Smyrna times., 1886-04-14
The Political Signs of the Times,

whiskey. Loud and long continued
laughter and applause. Honorable
men of all classes are growing weary
of marching to the polls shoulder
to shoulder with liquor-sellers and vOt-
ing for candidates nominated by the
dictation of a dram-shop oligarchy. In
The present condition of American
public sentiment, no organization seek
ing national power is likely to be long
lived, if it acts in large subscrvieney to
the liquor traffic. Applause. Our
Republic will not permanently permit
itself to be governed by the sycOphants
of the saloons. If it should ever do so
it would cease to be a republic in any
thing more than a name. When the
path to political preferment leads
through gin mills, free government is
farce and its future likely to be a trag-
edy. Applause.
at is a significant sign of the times
that the knights of Labor have num-
Der of stern principles and fashions
concerning liquor-sellers and intemper-
ate men. In the lodges of the Knights
neither the whiskey dealer nor his vic
tim is q welcome member. l am told
that the Knights of Labor, whom l
am obliged to criticise on certain
other points, are sound on the temper
ance question that is, that they are
not likely to support with vigOr any
party that is in close alliance with the
whisky rings. Applause. l think
may say the same of the great majority
of the Independents in politics, revolt
ers from the Republican and Democratic
organizations. OF course l can say
the same of that third party, the pro
hibitiOnist, which wins larger and
larger influence with thoughtful citi-
zens as they study more carefully the
mischiefs of municipal corruption un-
der the whiskey rings, and look for
ward more attentively into the threats
of great future population. There is
a powerful and alert national Organi-
ZatiOn, called the WOman'S Christian
Temerance Union, which lends its in
1uence in support of prohibition,
political party.
Now my first reason for my PROPOSE
ton that neither the Republican nor
the Democratic Party can be preserved
if in close alliance with the whisky
rings, is that these four forces-the
Knights of Labor, the Independents,
the Prohibitionists, and the ladies in
the Woman's Christian Temperance
Union, to say nothing of the churches
and the soundest portions of the press,
are all rOusing public sentiment in OPP
position to any such alliance. What if
either of the parties now prominent
could obtain the hearty support of all
! these forces? 1t might succeed. On
the other hand, it is certain that with
| the opposition of these four classes OF
influences, neither party can succeed
''The severe truth is that at the pres
ent moment, in every closely
contested election, state and
national, the Republican party by
the beard and the Democratic party by
the throat Laughter. 1t is the au
dacity of the liquor traffic which l eX
pect to stimulate us to proper vigOr o
opposition to it. AS slavery wen
down in its own madness, so the liquor
traffic will co. for whom the god
would destroy they first make mad
We have all lived to see the abolition
of slavery, and it is not incredible tha
some of us may live to see the liquo
traffic made an outlaw by both stat,
and national enactment. Applause.
In the conflict with liquor. wha
is the duty of honest men, who car
nothing for merely partisan politics
and who are not to be whipped int,
line by the crack of the party whip
What is the duty of those who fee
sure that great and ultimately disas
trous mischiefs must result from tn
growing influence of the dram-shO
Oligarchy? Our first clear politica
duty in connection with the liquo
traffic, as it used to be in connection
with slavery, is to vote for no part
that is in alliance with the giganti
mischief Applause.
You are Democrat, you are Re
publican; become at least an Independ
ent. Applause.
"There has been called lately con
ventiOn for the reformation of the Re
publican party. Leading citizens c
Kansas in large numbers ask for a ma
tional gathering of anti-salOOn Reput
cans on the 10Th of May, at Toledo, {
Precint meetings are called for Apr
21st, County Conventions for April q
State and Territorial Conventions fc
May 9Th, to elect delegates to this con
vention. The chief promoter of thi
movement assured me, in this hall
few days ago, that the majority of tn
Republican Senators at WashingtO
favor it.
"There is searching and abundau
sense in the claim made in the call 70
this convention, that temperance me
are likely to desert the Republica
party if it does not assume a more viz
orous attitude. concerning the liquC
traffic. There is ample ground for th
prediction made in this call that ii
, men who like the whisky rings mol
than they like the Republican part,
will desert that party and that thu
after secessiOns on the right and left,
will find itself in q wretched minort,
and its opponents lifted to a prOlonge
power. This is a dismal prospect /,
devoted Republicans, and it is made
yet more certain outlook by the ia,
that there isa Prohibitory party. The
are multitudes of Indepents in Il
land. Political affiliations are loosei
ing. The question is whether the r
publican managers will be convince
that they would lose less by olTendin
r. the whisky rings than by favorir
D them.
l. If all Independents, all Prohibition
]; lists, all who are opposed to the liqu
s. traffic will stand up and be counte
we shall very soon convince the art
meticians among the political manip
lators that more is to be lost than gaint
by offending the temperance sentime
$. of the land. Applause. 1t is to pr
y duce that conviction that l ask you
le become at least Independents. | am IL
asking you to join this or that part
ular organization. AS an Independe
you vote for your best man wherev
you see him; you vote, according
the exigency, with the Republican
with the PrOhibitionists, or even wi
n the Democrats. You thus eo-Qpera
a' in securing reform both from with
and from without the party in pow'
IS "But weare to be forevever guerilla
Are we never to form an army of o
own? This is q period of reorganiz
ton in many things, and it seems lik
" to become such in politics.
y as Prohibition the only issue befo
the peopleP Ought not n Nation
Reform party to be organized, adopti
II whatever is valuable in the platform
o,xr no rfxy fbot haoopoae dicinfaorof ~