West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1886-02-03
StOrming of Fort GrOg.
Shall We Petition !
A. B. LEONARD, DID.

To the above question l answer
emphatically NO! The Ohio General
Assent bly, is made up of men who
are, as the representatives Of the
parties to which they belong,
pledged against any step that looks
toward Prohibition. To ask them
to submit a prohibitory consti-
i tutional amendment is to ask them
4 to break their pledge to the liquor
u men.
Il Both the Democratic and Re-
y publican parties solicited the votes
n and money of liquor dealers under
promises of protection to their bust
Il ness, and the representatives, in
n the General Assem- bly,, of those par
Il ties are in honor bound to make
~ their promises good. x x
Besides, our petition would be
treated with contempt. No, let
Il the General Assembly do what it
Il was elected to do-protect by law
the liquor crime. In less than two
years the good people of the State
will see that all the Prohibitionists
bald about the old parties during
*he last campaign was strictly true.
AS the General Assembly is now
constituted we may expect that
*he Republican House, will pass a
}uOderate taxing law, and the
Democratic Senate will propose a
license amendment. Both meas
lres will probably fail as the two
Houses will be likely to disagree.
hi they should agree on one or both
these M easures, the situation would
BE- even worse than it is now, as
the liquor traffic would then have
Ia legal status it does not now
possess. For the present therefore
4 The reign Of free whisky and beer
lust continue in Ohio, under the
3heltering wings of the two old
parties.
In the meantime let the Prohi-
bition party move on in its heaven
appointed mission. In the place
/ spending time, strength and
honey in circulating petitions, to
g sneered at by liquor crime
General Assembly, let them engage
Il ith increasing energy in the
york OF perfecting their organi-
ation in every county, township,
ard and school district in the
tate, and in spreading broadcast
helr prohibition literature. Let
be agitation go on with aggressive
igor. Hold meetings whenever it
possible. Challenge the follow
Rs of the liquor crime parties to
lscussion. Force the fight all along
Pc lines, This is our greatest
opportunity. The old parties cam
lot hold mass meetings except
Ihen they have tickets in the
eld, They fight for nothing but
v4olIs. When there are no offices
De disposed of, they have nothing
say, for principles they have
one. We are fighting for princi-
e8, and our work prospers most
linen there are no tickets in nomi-
alton. Elections only register the
Hogress made from one year to
4other. Oar movement goes on
Hrough all seasons and makes its
Eea5est gains while the old parties
rmandize upon the spoils they
ve won. Everywhere the good
York IS progressing and the skies
r. Frightening. The old parties
0rth'and South are disintegrating.
nile in the North the Prohibition
rty is attaining to a vigorous
Rinhood, in the South it is about
leap into life full grown. We
4 We no mission to the old parties,
cept to fight and defeat them.
n must not waste our resources
IA the fruitless task of sending
tltlons to liquor-pledged Legis-
Eture.-NeaO Era.