Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-07-09
Anti-SalOOn Republicanism
HAT PROHIBITION JOURNAL THINKS OF IT.

WHAT A PROHIBITION JOURNAL THINKS OF H.
Law and Order, prominent temperance
paper published in Boston, has the following
remarks upon the temperance plank in the
Vermont r, publican State platform. 1t is
evident that the doctrine which demands
Third Party Prohibition, or no Prohibition at
all, does not commend itself to the approval
of this temperance organ:
ANY sincere reformcr would be hard to
suit if not satisfied 18th the following temper
ence plank from the platform of the Vermont
Republican Safe Convention. This is il:
Resolved. Tn 1t we depore the multform evils OF
intenperance, re affirm the position OF thu Repub
iican party in this Stale upon that question: and de
clare that In opinion. the prohibition of the
liquor traffic expressed in our statutes be and
should remain the settled polio Of the State; that,
as the liquor saloon is debasng in politics it is
baeful IN social life the Republican party should
everywhere reject all overtures tor open and secret
alliance with 1t, and that the tate Committee this
day appointed be instructed to select delegates to
represent this state in he coming National Anti
saloon Conference, which has been called to meet at
Chicago.
The New York Tribune says very pertinent
ly in commenting upon this:
This 1t will be observed. Is distinct recognition
of the anti saloon Repub lean movement recently
started in New Jersey. II puts the Vermont Repub-
licans squarey in opposition TO the saloon element
commits the party against "all overtures for open
or secret alliance with it, and links the state
OF ganza ion formally with the new movement by
instructng the State Committee to choose delegates
TO represent Vermont in the coming National Anti
saloon COME rence. And in this way one of the con-
tenions of the Prohibition is met and silenced
Will the Prohibitlonists of Vermont heartily
indorse this plank, or, as in Maine, adopt a
! separate platform and set up an independent
ticket? We can see no consistency in the
action of the Maine prohibi,ionists. The
Republican party had adopted aud measurably
enforced prohibition. The prohlbitionists
themselves say ''that the records of courts.
the deposits in savings banks. the small pro-
portion of taxes, collected by the United
States authorities, the total destruction of the
manu- facture of alchoholic drinks in the State
and the vast increase of sentiment in favor Of
total abstinence shows that Maine leads in
the reform and is quarter of century in
advance of the license States"
| With so much accomplished and great
party in majority pledged to such enforce
ment as the people would sanction, it would
appear, to Judge by ordinary rules, the only
remaining thing to do would be to constantly
educate toward better enforcement. Our
third party friends accuse the republicans of
hiae-bound partisanship. There must be a
beam ia some ones eye. The impartial OBJ
server must reasonably conclude that pro-
hibitionsts think more of their pet third party
than of the principle of prohibition. There
are douhtlesss some disgruntled republicans
| in Maine, as elsewhe e, and this third party
may succeed in securing enough Of them to
turn the State over to the free-rum democra-
CIV. If thew are successful they will succeed
in doing Just this. They have done it else
where and gloried in it, We cannot see
wherein prescription and alienation of repub-
licaus naturally prohibition in theory and
largely in practice, the evidence shows.
will tend to the enforcement OF restriction,
Human nature may not be the same in Maine
rs elsewhere Possibly since the Maine
prohibitionists in convention assembled ex-
pressed gratitude to God. to whom. it
was declared. 1--WE look for help in our bat
tie gainst unrighteousness," the republicans
will lovingly fall upon the necks of
their bretheren and more warmly than ever
devote themselves to the enforcement of
honest prohibition 1t will never enter the
simple minds of these Maine republicans,
who have for quarter of century favored
prohibition as a matter of course because it
was simply just and right. that this third par
~ organized in their midst was done at the
behest of vain political msrplots of other
States to increase their party prestige. There
is grod republican majority in both Iowa
and Vermont. 1t is matter of small mo-
nent that they favor and exemplify prohibi-
ton. The third party must be had. 'rhst
will be supremely important, particularly as
il will antagouze the republican party. 1t
will be remembered that there was an impor-
tant question recently before the New York
legislature The republicans were nearly
unanimous in approving the question of a
constitutional amendment to the vote of the
people of that great State.
With an spproximstiug degree of union on
the part of the temperance organization and the
temperance people in the preceding election a
sufficient MAJORITY could have been secured to
have carried the question in the legislature in
spite of the opposing democrats. We are
constrained to believe that, however sincerely
and earnestly a certain class may favor such
legislation, they are not willing to accept it
at the hands of the republican party. This
is illogical on the part of those who make so
loud profession of reform. But it may be
Understood when we remember that the
majority of these professional reformers were