The Portland daily press., 1886-08-26
THE THIRD PARTY.
An Interesting Address at the Rich
mond Campground.
Rev. MIR. LeLacheur Argues Against
the Third Party.

At the Richmond campground yesterday
discussion took place in regard to the third
party movement Gen. Neal Dow opened
the discussion at length, claiming that the
Republican party is in alliance with the
Third Prohibtory party is necessity. He
repeated in substance the assertions and
charges that he has so frequently made the
past year, contending that the Republican
party of Maine is under the control of men
who are opposed to prohibition; charging
that Republican legislatures had refused to
| properly strengthen the law; and alleging
| that Republican officials, especially in Port
| land have protected rum-sellers and refused
| to enforce the laws.
Rev. D. W. LeLacheur of Portland, re-
| piled at length. He said:
REV. MIR. LIE LACHEUR's ADDRESS.
Mr. President-I may concede that there
| prohibition. but claim that the Republican
| party of Maine is that Lrohibitory party.
| Prohibition was one of the fundamental
| principles of the Maine Republican party at
| its birth, and prohibition has continued to
| be one of its fundamental principles. The
Republican party gave us the existing prohl-
| bitory law in 1858, and has from year to year
| given us such amendments as the majority OF
the friends of prohibition asked for. when
| law was desired putting temperance IN
struction in our public schools, the Republi-
| can party gave us such law. There is no
need of third prohibitory party to SECURE
| prohibitory legislation, for the Republican
| party has given us all we have asked for.
What has been accomplished through the
Republican party? | allow Gen. Dow to
state the salient features, as he has in a let
ter to the Alliance News of England. under
date of June 20, 1886. In this letter Gen.
| Dow sums up the results as follow:
1st. Every distillery and brewery in Maine has
| been suppressed; and we had many of them.
| I'd. The volume of the liquor traffic has been
reduced by at least nineteenth twentetn a1 OF s
100000 annually directly and indirectly nearly
| quite as much. ,,.
| from the poorest State in the Union, has become
| one of the most prosperous.
Isn't this result as stated by Gen. Dow a
most remarkable tribute to the good work
accomplished for temperance through the
| Republican party?
| Bnt the resolution which was adopted
June II, 1886, by the Third Party Prohibi-
tionists at Portland, affords even more con-
elusive evidence of the good work accom-
plished through the Republican party. The
Third Party ProhibitioniSts resolved
'That the impressions of thousands of candid
observers in every part of the State the records
of courts, the deposits in the savings banks OF
% a. cpeced bY ped STATES autor
ties for the sale of liquors in Maine the total de
| struction of alcoholic liquors throughout the
State, and the vast increase of sentiment in favor
of total abstinence among a generation growing
up undebauched by legalzed saloons, all SHOW
| that Maine may proudly claim to lead in this re,
form, and that she is quarter of century ahead
of States which license the gigantic crime"
This is not the claim of Republicans but
of men who, after presenting such concld-
sive testimony of the merits of the RepuDll-
| can party of Maine as a temperance party,
turn around and inconsistently ask that the
party through which such good results have
been achieved, should be destroyed. Is TINS
not as though son who had received all the
glory of his father, should seek to thrust the
dagger through his fathers heart?
Parties are necessary to secure laws ana
formulate policies. But we have the promo,
itory laws which the temperance people. o.
Maine have asked for: we have the pr ,hlDi
tory policy even incorporated in the e9nstl,
tuition, and therefore we do not need lhlru
Prohibitory party for this purpose.