Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-09-04

of that party, and what you have done in that
party or with your third party to get prohibi-
ton? Absolutely nothing.
l have been in Iowa. and a member of tho
Republican party, and worked in that line,
and with what result? We have one of the
best prohibition lawsin Iowa that has ever
been made, and it is as well enforced as any
other law. have followed no ignis fatuus
of third party impracticability. You have.
Now what is the result? My State is prohb-
itory yours is not, and yet, forsooth, because
| cannot conscientiously follow your method
that has proven failure, and abandon my
own, that has proven success, am to be
accounted as lacking in conscience. Did
you ever think, my brother, that it is possible
you are mistaken, and that the beam may be
in thine own eye? "r
Again we have 10000 Prohibitionists in
Iowa. OF that number l49, 900 will vote for
the Republican ticket, and 1000 for your
third party ticket. Allow me to suggest that
the l49 may be as wise and honest as the
one. 1t is true one man may be wiser than
l49, but it is not very good taste nor very
good morals for the one to to say that he is
the only honest one.
And what is true of the state of Iowa is
true the country over. As l said before,
you cannot positively hope to poll more than
one-tifth the actual prohibition vote for your
ticket and is it not possible that the four
who refuse to vote itmay be as wise and con-
scientious as the one who does? When you
say they are not, you are violating one of the
cardinal principles of the religion we both
confess, to Judge not thy brother
While am at this matter there are few
other things to which / wish to call your at
tention. The only States in which prohibi-
ton is maintained to-day are Republican
States, and yet you make your fight against
the Republican party, and your leaders as
sert that you have no hope of electing your
ticket, but You wish to defeat the Republican
party, so that the Prohibition party may
take its place in 1892. Very well; look at
the result. You break down Prohibition,
when it is already established, for you con-
cede that the Democratic party is opposed to
the principle. You make enemies with all
men in the Republican party by your fight
against them, and what is the result? You
keep a free whiskey Democratic party in
power for a generation at least.
But you begin to compare yourself to the
Abolition party, but you have studied history
| to little advantage if you can see anything
in that. If the Abolition party had contin-
ued on its radical ground, what would have
been the result? Slavery would have been
National to-day, for if Abraham Lincoln had
taken his stand on platform of absolute
abolition, he would have been defeated, and
slavery would have been more firmly rooted
than ever. So, the good sense of the peo-
pie said we will prohibit slavery in the terri
tories, where we have jurisdiction, and leave
the matter to the States, and on this princi-
pie they won.
So, If Mr.. Harrison had stepped on a radi-
cal prohibition platform at Chicago he would
have been defeated and whiskey entrenched
for a generation But, as he is on the COM
mon ground in favor of local government
on the matter by the States, while adopting
the general principle of temperance in all
ways, or rather on anti-saloon ground, he
will be elected, and the great temperance re-
form will move on. Why cannot you be as
wise as the old Abolitionists, who supported
Fremont and Lincoln on less radical plat
form than they deemed exactly right
You may talk of conscience and all that,
but conscience without common sense is
only fanaticism in Republic like ours. 1t
troubles my conscience to think that the
only obstacle in the way of ultimate prohi-
btion is the utter impracticabilty of those
Tho blndly put out a hopeless ticket to
stop the progress of events to that end Be
sides. your party is not acting on high
moral plan. You confess that the Demo-
cratic party is opposed to prohibition, and
that you intend to oppose it after you have
beaten the Republican party. When, my
good brother, did you adopt the principle we
will do evil that good may Gomez You will
put the devil in power that you may fight
him. Verify, if that is conscience. am
thankful have none of that kind
| will not burden you with the many in.
consistencies of your opposition to the Re-
publican party. Because the Republican
party say that rather than break down the
protective tariff system, they would in con
tingency repeal the tax on liquors, you
abuse them, or rather your spokesman do,
and call them the free whiskey party
when in the very platform on which you
stand, there Il declaration in favor of the
unconditional and immediate repeal of that
tax. Does your conscience indorse such an
inconsistency? If it does | am happy to
say mine does not
Believing, as do. that your movement 10
an injury and foe to the cause of prohi- |
bition, can only hope and pray and vote
for the success of the Republican party.
CHARLES III. LICHTMAS the energetic |
n4f,..,