The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-11-26
REPUBLICAS.

Chicago, Oct. 2l-ElitOr Of the NeW York
Witness (Prohibitions): 1t is Il fact
which yon undoubtedly will admit that
but for the prohibition movement James
q. Blaine would now be President of the
United States. That, too, notwithstand-
ing the "Solid South" which is kept
solidly Democratic by defiance of law,
by fraud, and by intimidation and muir
der. As consequence of the Prohibi-
ton movement the men who waged Il
bloody war against our people and gov
eminent, and who tortured and muir
kered our boys at Andersonville and nu-
merous other prison pens, and who peo-
pied the great National cemeteries of
the South with the flower of our youth
these men, with their malignant feel
ings unchanged, together with their
Copperhead sympathiZers and assist
ants, are now in authority, while the
| crippled survivors of our brave volun-
teer troops are marked for prescription
and hostility. By the way, it would
have been less aggravating and less hui
initiating to have been subjected to this
rule by victorious Confederate armies,
together with fire III the rear" by
Copperheads, as was threatened, than
to be subjected to fraud and murder by
"paroled prisoners" And then look at
the man whom the Prohibition
lists, in combination with mugwumps,
Copperheads, hnd Confederates, have
placed in the seat of Washington, of
Jackson, of Lincoln, and Grant. That
President Cleveland has marked our
surviving boys who wore the blue for
prescription; that he has vetoed bills
for their relief; that he has perverted
| the powers of his position to ruin such
patriotic Americans as John Roach; that
| he has rewarded treason in the person
of FitZ John Porter; that he has pun
ished LOYALTY in the person of Capt.
| Sheibner; that he has diverted money
which Was appropriated specially by
Congress for carrying the mails by Amer
| lean steamers to paying British steam
ers instead for inferior service; that he
has ignored the interests of American
| fishermen while favoring British inter
ests; that he has tried to provoke a war
with Mexico; that instead of turning Re-
publicans out in manly way, as he had
right to do, he whiningly adopted the
| rule of Offensive partisanship"
and all such acts of President Cleveland,
are the least of the objections to the
man.
Now is there anything in this result of
the Prohibition movement to encourage
Republicans to go over to the Prohlbl-
ton party? The Republican party car
| ried the war to successful termination;
they freed the slaves. They extended
clemency tothe rebels-a clemency un-
exampled in the history of the world.
| They granted them amnesty unasked,
and restored them to their forfeited cit
iZenshIp while still malignant and I'M
placable. This, however, was the great
mistake of the Republican party. 1t
was the old story of the man who gen.
rously took the torpid serpent with dis
position and poison unchanged to his
hearthstone. The Republican party
| placed the finances of the nation on a
sound basis. As result of the policy
of the party the nation entered upon an
uneXampled career of prosperity and
we occupied foremost position among
the nations of the earth; while at the
close of Democratic rule in 1861 no ma
| ton save Russia-our ever fast friend
regarded us with respect. After. accom-
plishing SO much ought Republicans to
forsake their party of glorious record to
chase an ignus fatuus? Or should they
rather, with renewed vigor, combine for
another onset for the restoration to pow
er of the brave defenders of the Repub-
| Inc?
We see by the above what the Prohi-
bition party has done i'm the past. Now
what does il propose i'm the future? Of
course nothing can be done toward pro-
hibtion bv law without majority.
Can majority be attained to? True,
there are many Republicans who are
temperance men. Suppose every one
such should go over to the Prohibition
lists. That party would then be but a
handful in comparison with the other
great parties. But no temperance Re-
publicans of American birth except
| fools and cranks are going over to that
party. By fools / mean persons who
act unwisely. No Republican foreign
ers are going over. No Democrats,
whether foreigners or Americans-that
is, not one in thousand-are going
over. OF course Democrats urge Pro-
mbitionists on and make catspaws of
them in weakening the Republican par
ty for the purpose of perpetuating Dem
Ocratic rule, which rule will destroy all
that has been gained for temperance
within the last fifty years. Democrats
have no principle, nnless loyalty to the
Confederacy is patriotism; nor has the
party any principles. Before the war
the one single thing, the zone idea"
that kept the Democracy together was
the perpetuation of slavery. For that
they waged the war of the Rebellion,
Since the war the only principle of the
party is at the North hatred of the mig
ger" and and at the South hatred of Re-
publicans. What, then, ..can be gained
for temperance by the few temperance
Republicans going over to the Prohibi-
ton party? If my vote would abolish
and prohibit the manufacture, and sale,
and consumption of intoxicating liquor
it should not DO wanting. But while
such consummation is impossible | hold
that i'm the interest of patriotism and of
good government must not throw away
my vote. AS a temperance Republican
| say, let us work tremendously with
whisky Republicans politically, and let
whisky men, whether Republicans or
Democrats, be arraigned outside of
politics. Am / wrong or mistaken in
the above, and are my conclusions un-
sound? REPUBLICAN,.
TIE Butter and Dairy congress, at