New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-09-12
NEAL DOH EXPOShS HIMSELF

The curious and interesting interview with
Neal Dow, IN Saturdays tribune, In which
he states reasons for the course taken 10y him,
by st. John and other leaders of the new thru
party at the North, is important. A few Pro
hibitonsts are cranks, or hirelings OF the Dem
ocratic party men of that sort Will make all
the trouble they can whether their cause is
good or bad. But a very large proportion Of
actual or possible Prohibition voters are up
right and sincere men, who mean to do their
duty To them it is of the greatest Importance
% know whether the crusade against the he
publican party, to which they arc invited, has
uist cause or honest purpose. If they see that
Dow, st. John, and other movers in that
crusade are uncandid and are sacrificing the
cause of Prohibition to crafty spite or serve
selfish ends, the voters who really believe
IN Prohibition will act accordingly 1t is ON
this precise point that Mr.. BOWS interview
pours food Of light.
MIR. Dow is not candid in his review of the
history of Prohibition III Maine. His own
letters convicted him Less than a year ago
he wrote, "The Maine law is as well executed
as any other on our statutes" Last week, III
sryIng to excuse his warfare against the Re-
publican party, he wrote, The volume Of the
liquor traffic has not been at all reduced with
in the last twenty years. In every city In
Maine under Republican rule, except in Port
land the law has been and is absolutely ig
horcd." A course which needs untruthfuI
pIetext to excuse it Will not long he chosen
10y upright men.
In order to make this pretext more spccous,
hot PonulLcapo in bax
refused to enact amendments necessary to
make the law effective. When reminded that
these same Republicans have amended the law
thirty times at the request of Prohibitionsts,
he replied: ooh, those amendments did mol
amount to anything But they were each
and all demanded by Mr. Dow and other Pro-
hbition leaders, and were each and all claimed
at the time TO be Of vital necessity. If Nh.
low then thought these amendments would
amount to something, but when they had been
enacted presently discovered that they "did
not amount to anything he has shown such
want of practical sense that Republicans
may well refuse now to he guided by his notions.
Perhaps the changes which he now wants, if
tried, would be found "not to amount to any
thing" and perhaps practical people refused
10 adopt them because they thought So Mr..
Dow chooses TO put d different construction on
this refusal ; he asserts that these are not hon
cst men Or are tools of "liquor Bosses" Thus
be allirms that Judge Bonncy, whom he admits
to he ian honorable man and a Prohibition
ISL" nevertheless is ruled by grog-shops, -
and absolutely utilities the law" Does this
sound like the speech OF a sincere, candid and
capable leader % reform, or of passion
ale, unreasoning crank, whose vagarles his
ellow-cltlzens have refused any longer to
follow, and who has therefore become sour
and savage because Of his loss of influence
1t is this same Mr. Dow who lets out the
fact that St. John is paid 500 per night for
making ProhlbluOn speeches in Maine and
refused TO speak at Augusta and BANGOR ho-
cause that sum was not raised But St John
was supported for President two wears aoo
by well-meaning voters They did not then
suppose that his zeal for the holy cause WAS
Of the $5O-pcr-night variety or that he wouId
develop no zeal unless paid for one NIGHTS
talk more than most industrious men earn bv
months hard work. Yet This same ST John
is the head of the movement to DESTROY the
Republican party, and to build up party led
by himself and Dow-by one man who wants
$50 per night for his leadership, and another
who has asked thirty amendments of his own
law In as many years, and now ailiIms that
all OF them did not amount TO anything"
10 follow such leaders as these, moreover.