The freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1886-18??, 1888-08-01
A HARD CIDER CAMPAIGN.
IN THE NAME OF GOD WE PRO-
TEST AGAINST THE lNlQUlTY.

we quote DeI0W woman's protest
against 'hard cider campaign" taken
from The w. G. T. u. Organizer of In
diana. Few but those whose party
prejudice has blinded them to all sense Of
honor and decency can read this plea
without voicing protest against the in
iquitous body and soul destroying feature
which it is proposed to infuse into the
Republican campaign The Organizer
says:
Z. prominent feature-the most promi-
nent feature-carried at the head of the
procession of Boone county Republicans
who visited the city on the 18TH to pay
their respects to Gen. Harrison, Wss the
"hard cider" barrel, painted red with two
large gourds hanging from the top. In
the procession were gray haired men who
bad been in the campaign of 1910 and
there We're also many boys yet under age.
Hundreds of boys were watching the pro-
cession. We watched and unused, while
that wonderful last resolution of the
Republican platform said itself DER and
DER In our minds, and we qgeried: Is this
the exaltation of tho hard cider barrel
the Interpretation OF the "wise and
we'll directed efforts for the promotion of
Temperance and morality" which the Re
publican party favors, and are our boys
to receive such object lessons in temper
anco during this campaign? Then we
thought of the teachings of the w. G.
T. U.-teachings based on scientific truths
in reference to the nature of cider and
its relation to the stronger drinks-teach-
ings that were exemplifed before our eyes
by the large numbers of men of that
"hard cider" procession who went into
the saloon across the way on their return
from the reception, and we wondered: Can
w. G. r. u women indorso the party
which exalts the cider barrel?
II hear" said Mrs Nichols when we
were calling upon her last week, chat
the Republicans are talking of reviving
the hard cider campaign of 1910. My
mothers hair turned gray during that
campaign, for my three brothers learned
to drink from the cider barrels that were
everywhere, and the most brilliant of
them never recovered from the habit then
formed. My father was Democrat, but
was in the war with Gen. Harrison and
felt that he must vote for him, and SO he
and the boys were in the midst of the
political excitement. Buckets of hard
cider and tin cups were everywhere and
the boys might help themselves freely
1t was nightly occurrence for boys to be
taken home to their heart broken mothers
dead drunk. My mother could never men
ton the campaign of 1910 without horror. "
Il read the other day in paper from
my former horne in Illinois, she con
tinued, "a call from the delegate to the
national Republican convention from
that place for meeting to organize a
OF nd init oI1 nh IN 1;c4
of members given afterward were the
names of men [ knew, some who had been
drinking men and caused their families so
much trouble but had reformed-and
they had a jug of hard cider at the organ
ization Of that club. When | think of
the boys who will get their first lessons
in drinking and of the men who will Fall
again, If this is to be q hard cider cam.
paign-as it seems likely to bel feel as
though must raise my voice against il
and appeal to our women to be true tC
our principles. | am not able to write
yet, but do tell them these things through
the Organizer for me. -"
So we havo given you this plea from
the lips of our leader. AS we heard he1
tell of the campaign of 1910 and thought
how the men are recalling the songs OF
''Iippeconoe and Tyler Too" and are re
viving the log cabin and barrel of HARD
cider feature, would it not be a gooS
thing for the women to bear testimony tx
the woman's part and to the results Of
that hard cider campaign? These testi
monies may cost those who make then
much pain and be mado at o sacrifice 0.
personal and family pride, but they may
open the eyes of some who are ignoran-
and save some who shall be tempted dur
Ing the months that are to come-botl
those who are tempted to forsake Tho
principles and practice of total abstinence
and those who, though almost per
suaded' to stand by the party whose def
milton of temperance comedies with tha
of the W c. T. u, yet are tempted t.
vote for the dear old party once more.
Let the w. c. t. u. give no uncertain
sound in regard to this matter, and let u.
protest with all the strength OF organized
mother love against "a hard cider cam
paign."
Bill Nye on the Chicago Platform.
We have good platform, now let u.