The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-08-09
TEMPERANCE PRINCIPLES.
The Republican Party, The Temper
Rnee People and the ProhIbIIionIsts.

The Republican Party, The Temper
anee People and the ProhIbIIIOnIsts.
The temperance people who have
sought action, moral or legal, are honest
and sincere in their efforts to sustain a
good cause, cause which they believe
demands the sympathy of all who want
to save mankind, the home and the
country from terrible curse. In this
view, whether as church, societies, fra
ternities. prohibItionists, Womens
Christian Temperance Union, or under
whatever name they may assume, they
are fully entitled to the cordial support
of all good citizens.
Now comes few among those people
calling themselves PrOhibitionists, who
demand separate and independent polit-
lcal action. These are the false prophets
OF good cause against whom all good
temperance people should be warned
One OF these prophets declares that the
flrst duty to be performed is "to destroy
the Republican party" Another that the
Democratic party in the country has
furnished the most temperance legisla:
tlon." and further cOddles the same
Democratic party by taking their view
OF the tariff question, and smaller fish
fall into this line with slight variations
and by sugar coating Of Temperance
they are trying to mislead few honest
temperance people. Now we do not rur-
pose to say that all the political virtue
rests with the Republican party. We
claim that they are nearest right, have
been SO ever since organized, are so to
day and therefore we can do the most
and the best duty in support of that
party. Nor do we claim that all Demo-
Gratis are necessarily bad; far from it.
Unquestionably the country has rum
Republicans and rum Democrats. 1t is
not our purpose here to say which has
the most. Most of our readers are suf
ficiently intelligent to decide that aues.
ton for themselves. In the attempt TO
mislead few temperance people by as
serting that the first duty is ito destroy
the Republican party" and that the
Democratic party has Furnished the
most temperance legislation" we wish
to submit brief record.
First when the Massachusetts Legisla-
ture passed a bill closing all liquor sa-
looms on election days give us the yeas
and nays, with the politics of those who
voted yea and of those who voted nay.
On this occasion was it true that one
party was almost solid for the measure,
while the other was equally solid against
it? If so, which party was for it? Will
the Prohibition lecturers please answer?
This line can be followed out in all the
Republican states, or where legislation
has been most restrictive against the sale
of Intoxicating liquors. When this has
been done, let us take national view.
In 1880 the Democrats declared in
their national platform directly: mo
sumptuous LAVISH Again in 1884 in
National Democratic Convention as
sembled: 1--WE oppose sumptuary laws
which veX the citizen and interfere with
his individual liberty Mr.. Cleveland
in his letter of acceptance especially al
luded to this plank and gave it his en-
dorsement. So much for nationality.
Now let us step back into the little
State of Vermont, where we find that
the Democratic State convention not
only endorsed the national Democratic
position on this subject, but declared
the enforcement of the prohibitory law
in this State a piece of hypocrisy and
favored license law.
So much for the Democratic position
on this question as stated by them
selves.
The Republican party of Vermont
have necessarily been responsible for
its legislation since the organization of
the party in 1854. OF the 270 members
of the Vermont Legislature in the last
30 years the Democrats have had from
10 to 25 members and on two or three
occasions few more, and once about
90. At almost every session of the Leg
islature in that time the temperance
laws have been made more and more
stringent.
AT the Republican State Convention
OF lo72-l6 years ago-the following
resolution was unanimously adopted.
Resolved, That the illegal traffic in intoxicating
drinks is prolific source of temptation, poverty,
taxation and crime, causing endless and heavy
burdens to fall on many innocent citizens. 1t is
therefore the duty of the State in accordance
with the highest interests and its present settled
policy to protect the people from the evil and
the results that follow such illegal sale.
The chairman of the committee who
reported the above resolution is now an
Ex-Governor of the State.
Both of the last Republican State Con-
ventions of 1886 and 1888 re-aflirmed
these same temperance principles and it
is not necessary that we quote the reso-
lutions in full. At the Republican Ma
tional Convention at Chicago, for the
first time in the history of any great po-
litical party in this country, they adopt
ed a temperance plank, in words almost
identical with the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union, beginning: 1.-The
first concern of all good governments
is the virtue and sobriety of the people
and the purity of their homes"
And yet certain part of the Third
Party bushwhackers almost repudiate
these words for temperance and purity,
when in fact they ought to rejoice that
at last great national party has been
willing to incorporate them as plank
in their platform. We submit this as Q
true record of a party which has never
been found wanting in the hour of the
country's greatest peril, whether relat,
ing to the existence of the government
itself, or to its general business pros