The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-14

Ion, KY; j. G. Spse, Charles S. Lilly, Columbus.
Grand Hotel: J. NJ. Cory, Danville; j.. c.
Keiber, Milton, Ind; G. W. Russell Milwaukee;
Fl. W. Ayers, Urbana; A. S. Davis, Topeka,
Kan; T. w. Crook, Baltimore j. III. Crate,
Terre Haute; J Fl. Hall, Portland; J. N. Fisher
Union City, D. K. Brown, Evansville; w. B.
Crawford, Elkhart; E. G. Jones, Muncie; George
Wood, Michigan City; E. Dagger, Charlottesville.
A Voice from Iowa on Third-Party Prohibi-
ton Movements.
To the Editor Of the Indianapolis Journal:
I have read the preamble and resolutions
adopted by the Indiana Prohibition State con-
venton, and very fully approve the end sought,
but believe the means used unwse, illtimed and
certain to fail. Therefore, cannot indorse any
third party movement First, because there is
no one issue that can control sufficient political
following to succeed in government of the peo-
pie until such people have become far more
highly cultivated intellectually and morally,
than is attainable by population such as ours,
composed, as it is, of large foreign element not
educated in the policy and methods of our form of
government, consequently, disqualified to de-
termine what are the highest and best elements
of liberty enjoyed by free people under proper
restraint. / do not mean to underate the
value of immigration nor fail to appreciate the
moral good derived from the better class of
foreigners, but do unhesitatingly, say that there
is large number of foreigners now voting at our
elections whose moral attainments are such that
they are wholly disqualified and indisposed to
give any aid or comfort to any moral issue be-
fore the people, but, on the contrary. they will
always be found allied to the baser elements of
society, especially with that class who have no
political preference, except that which will best
subserve the liqnor interests. Such as these
cannot and will not be controlled other than by
such policy as will combine the political ele-
ments of the dominant party or parties on the
several principle issues now agitating the public
mind in your State.
Second-Becauss third party is metaphorical-
ly speaking, a catch. basin for disappointed poll
ticians whose associates have failed to see APP
preciate their true merits when they havg any,,
and have therefore neglected to take the neces-
sary care of them.
Third-Because third party must, Of neces-
sity, place its stock upon the market for sale to
the highest and best bidder, who, after purchase
will only keep tho covenants of purchase in
form and not in fact, throwing political sop to
the more noisy growler here and there, who, in
turn, will keep the lesser GROWERS quoted
Again, the third party never elects except in
local elections which have little or no political
or moral influence but all elections OF third
party candidates are had only on the sale and
purchase Of principle, which Is resorted to by
one of the dominant parties when II Is believed
that such purchase will thwart the properly
constituted majority.
Again, it is unseemly, unfortunate and evil in
its every effect upon the cause sought to be pro
noted and the party seeking the moral reform
to make such unholy alliances as is and must
be contemplated by the managers of third
party movement such as yours.
Again, the success Of the temperance cause
South, under the lead of local option has been
by the non partisan movement inaugurated and
prosecuted in those States. The success of pro
hibition in Maine, Kansas. Iowa and Rhode
Island has all been attained by non-partsan
action, and could have been secured in no other
way in Kansas and Iowa, and am assured by
good authority that there would have been
prohibition by States anywhere except by non
partisan action. Yet in our beloved Iowa the
Democratic party has tried for four successive
campaigns to saddle the responsibility of prohi-
bition on the Republican party, going before the
people with platform denouncing prohibition
in uumeasured terms making most dastardy at
tacks upon our best public men for completely in
the passage and enforcement of the prohibitory
laws of this State but, true to the tenets of Re-
publican policy, that party has stood true to the
expressed will of the people while assailed by
the Democrats and traduced by third party ad
herants within and without the State, and
has given US the law, and we Prohibitionists, as
sisting the true and faithful executive officers,
"
Again. have heard of no legislation favor
able to the suppression Of intemperance in your
State for the past twenty five years, except at
the hands of the Republican party elected in
1872, when the Republican prohibitonists very
unwisely refused to support the head of the
ticket, resulting in the election of the late
Thomas A. Hendricks, Governor. who signed
the Baxter law, but advised its repeal at the
next session of the Legislature, thereby keeping
in FORM but violating in fact his covenant
10 xLo ionicf 10 % fho INN Nf hic
election. Alas, it has ever been thus!
am pursGaded that the Hon. Tom. Browne
would have kept the faith with his party, obeyed
the behests of his platform, signed the Baxter
law and furthered the interest of his party to
that extent; that the repeating Legislature of
1874 would have been an amending Legislature,
placing Indiana far in advance of Georgia, Ala
bama and other Southern States on local-option
regulation, and prevention of intemperance
am astonished at such declarations as /
sometimes hear from Prohibitionists relative to
the Endorsement of the liquor traffic by the ma
tioDal Republican party, when it is well known
that the Republican party has not at any time
in national convention resolved upon the liquor
ISSUE touching either lscense or prohibition,
but have only expressed sympathy with what
ever may have been deemed the best methods of
regulation within the province of the federal
government to devise.
Such charges are, 20 say the least, presump-
tive. il-timed unwise and wholly uncalled for,
without the semblance of beneficial influence,
but excessively harmful to the cause sought by
the persons making the charge, if such are sim
core and not traducers, and l believe it would
have been alike presumptive in the past for the
Republican party to have placed a prohibitory
resolution in its national platform, for such
course would have been more disastrous to the
party than the ill.timed St. John farce and false
pretense of 1884. and far more harmful than the
accidental exaltation of the present il-guided,
liquor loving, officethirsting administration can
ha aoff hon rrninp hat cxuifh ind NH
so with political combinations or parties, good
faith is virtue; to be sought and practiced, and
when Prohibitionists or other combinations of
persons have been served by political party,