The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-08-22
Can Temperance Ever be the Basis
of a Political Party!
l say no, for these reasons:

| say no, for these reasons
Cd National authority extends at
farthest only over the District of
Columbia and the territories, and even
there the police of the cities and the
territorial governments would properly
claim the right to introduce or prohibit
the introduction of liquor, subject to
the revision of congress.
(2) Congress might enact a law
which would hinder or prevent the i'm
pOrtation of intoXicants-and | hope it
will do so-but this only among other
laws that affect our commerce, and be-
cause such an enactment might benefit
the whole country. But the manufac-
ture, transportation and sale of spirits
is very properly under state authority,
and must ever remain there. For such
purpose the people of majority of
congressional districts must elect tenn
perance men and the whole people a
temperance president.
CD Temperance is an individual
virtue. 1t indicates the self-control of
people, and needs no other govern
mental aid than that indicated. Gov
eminent should not facilitate drinking.
1t should only license the sale of spirits
at the positive demand of the people
and then under such restrictions as
would reduce the sale to minimum.
IntoXicants only diminish the wealth,
health and security of the people and
may be sold as a necessity under dis
couragements as great as possible. But
to antagonize temperance to free-trade
or to protection, to taxation direct or
indirect, to internal Improvement or
strict construction of the Constitution
to break up one party and then compel
its scattered parts to adopt its policy in
order to antagonize another, is as wild a
phantasy as ever entered the brain of ia
matte. Temperance is not thus TO be pro-
NOTED. The scheme is absurd. Dismem-
Der the republican party and you disaffect
republicans towards the cause of temper
ance and do so much towards making
them enemies. When a majority of
them are disaffected with such temper
ance proceedings, where will the cause
of temperance find friends? Let me
say to those who favor the election of
General Fisk, and with whom l have
for the most part acted for more than
half century, for your own safety
don't saw off the limb on which you
standn
az AT present the adherents of
the political temperance party in the
Northern States are recruits from the
republicans, and they diminish the
strength of the republicans by their de-
sertion and thus give the plurality if
not majority to the democrats. This
enables that party to thwart every tenn
perance measure that republican legis-
lature or a republican congress could
or would enact. Governor Hill of New
York has vetoed, for two successive
years, every form of optional or restrict
i've measure the republica ms of the
house and senate could pass, and the
implication is that he, or his successor,
or any democratic executive would con-
tinue to veto every temperance meas
ure that could be passed. 1t is certain,
then, that every vote for a temperance
executive of the nation, or for an execu.
tive of nearly equally balanced states
is virtually a vote for free rum. Under
whatever guise or pretence it may be
given, the result is the same, and the
democrats can only regard it as an in.
direct and efficient support for them.
selves and their policy.
1t would also be useless to pretend
that General Fisk, if elected, conld OF
would do more or better for temperance
than General Harrison. Neither could
do anything official without a favoring
congress, and both the republican and
temperance party must furnish the men
who would even vote for such meas
ure as the Blair inquiry bill or any
other measure that tends in that direc-
ton. Any democratic executive must
by behest of party veto such a measure
Our first duty, then, is to elect pres
ident who would not veto such a meas
ure, and simultaneously elect congress
which would pass it. A republican
senate has passed that measure without
being elected on that issue and it is pre-
sumable that a republican house woulG
also. They need not be pledged to de
it. 1t would be instinctively done by
them. If, therefore, temperance mel
would not ruin their own cause, lie
them vote for the men who can and will
do all that can be done to promote it.
For these reasons it seems obvious
that temperance should not be basi
of political party 1t should be pro
NOTED by truth widely disseminated
by appeals to mems reason and con
science, by diffusing through ever,
party, man by man, an adequate knowl
edge of the wants and requirements o
individuals, of the nation and of tn
race, and then, electing the best citizen
to places of power, call on them t.
enact such laws as in their iudgmen
are right and necessary. T. s.H.