The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-07-02
A. CRITIC CRITICISED.

Minneapolis Tribune: John T.. st.
John made one of his characteristic pro-
hibitiOn lectures in Portland, Maine,
June 9th; IN which he took one hour to
demonstrate Cd that the Republican
party had gone to the dogs 80 far rs its
principles are concerned; (2) that there
were no Issues to-day between the Re-
publican party and the Democratic par
ty; CD that the. only hope of the Pro-
hibitIonists is i'm standing alOof from
both parties: and lastly st. John quotes
the difference between the majorities i'm
the great Republican states for Grant i'm
1872, and the majorlties in the same
states for Blaine in 1884, rs conclusive
throughout the United States. Let us
examine these propositions and see
whether Mr.. st. John has made one of
his blanket statements that sweeps all
before II without reference to the truth,
or whether there be some wheat among
this chat. Some time after the war Mr..
st. John became member of the Re-
publican party i'm the State of Kansas.
He also became member of the legis-
lature as a Republican representative.
In 1873 he became a dark horse candi-
date for governor i'm convention where
John 4. Martin, present governor of
Kansas, ex-GOv, Anthony and Gen.
Johnson were candidates with such
equally divided following that the sue
cess of any one of these three men be-
came impossible.
As such candidate st. John was sue
cessful, and during his term of Office the
constitutional amendment i'm favor of
prohibition was carried through by the
Republican party as it had been in
Mni, In Mr
John was renOminated and reelected
by the overwhelming majOrity of more
than 33 900 votes, as all prominent state
and federal officers were. During these
two years the law of prohibition was al
lowed TO remain practically dead let
ter i'm the large cities, while there was
absolutely no enforcement of the laws
against gambling and similar crimes, by
reason of which the Governor was
much blamed. st. John having insisted
on q denomination as third term can
didate for Governor and would not be
silenced, the party gave it to him, and
i'm Nov, 1882, st. John was defeated by
5000 votes while other Republican state
candidates received as high as 81 600
plurality, The occasion for all this was
the fact that the people of the state
were thoroughly satisfied that st. John
his professions, and incompetent as an
executive officer Of great state like
Kansas. Up till that hour of defeat in
1889 the Republican party was sound in
principle and amply good enough for
Mr.. John p. st. John. The party had
kept and cared for him for 10 or II
years with the best offices of the state,
and had only shipped him when com
PEELED to do so, or submit to inevitable
defeat.
When his defeat was announced, st.
John blubbered like school boy; and
from that day revenge has been i'm his
heart. His candidacy for President i'm
1884, was for revenge or Doodle, and he
undoubtedly got both. He Is again pos
ing before the country preparatory to
his SECOND campaign I'm 1898. And he
blandly tells the public that there are
no living party issues. That one party
is as corrupt as the other, and that he is
the Moses 10 lead the few decent peO-
Pile, who can be such only by being for
st. John, out Of the woods and up to
prOhibitOry success. st. John liz not q
fool, and not being such, he knows that
there are as distinct questions ut issue
between the great parties as there have
been since the organization of the Re-
publican ranks.
The Republican party believes in pro-
lection to American industries. The
Democratic party does not and would
open wide our ports to the importation
OF the product of the pauper labor of
Europe in competition with our own,
which are produced by o set Of laborers
whose needs, customs, habits and ex-
penditures are royal compared with that
of the laboring element of Europe.