St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-09-02
PROHIBITION ADDRESSES.
w. p. Stafford, Esq. Speaks for the Third
Party and Mrs. Foster for the Repub-
Iicans.

licans.
w. p. Stafford, the candidate of the
prohibitionists, spoke in defence of the
third party movement at Peacham on
Saturday evening and at Lyndonville
Monday evening. At Peacham he was
greeted with a crowded house and was
given close attention. He spoke in
substance as follows
/ Mr.. Stafford began his address by
calling attention to the rapid increase
of population the large percentage of
foreigners brought to the country in
recent years the massing of this in
crease at the great centers of pepula-
ton the fact that political power is
centering in the cities so that their
vote is decisive in all close elections !;
that the cities control the politics of the
country and that the grog-shOps con-
troll the cities. He argued that this
meant bribery and the rule of dema-
gogues, and pointed to the permanent
corruption of the ballot. He cited the
Cincinnati and Chicago riots and claim
ed that they would have been impossi-
BILE without rum. In these he thought
he read the fulfillment of Tocqueville's
prophecy and the danger of fulfill
ment of Macaulay's.
These points led him to the conclu-
sion that the evil was of national i'm
port and danger and demanded nation
al measures. He denied that it was
matter solely within the control of the
separate states claimed that Federal
| legislation and control was necessary
to secure uniformity of laws without
which prohibition could never be made
thoroughly successful. The speaker
asserted that prohibition was the only
adequate remedy and argued that Ii
cense was false in theory and PERM
| ciOus in practice.
Mr.. Stafford then proceeded to dis
cuss the position of the two great par
ties upon the question, claiming that
neither represented the views of prOhi-
bitiOnists as national parties. He gave
the history of the formation of the new
party and the reasons for it's formation.
The rest of the speech was an argu-
ment to show that the republican par
ty as national party never had and
never would or could champion the
cause of prohibition. He referred to
the Mooney excise bill passed by the
New York legislature, the liquor legis-
lation for the past 90 years in the Dis
trict of Columbia and the nOn-enforce-
ment of law in New Hampshire and
Vermont and other republican prohibi
tory states, and claimed that the time
called for party pledged to the en-
forcement of the law.
He paid tribute to the republican
party of the past but said that the rev.
erence he felt for the party of Lincoln
Il IaH 70 ha
ty of Elkins and Dorsey. He closed
with short discussion of the present
discordant condition of the two parties
on other questions, review of the
present strength and the prospects of
the new party, and an exhortation,
especially to the young men, not to
"pitch their tents among the dead"
but to face bravely the living issues of
the hour.
At Lyndonville between two and
three hundred were present in Music
hall when Mr.. Stafford stated his views
substantially the same as above noted.
Mrs. j. Ellen Foster having been
advertised to speak the following even
ing Mr.. Stafford referred to positions
taken by her in the past antagonizing
republican nominees and read letter
written by her. Mr.. Stafford made a
good impression in LyndOnville and
was we'll received.
Mrs. Fosters Address.
Music hall was well filled Tuesday
evening on the appearance of this Gel
ebrated speaker. She was introduced
by Lawyer Gleason who said that on
the previous evening the people ad-
mired the candOr and fairness with
which the representative of the third
party had presented his views. Mrs.
Foster was cordially received and
spoke in substance as follows:
The theme was "PrOhibition in poll
tics" The first half hour was taken
up with general discussion of the
subject of temperance, concluding with
the statement that prohibition is the
only legislative remedy for the evils
of intemperance. There are two meth
DDS of accomplishing this, the partisan
and the non bipartisan. The third party
method is the partisan method. The
third party is wrong in principle and
disastrous in results. Good men NOM
mated by the old parties have been de-
feated because the third party voted
for it's own candidates. The curse of
the times is partisanship. The spirit |
of partisanship has taken possession of
the third party. 1t is built up on the
idea of partisanship. No method of
action can be judged by it's immediate
results. The third party divides the
temperance votes. The growth of the |
party is very small compared with the |
growth of temperance sentiment in the |
country. There is no credit in voting
for prohibition when you knOW you will |
accomplish nothing by the result. A
political party has no business with
moral reform until it is crystallized in
to law. We don't want party advoca-
cy of an idea until the idea gets into
law. Believes a national remedy nee
essary but should be by state action.
In answer to the question elbow long
will it take the third party to become
victorious 2" "NOt until generations of
mothers boys have gone down to
drunkards graves" Get the highest
good you can out of the conditions you
have. Prohibition will unite the North |
and South but the third party will not
do it. 1t is a glorious thing that there
is strength enough in the reform to di-
vide.
1t was evident that large majority |
of the three or four hundred persons
present were in sympathy with the
speaker in her denunciations of the
third party.
Wanted to be Near Him.