St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-07-31
THE PROHIBITIONISTS.
They Promulgate Lengthy Temperance
Address to the People of
Minnesota
Prohibition Comes Within the Lesit-
innate Sphere of Legislative
Power.
Everybody Should s'Gird on the AR.
NOR and Fight the Good
Fight.''
A Prohibition Address.

The central committee of the Prohibition
address to the voters of the state hich was
adopted at recent conference of the COM
mittee and candidates held at Minneapolis.
The address is largely homily upon the
evils of intemperance. Its one reference
to the other questions of the day deals with
the monopoly combinations, which i'll fit to
discriminate as best suits their interests.
regardless of the effect upon individuals or
localities 1.-The doctrine OF sovereign con-
troll by the corporation" the address goes
on to state:
Has been urged persistently, and through a
great extent prevails throughout the country.
Railroad corporations often charge more for
short haul than for 81 longer one. Rebates
and special ates to favorite shippers are no
torlous. By their manipulation of rebates,
classification of freight, special rates to
shippers and to favorite points, the smaller
towns are impoverished, local business is
destroyed, the producer is robbed, the con-
sumer is defrauded, large portion of the
wealth and business of the whole country is
concentrated in a few favored cities, and
and these cities. in a return for monopoly
Of trade, use their political and financial in
iuence to sustain and maintain these corpo-
rations in robbing the balance of the state.
The Prohibition party OF Minnesota, while
it would protect corporations in the exercise
of all just powers, insists that they shall not
be permitted to become the arbiters of the
growth and prosperity of one town or COM
munlty and OF the destruction Of others; that
they shall not, at will, build up one COM
munity, enhance the value of its property by
low rates of transportation, and depreciate
property, diminish business and impoveriSh
the people in another by oppressive and ex-
tortlonate charges, nor should they, by
wicked combinations, be permitted to fix
rates that practically render the producers
their SerfS.
THE SECOND BRANCH
OF the address is devoted to prohibition, and
takes the ground: Liquor saloons and gam
bling dens constitute the great evil and curse
OF the human ia mily, more fruitful of wretch
edness and woe than all other causes COM
bined. They not only rob their victim OF his
money, but destroy him both body and soul,
and entail upon women and helpless children
slavery and misery worse than death. And
whole communities are burdened with taxa
ton to sustain courts, penitentiarieS and
asylums made necessary by the crimes and
poverty resulting from the infamous traffic.
The doctrine of the license system is a
fearful one. Society says liquor selling is an
Internally mean buSiness-wicked, Soul-de
stroying, demOralizing, ruinous. But it also
says to the dealers. "If you will divide the
proceeds, we will uphold and protect you
BY this system the government becomes
partner, and proceeds to rob the unfortunate
men who drink They are first made drunk
according to law, the police bring them into
court, and then the court proceeds to take
what money is left, under the same of fine
and costs.
The Prohibition party will have no part or
lot in the business of misunderstanding. 1t
plants itself upon the broad doctrine that
Complete legal prohibition of this wicked
branch of trade is the only proper and ade
quale remedy for the manifold and serious
evils which it inhicts upon society, and to
secure such legislation and to render it
effective involves the responsible agency of
political party united and distinctly CON-
mitted to the prohibitory policy"
Considerable space is devoted in showing
that prohibition comes within the legiti-
mate
SPHERE OF LEGISLATIVE POWER,
and the Republican party Of Minnesota is
denounced for having at its convention in
1867 adopted the following resolution, the
sentiment of which has never been repudi-
ated:
Resolved, That the habits and customs of
the people cannot be abridged by prohlbitory
or sumptuary laws, and that the legislature
cannot interfere with such habits and Gus
toms without transcending the legitimate
sphere Of the legislative power
The Democratic party in all its past his
tory stands pledged to the same doctrine.
On this point that the politicians of the
two old parties stand side by side, hand in
hand. In contradiction to this the address
quotes the following adopted by congress
in 1877:
Resolved, That it be recommended to the
several legislatures in the United States to
pass laws the most effective for putting
mediate stop to the pernicious practice of
distilling grain, by which the most extensive
evil is likely to be derived, if not quickly pre-
vented
A decision of the United States supreme
court, rendered in 1S47 is also quoted,
which says:
1t is not necessary to array the appalling
statistics OF misery, pauperism ard crime
which have their origin in the use and abuse
of ardent spirits. The police poser, which is
exclusively in the state, is alone competent
to the correction OF these great evils, and all
measures OF restraint or prohibition neces-
scope of that authority.
THE LICENSE LAW
is the great stumbling block to reform. Under
this system the public conscience has become
scared as with a hot iron. The people no
longer comprehend and realize the euoru1ity
of the evil-the crime. For money they le-
galize it. Men and women viii discuss the
evils OF African slavery-now happily abol-
ished-but they are 10th to discuss the true
remedy for the evils of that slavery to drink,
which is as wicked, more widespread, almost
as formidable, and more cruel and 1nerciless
than any which has preceded it.
The remainder of the address consists of
an appeal to the temperance people to or
ganize thoroughly, to ''gird on the armor
and fight the good fight as of yore.