The freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1886-18??, 1888-02-08

sonal election in the Second Dis
trict of this state you, by running
a Third party candidate, drove of
votes enough from Mr.. Flick, one
of the best Republicans in the
State, to defeat him, and to elect
W. L. Wilson, one Of the best DEM
ocrats in the State.
For all these valuable services
the Democratic party feels under
great obligation to your third par
ty. and to you personally for your
{ efficient services in the Second
Congressional district, ard they as
a party, and especially that por.
ton of the party, who are opposed
to the adoption Of the prohibition
amendment, rely on you and your
party for the same valuable assist
ance at the next election in this
State. If you have any doubt as
to this, please cast your eyes over a
lats number of the Wheeling REQ
sister, the liquor organ of the State,
in which the proceedings of the late
prohibition meeting in Wheeling
were published. 8s
Now, If l cared so very much
more for the success of the Democrat
ic party, as you insinuate, than / do
for the success of the amendment,
l would pat you on the back and
praise you as good boy, and tell
you to go ahead in your good work.
But as l don't happen to occupy
that position, propose to do what
l can to prevent you from compass.
ing the death of that amendment
by the use Of concealed weapons. l
did, as you say, give you credit for
sincerity in your proposed third
party movement at the commence
ment Of this discussion, but your
reply showed the grave error into
which / had fallen.
You showed by this reply that
your object was not to aid the adop-
ton of the amendment by the or.
ganization of your Third party, but
that you real object and purpose
was the organization and mainte-
nance of third political party, an
tagonistic to all other parties, and
that you proposed to use prohibi-
ton simply as an aid to the sue
cess of that party. By this l don't
mean to say that you are not, after
fashion, Prohibitionist, provid-
ed you can get prohibition in your
own time and in your own way.
But your way is not my way, nor
is it the way of the friends Of that
amendment, by whose votes it
must be adopted fiat all. 1t was
plain to me, by your reply to my
first article on the subject, that
you did not desire the adoption OF
the pending amendment unless it
could be accomplished by the votes
of your Third party, and not even
then unless there should be elected
at the same time a majority of
Third party candidates to both
houses of the Legislature, who,
alone, you declared, would be "com-
petent or willing" to pass laws to
carry the amendment into execu-
ton. And you declared, in sub
stance, that the amendment would
"become a by word and reproach
if it should be adopted before your
party obtained control of the Leg
stature. l called attention to all
this, and exposed and laid bare to
the public gaze your objects and
intentions go plainly that you have
not had the courage to deny them,
but by your silence you confess
what I said to be true. l know
you feel very uncomfortable in the
position in which you have unwit-
tingly placed yourself, and the
best advice ! can give you is to
take it easy, and console yourself
with the reflection that you are not
the first unfortunate individual
who "went out after wool and came
back shorn." Your challenge to q
discussion before the people is a
huge joke, and if intended for me ]
decline it. / have no time to fool
away in such a nonsensical per.
| formance and if I had the time