The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-05-28
Temperance.
Prohibition,

From my own individual acquain-
lance with many and a careful study
of the utterances of all the leaders of
Prohibition sentiment in the u. S. |
find no disposition to antagonize the
Local Option Law" as it is called, Or
do any thing 10 in any way divide the
forces that will unite men Of all po-
ltical parties in defence of their
homes and fresides against the ma
chinations Of the saloon and its EN-.
issaries, who have openly and pub
licly declared their purpose to carry
their point by any and every means,
fair or foul, to defeat any man or
measure that can in any way leopard
ize the perpetuity of their power.
That this malign influence has had
controlling power in the counsils Of
our two great National parties is q
self evident fact that every man who
is not purposely blind can see. They
have both demanded sumptuary laws
as they falsely call our present form
prohibition, or declared as did the
present governor Of Ohio that "the
principle of taxation and regulation
of the liquor traffic was eternal"
which means that the party that he
represents is officially committed in
advance in favor of license, high
orlow the principle is all the same.
G. B.
Friend &c. B." has evidently lost
sight of one of the foremost and
most violent speakers of the conven.
ton that nominated St. John and
Daniels who, on that rostrum declar-
ell that local option was farce, hum.
bug, etc.
We also think he is prone to for.
get that prohibition is a reform of
slow growth. and that few, very few,
people in his younger days even
contemplated abolishing liquor SELL
ing and drinking from the land, and
placing them along side of "fire, rape
and MURDER" in the catalogue of
crime. We are not aware that any
political party has ever pronounced
against, and ruled the measure out
as bad, impracticable or unjust
principle. What political parties
have said has been the echoe of
the majority of the people, who are
always 10th to abandon "old ways.
This licensing grog selling and
practicing grog drinking is an old
custom, and the public has tried ev-
cry means before throttling the bus
mess in the most commonsense man.
ner. They haye now about reached
that point. And the Hotspurs are
crazy to get up new party to do
the job which teaching and the steady
moral march of the public mind has
virtually accomplished. What also?
would third, or new party do but
pass prohibitory law? We think
the present parties are doing very
we'll in passing prohibitory laws.
They are making more of these laws
than the people are enforcing. The
old parties have given US in this coun
ty one of the strongest prohibition
laws in the country. Let the people
who compose our juries and who
elect our States attorneys see to it
that the law is enforced,
A new party would necessarily be
built of the material that compose
the old ones, then how could it prove
one whit better. Prohibition is not
sectional; it is not partisan, but be-
longs to. and is composed of the
promiscuous mass of the people.
Prohibition is good as a political
principle but it is only one principle.
You can't we'll make party out of
one. No mans is a party's voice
for long. Men change and parties
change. The work they accomplish
is behind them and new fields are
constantly opening before them.
The governor of Ohio's epigramat-
ic saying is no more his party's
voice than any other mans flippant
speech, Our tools are good enough
to hew out this reform. Let us keep