Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-10-28
BoLTING SWIFT.
A German Repu ublican's Reason
Therefor.

OF the city a few days ago, gives the
following reasons for turning Democrats;
"M. Greenblatt was next introduced
and spoke as follows:
"Mr. President, Ladies and Gentle
men: You see in me one whom people
are pleased to term bolter. Well, iail
to find anything disparaging in this term
itself, for it only depends upon what
and from whom to what and to whom
one bolts. To the man, for instance,
who bolts from Neal Dow's vagaries and
idiosyncrasies, turning to almost any
other-except, perhaps, the anarchists
.doctrine-the terra 'bolter" implies, in
my opinion, not only no reproach, but is
rather badge of honor and title of
political nobility.
But how ever harmless nickname may
be, we are 10th to have it fastened upon
us, unless it be deserved. The political
ideas which l for years have entertained
have remained unchanged to this day.
After the unity Of the States has been
made as secure as human power can
make it, we German. Americans desire
that the republic be, in accordance with
its destiny, not only powerful, but. at
the same time, home of the free. If
the Republican party has strayed away
from that fundamental principle and
would have the American republican
spirit of cur Constitution superseded by
English--aristo tocratic-puritan tenden
cies--for Puritanism is not of American,
but of English origin-then zee have
been consistent Americans and the Re-
publican party is the bolter.
1t certainly cannot be maintained
that political party is sovereign and
that an individual has no rights which
the organization is bouLd to respect,
but owes it allegiance, no matter what
its principles have become and how far
il may have gone astray; for it would
be nothing short of despotism.
And what is it after all, what we
German-Americans ask, that free Amer
ican citizens have not the good right to
exact? We do not want the State to
make any laws which are calculated to
restrict US in our legitimate and consti-
tutionally guaranteed pursuits. To
those blinded by fanatacism this de-
mand may appear trivial, but history
teaches us that no people. even under
monarchical rule, will quietly suffer
their liberties to be wrenched from
them. When the ancestors of the
authors of New England's "blue laws"
in the "Lopg Parliament" under James
ii. passed law prohibiting Christmas
to be celebrated as a day of rejoicing,
and making it day of fast and prayer,
bloody riots all over England were the
order of the day; and when, but few
months ago, the government of the
Netherlands tried to forbid certain
national game, the lower classes revolt.
ed and scenes Of carnage ensued.
But is it fact, some of my Republi-
can friends ask, that the Republican
party threatens our liberties?
You all know that recently hurricane
of prohibition fenaticsm, engendered by
the Republican party, has swept over
the land. The Republican platforms of
Massachusetts,, New jersey, New York.
Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Michigan, Kan
sas, Iowa, etc., are burdened with iron.
clad prohibition or submission planks,
and the fact that this movement is coun.
tenanced by that shrewdest and fore
most leader of the party, james G Blaine,
invests it with an unusual degree of i'm.
portance. And what contemplate part
has Mr.. Blaine played in this matter in
his own State. As you are aware, a
third party was started there by that
benighted fanatic, Neal Dow, for the
purpose of enacting a still stricter sys-
tenn Of prohibition, because, as he said
himself, the present prohibitory laws
had been total failure. There. then,
was splendid opportunity for Mr..
Blaine to speak manly word and to
break the sinister charm which Prohibi.
tionists exercise over the Republican
party. "Have we not always asserted, :"
he might have said to Neal Dow and his
cranky companions, "that prohibition
does not prohibit, and that your whole
agitation is nothing but an egregious
humbug?" But no. Mr.. Blaine left not
only that manly word unspoken, he at
tempted even to prove-and certainly
against his better conviction-that the
prohibition laws were all that could be
desired, that they had proven themselves
of an immense benefit to the State OF
Maine. Mind you, when it has been
statistically shown that there is proper
tionately more drunkenness, crime and
debauchery in Maine than in almost any
other State-and that the Republican
party was, in spite of Neal Dow, entitled
to the credit for the blessed effects of the
present-good-for. nothing = probibitory
system. A more fragrant example of in
consistency and want of principle than
that which Mr.. Blaine exhibited in this
matter can hardly be conceived.
But some OF my Republican friends
will perhaps assert that this does not in
any manner concern US, and that there
is no danger of prohibition being forced
on California. Is this sanguine view
really justified? You let the Republicans,
with their anti-liberal platforms, carry
majority of the States at the approach
ing elections and / warrant you there
will be music in the air for US. You let
a Republican Legislature be elected and
a man like John F. Swift, who has been
Mr.. Pixley's adept pupil to some pur.
pose, and / venture the prediction that
in less than year from now local option
will be engrafted upon the statutes of
California.
As soon as the right to pass prohibi-
tory laws is accorded to one State, the
question has at once assumed national
aspect, for, if a two.thirds majority,
namely, twenty-five States, see fit to
avail itself of that concession, there is
nothing in its way, but its own sweet
will to adopt prohibition amendment
to the Constitution of the United States.
And since / could, without any effort,
and in one breath, count at least fifteen
States with decided prohibition pro.
clivities, the danger which threatens us
becomes at once apparent.
Revolutions never go backward, and
the revolt against the liberal spirit of
our institutions will in its mad career
rush onward until it has either reached
its goal or is crushed by people deter.
mined not to be fettered or to break
the shackles which a power, foreign to
the spirit of the Federal Courts action
has forged. In prohibition meeting,