass, but to protect
society. If the individuals building
stood in the way of city conhagratIon,
it might be torn down to stop the pro-
gress of the fire. The object would not
be the destruction of the individuals
building, but to extinguish the confia-
grafton, although it interferes with in
diyidual property rights. The common
welfare is the sole criterion of sound
legislation. Then how foolish is this
talk of "sumptuary legislation" in the
Democratic platform. 1t is concentrat-
ed stolidity and stupidity.
Owing to the crowded condition of
our columns this week, there are other
points in his speech which we wished
to mention, but must reserve them to
another time.