The Republican journal., 1888-02-16
The Bunker Rust-Jim-Jam PARTY.

The meeting Saturday evening of the So
called personal liberty club was what might
have been expected from the character If its
promoters. The ''leading business men" were
conspicuous by their absence. The ''lfe long
PrOhibitionsts'' who had suddenly seen the
errors of their ways were not there. Half of
the signers, many of whom realized that they
had been deceived before this stage of the pro-
ceedings was reached, were not present, and
the street corners were drawn from to make
up an audience of less than two hundred. The
officers of the club are mainly Democrats and
the speakers were Democrats. Only one pro-
fesscd to be a Republican, and he did not pro-
pose to vote for any Republican but "Jim
Blaine" The non-partisan disguise was too
thin to deceive any one, and even the muzzling
of the originator of the movement, the editor
of the Prog. Age, failed of its purpose. Bro.
Rust is to be allowed to sit on the anxious
bench for while; but later, when no more
Republicans can be deluded into signing away
their liberty, and placing their vote and con-
science in the keeping of counsel for rumsell
ers, he will be admitted to full fellowship and
allowed to raise his voice in favor of free rum
and pure Democracy. At this stage of the
game it was felt that speech from him might
be fatal. Last weeks issue of the Prog. Age
indicated that Il COMMITTEE of safety" had We
toed his editorial utterances, and al the meeting
the pioneer of the personal liberty cause sat
silent and unhonored while the unseen hands
of his personal enemies worked the wires that
moved the puppets Oh the stage.
The speakers Saturday night were incon>i>-
tent in their own utterances and contradicted
each other, but We're animated by a common
purpose, that of defeating the Republican
party; and the resolutions adopted practically
pledge all who belong to the organization to
vote against the Republican candidates at fiji
ture elections That, of course. is expected of
Democrats. and it was hardly necessary for
them to so pledge themselves; while Republic
cans who have been deceived into placing their
names on IA paper by misrepresentation var
led to suit varying requirements, will simply
decline to 90 farther or to be bound what is
now seen to be ! transparent fraud. Some
were told that the object was simply to have Il
place where liquors could be legally sold for
medicinal and mechanical purposes. That
could be attained on application to the city
| government for city agency, but is not likely
to be attained i'll our day and generation by
the means proposed, that of a license law.
Those who have been led to believe that there
will be licensed liquor selling in Belfast at an
early day are reminded that even if the people
of Maine were now Of one mind on thi, sub
ject. which they certainly are not, Years must
elapse before the work of years can be un-
done, and a system adopted which has been
discarded As wrong in principle and failure
in practice, ard against which Maine has three
times voted by decisive majoritics.
While one of the speakers Saturday night
said that we had had free rum for thirty year,
under the prohibitory laws another intmacd
that these laws had been so vigorously cnforc-
ed in Belfast that the people were ready to re.
bel against them. The further assertion thai
'thc present law is 50 stringent that Neal Dow
cannot think of anything more to add to it
every one must know to be untrue There ha.
never been. and never will be. a law stringent
enough to suit Neal Dow, who is now promot
inc third party designed. as is this personal
liberty club, to injurc the Republican party
because ii las ignored his impracticabIe de
mands. Tie speaker revealed the purpose OF
! his associates when lie said that. Ibis idea
Was for Republicans to go to the caucltse.
and see that no one was put in nomination UNI
less he was opposed to the present law and fol
Democrats TO do the same especially in noni
mating candidates for the Le@isIatu-e.' Bu
what kind of Republicans are they that vii!
take their orders from leader of the oppoS
ton: The statement that '.therc Is NOR,
liquor sold and more drunkenness under pro
hibitory laws than under license laws. is dis
proved by statistics from every place where
the two systems of regulating the liquor traffic
have been tried. and the increased sales ani
consequent drunkenness under license have
been attended by an increase of crime an,
pauperi>m. The resolutions adopted are false
in statements, wrong iii conclusions. mslead
ing and insincere. The mover of them doe.
not believe in the enforcement of the prohibi
tory law $50 long As il shall remain law" an,
the slow Sro@gcries'' referred to As ''the legti
mate offspring of prohibition" have bcel
''forced to disappear" under prohibition. an,
would reappear under license.