The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-03-11
COL. SWAIN AND PROHIBITION.

COL. SWAIN AND PROHIBITION.
M. l.. Dohoney expresses his political
condemnation of Col. Swain, whom he
says was an old comrade with him in the
cause of prohibition. There is no nse fol
any man to learn anything if he never in
tends to change his opinions, and thor.
ough consistency through any political
life is a stubborn adherence to one idea
Such men are not useful to the state. II
seems that Col. Swain, some five years
ago. made some speeches in favor of pro-
hibition in Bell, Brown and Lamar coun-
ties. The laws of the state gave the peo-
pie the right to vote upon the question,
and we believe it was carried in two, per-
haps three, of these countless Col. Swain
advocated it MS IN experiment, to see
whether II would do good or not; but he
soon found the law was dead letter,
and that bars were as openly kept
and liquor as openly sold as before pro-
hibition in these counties went into effect,
and he then conceded that the ex pertinent
was failure.
Many men believed then that prohibi-
ton was constitutional, who do not be-
lieve so in the light of further investiga.
ton, and many men believed it was prac.
tical who do not believe SO now. Among
the latter is Col. Swain, and he so ex
pressed himself in the interview that has
got to be regarded as his political plat
form, and if in the light of further in
vestlgation he changed his mind, it is tho
best evidence that he is an honest states
man
Prohibition has also assumed different
signiacancy in this state. There are always
IN a dominant party in n state, restless
and Disconnected men who attempt to
spring new issues on the party that they
haYu adopted as n hobby, and on which |
they have become prominent, hoping
thereby to ride into Office.
The history of politics in Virginia
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 'uls lact' Inc party, by |
singular good luck, got into power soon
after the war, and for years its dominant
power in the state was unquestioned. II
had democratic governor and state leg
islstire; nearly all its members in the
house of representatives in congress were
democrats, and two democratic United
States senators stood at the fore in that
body bravely battling for the supremacy
OF democracy in the general or federal
government. All went merry as mar
riage bell, but there we're
men in the party who re-
garded themselves as neglected by the
party. These men were considered as
solid democrats, men of ability and in
fuonce. 1t was a very easy matter for
them to inject foreign elements, that
ought not to have had anything to do
with the party as n party. The result
was that differences and dissensions and
jealousies became rife in the party, and
issues were made with the regular demo
Gratis, and these men who instgated the
trouble, running as independent reform
candidates, were elected, and soon gave in
their allegiance to the republican party.
The whole thing was changed in the state, ,
Virginia had republican governor, made
out of former loyal democrat, ,
republican legislature, and two =
republican United States senators, both :
made out of former loyal democrats, Billy !
Malone and Riddlebarger, and although
Virginia, by great effort has restored the
state government to the democratic party, r
still, one of these republican senator's rep =
resent in the United States senate, that I,
Did democratic state. -
There are men in Texas who honestly
believe in prohibition, but there are Others I
Who are using it for the very purpose % %
hat Cameron, Malone, and Riddleberger Il
ised side issue in Virginia, and that is VI
% get into office. N
Colonel Swain profted by the example g
Of other states, and becoming convinced r,
hat prohibition was not practical, ex- tc
pressed his pinion on the subject in the tt
Interview he recently had, and was so ex- ~
ensively published. n.
Any effort to inject the issue of prohi-
'ition into the canvass in this state simply
means repetition of the brief history of al
'irginia of which we have given an out @,
inc. Ia
We live in an exceedingly progressive OF
&c, with many new thoughts and neces- w
tiles pressing upon us, issues that have &C
o precedent by which to guide us, and st