The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-09-25

men who have been crying XIII the |
Republican party" can learn from
the returns that they have taken the
right course to kill the Prohibition
party, and that NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
of the Prohibition voters see the fact.
Messrs. Dow and st. John appealed
this year to 70.783 voters who carried
the Prohibition amendment in Sep
TENDER, 1884. with only 23,811 votes
opposed to it. Out of the 10000 they
appear to have less than $500 to sup
port their warfare against the Repub-
lican party. 1t is personally humil-
iating to them, because they have
boosted loudly, displayed a most
vicious temper, and called all the
world to witness their destruction of
the Republican organization. The
end is that the Republican party pre-
walls, and by larger majority than
is usual in other than Presidential
years.
This does not mean that the voters
of Maine abandon Prohibition. 1t
means that they reject, as really hos
tile to Prohibition, the methods
chosen by pretended Prohibitionists.
1t does not mean that the 10000
voters of Maine approve practical
notification of Prohibitory statutes.
On the contrary; it means that they
rebuke Neal Dow for the unwarran-
ted assertion that those statutes are
practically nullified. It does not
mean that real friends of temperance
in Maine care little for the cause but
they see that the surest way to defeat
it is to make it a paid ally of the rum
selling party, The decision of the
Prohibitionists of Maine is likely to
have far.reaching influence in other
States. 1t shows that there, where
the practical benefits of Prohibitory
legislation have been longest tried
and are best known, an attempt to
put Prohibition in antagonism to the
Republican party results in loss Of
nineteen twentieths of the Prohibit
ton voters. 1t leaves pitiful minor
/ ity pretending to represent that cause
instead of the overwhelming major
ity of three to one by which the
amendment was carried two years
ago.
If the sincere Prohibitionists of
New York. New Jersey and other
States give this lesson the attention
it deserves, they will put an end to
third.party movements which have
no other object than to aid the Dem
ocratic party at the expense of the
temperance cause. They will relegate
Mr.. st. John, and other hired ennis
saries, to the company of the rum
sellers whose ends they serve. and
make il clear as daylight that honest
Prohibitionists do not intend to begin
by putting Democrats into power.
Nearly all the Republicans who be-
lieve in Prohibition will be governed
by the assurance that they cannot
help that cause by surrendering their
convictions on National questions, or
by putting the enemies of Prohibi-
ton into Office. He who insists upon
a policy which puts twentieth of
| the Prohibitionists against nineteen
twentieths should hereafter be recOg-
nized as an enemy of the temperance
cause.
The Republican party has not only
passed this crisis with success, but has
shown itself stronger than it was be-
fore its National defeat. Four years
ago, there was a Senate and Congress
sional election in Maine,such as there
has been this year. Then, as now
the chiefinterest of the election sprang
from the desire of some to Kill off Mr..
Blaine, a prominent Republican can
didate, and the determination of
others to sustain him. There was
not then the excitement of a Presi.
dental election to call out full vote
as there was not on Monday last.
The Congressional issue was the same
in both cases, and the anxiety of the
opposition to pave the way for Re-
publican defeat gave to both cam
paigns the same peculiar character.
Four years ago the Republicans had
a plurality of 1872 votes, the Green.
back candidates having 1902 votes,
and the Prohibition vote being insig-
nificant. This year, the Republican
plurality according to latest de-
spatches appears to be about IA, 600;
the entire vote is about IL 900 less
than 1t was four years ago the DEM
ocrats and Greenbacks have lost about
10000, and the Republicans about
1900 but $500 have been cast for
Prohibition candidate. These figures
put the Maine result in its true light.
comparing State and Congressional
election. not in Presidential year,