Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-09-08
THROWING AWAY VOTES.
Some Points and Facts for Serious Re.
Election of Prohibition Voters.


flection of Prohibition Voters.
The noted Riverside Press and Horticult-
.r;St is paper which has been independent
in politics, but it has not been at,all un-
certain on the whisky question. 1t began
by fighting the Riverside saloons and has
finally developed into stanch prohibi-
:tion Journal. Nevertheless editor Holt
does not believe in throwing votes away.
In the last issue of the Press he says:
There are some Republicans who feel
inclined to vote the Prohibition ticket
at the coming election. If the inclination
becomes so strong that they cannot resist
it, the Press has word of advice TO give
them. Let each Republican who desires
to vote the Prohibition ticket find Demo-
erat who is disposed to do the same thing,
and pair with him. In this way any number
of votes can be cast for Prohibition without
endangering the standing of the old parties
unless enough should 90 over to carry the
State for Fiske, which would be improb-
able. If you can not pair off, lay aside
your Prohibition ticket this year and vote
for Harrison and Morton"
The trouble is that the Republicans who
feel inclined to vote the Prohibition ticket
cannot find enough Democrats topair with.
Democrats do not vote that ticket. They
vote the straight Democratic ticket and no
other with steadfastness which makes the
devils place in politics sineulre. The
Democratic party is playing wolf to the
Prohibitionist Red Riding-hood.
The Prohibition party is now always
written with big "P," and there is no
doubling the fact that it has become a
power in national politics; but whatever
power it has is that of the balance. and
nothing more. 1t sprang from the Repub-
lican party. 1t abandoned the Republican
party because its own castiron principles
were not incorporated into the Republican
platforms. In its petulance it now throws
its weight to the Democracy and against
its own paternity. Like a willfnl child,
it will rule its fathers house or destroy the
household.
There is such thing as righteous
stand for principle against all the odds in
the universe, but do the Prohibitionists
expect to prevail now throughout the
length and breadth of this land? Nine
out of every ten Prohibitionists-per
a greater roportion-have been Republi-
cans, and their sympathies are with Re
publican principles. In voting their ticket
are they not actually voting the Demo-
cratic ticket? They do not hope 70 win
their own fight. Do they wish to
win the victory for free trade, for
the supremacy of the secession
States, for the notification of the Consti-
tuition and its amendments? The princi-
pie Of prohibition may be more important
than the tariff or any other issue-it
may overshadow them all. Admit
that it does, and what then? The
Prohibitionist is still confronted with
the stubborn paradox that when he is
voting his own ticket he is not voting for
prohibition, but for Democratic scramhlers
after Office. When he votes for Fiske he
is not voting for prohibition, but he is
voting against the principle of protection
to American labor, against the American
standard ofliving, against the rights of the
territories, against an efficient public
service, against needed public improve
ments, against the three great amendments.
against the results of the civil war, against
the unity of the American people. He is
not merely throwing away his vote; he is
making it contribute to the most deplora-
BILE eyils.-Placer Republican.