The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-10-13

confessedly most served the cause they
claimed to love. They said they were ties
tifyiug to the truth standing up to DC
counted for great principle" their testi-
mony was loudest when the temperance
cause needed works more than words; they
stood up to be counted when the saloons
most desired they should; their testimony
gave great rejoicing in the headquarters
Of the enemy.
During tho years since then, the cause
of temperance has steadily gained, all tenn
perance laws are better enforced, and the
liquor traffic in the prohibitory States is
fast becoming thing of the past. There
have been some signal defeats as in Mich
igan, when the expectation was Justihed
that the Prohibition amendment would
carry; the campaign there was weakened
by party Prohibitionists who would not
surrender for that time even the supposed
interests Of their party ticket.
Tho Republican party has in many States
favored advanced legislation and made
open declarations of enmity to the saloon.
Liquor sympathizers by the hundred have
deserted the party, and still the exodus
goes on. The National Republican con-
ventiou with great enthusiasm, and with
only one dissenting voice, declared: 1.-THE
first duty of good government is the virtue
and sobriety Of the people and the purity
of the home. The Republican party cor
daily sympathizes with all wise and we'll
directed efforts for the promotion of tenn
perance and morality" 1t did this with
an unmlstakable determination to utter its
voice against the decree of a few timid
conservatives on the Resolution Commit
tee.
In the face of this record, and with these
facts still fresh in mind, certain persnssr
are seeking avowedly in the interest of
the holy cause, to accomplish, in Novem-
Der, 1883, what they avoided to bring about
in lSS4-namely, the defeat of the Repub-
lican party. They shut their eyes 10
history, or do violence to its plain teach
ings; they deny or misstate present con
ditions, and declare those persons who do
not utter their shlbboleth and vote their
ticket to be either hypocrities or criminals
or towards or incompetents, to be under
the crack Of the party whip, and to love
party better than principle. They them
selves, however, refuse to vote for staunch
temperance men, if they are not on the So
called Prohibition ticket; they do this
when they know that their action may,
and often does, result in sending LIQUOR
sympath zers to State Legislatures and to
pray! They pray for the setting up of
Christs kingdom, and then rejoice when
the actual result of their votes is to en-
throne the enemies of that kingdonl
1t is attempted to shrk the condemna-
ton of this result by declaring that the
Third party is not responsible for the cleo
ton of men it d not vote for: though it
is often boldly asserted that the defeat of
these good men is desired because they are
Republicans and that party must be defeat
ed. l know a Congressman from Western
State, who has given years of service in
the church, in en- unity and political
affairs; he has always been n total alb
stainer and PrOhib tionlst; in his district
more than two thousand Third party votes
were cast against him: he viii be renomi-
mated this fall; every friend of temperance
would be supposed to desire his return to
Congress; his vote is nacded there for the
appointment of a Comm sitn of Inquiry,
for the submission of Constitutional Pro
hibition, for Prohibition il the District of
Columbia, for the Blair Education bill-for
every measure which temperance people
desire. The Third party VIII put up can
didate against him; if they succeed, a man
will be sent who VIII, in all probability,
vote against every one of these measures.
cod forbid!
In Iowa. at the present time, where the
fight for prohibition has been so terrible
and the victory so glorious, there this
Third party is organized for the defeat of
the battle-scarred warriors chosen of God
to lead His people into the Caanan of Pro
hlbition! God forgive!
So, also in the State of Maine, which
has wrought Righteousness for more than
century, the Third party is attempting
the overthrow of the very men whose tes-
timony for prohibition has been the Cat
ling-gun of the struggle in all the other
States. a man is not permitted in courts
to impeach his own witness; to attempt to
do so is to plead guilty to the indictment
charged. II prohibition is a success in
Maine the men who stand for it and with
the party which has championed it ought
not to be struck down. If prohibition is
not a success in Maine, then as reformers
we deceive ourselves and mislead the pub
lie.
Republican Prohibition and Democratic
Prohibition and non-partisan Prohibition
has closed saloons, dopOpulated iails, d.
minished pauperism and criminality,
brought JOY to women and little children ;
it has made angels rejoice and devils
tremble.
The Third party sets up theory untried
by history not sound in philosophy, and
thoroughly condemned by niuc-tenths of
the ProhibtionlstS of the country. 1t de
mands that streams shall rise higher than
their sources, that the whole shall be more
than the parts, that a minority ought to
rule the majority.
The Third party befouls the very streams
of political education. Thousands of
young men are being introduced to party
politics in this camp ign. They see Chris
tian men, members of churches, superin-
tendents of Sunday schools, even minis
tiers of the Gospel, charged with insinceri-
ty and corruption; they hear them accused
with being party to the commission of a
host of social and political crimes, because
they these good men, contin ue to vote the
Republican ticket.
These accusers revel in delighted mar
tyrdom if they are misrepresented or ac
cused with the same insincerity which they
so gllbly impute to others. Assuming the
guardianship of moral questions, they
fatty abandon all principles of fairness
and honor when dealing with their oppo-
nents. What estimate will young man
make of party duties and citizen obliga-
tons with such examples before himl
What will he think of men making grave
charges on such flimsy pretextsg If he
believes the charges true what will be-
come of the moral standards set by the