Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-08-15

increasing II, then the saloon power will
be strengthened and emboldened, and its
enemies will be correspo ndinglY weak
ened, discouraged and embittered against
each other. For 1t must not be forgotten
that the supporters Of Mr.. Fisk and Mrs.
Lockwood are not content with me rely
putting their own votes in cipher columns
but strive to induce others to do the same
thing-and, knowlngly,and Intentionally,
work mainly among Republicans.
The foregoing propositions are SO un-
deniably true that all halfway sensible
and honest third party men l know admit
that, If the Republican and Democratic
parties are to continue in existence, the
cause of temperance will be promoted by
Republican success, but they believer
think they believe-that the Republican
party is such . puny or decrepit thing
that 1t can easily be annihilated, and that
the quickest way to destroy the saloon is
to protect it until the Republican party
shall have been destroyed, and new one
resurrected from its grave. It is the old,
old story of men so hypnotized by party
zeal that they are oblivi6us to everything
except what blinded or designing leaders
authorize. or of the discouraged traveller
who leaves the beaten highway to follow
a will.o'the-wisp he thinks is leading him
to shelter close at hand, but suddenly
finds himself plunged into an impossible
mor2ss.
To hear these zealots talk in their hop.
skip'and-jump fashion one would think
that the wiping out of existence of
party 100000 strong BY one about
twentieth as large is mere past,me for
them, but proper statement of the case
will show that there is an element of
doubt, in fact several doubts. Here are
a few of them: live can defeat the
party this year, by drawing
from its ranks enough jealous Temperance
men to enable the saloon party to triumph;
and If the Republican party becomes so
cowed that it refuses even to kick and
straightway gives up the ghost; and if its
members prove to be devoid of human
nature, and conclude to kiss the hand that
smote them; and if woman suffrage does
not prove to be IAN old man of the noun
tain" on our shoulders; and if majority
of the people suddenly become Indifferent
to the tariff. currency. immigration, labor,
land and other questions, about which
they now care more than they do for any
thing else; or it we are able to make the
supporters of both sides of the other
question believe We favor their views;
and if enough of these antegonistic ele-
ments can be welded together under our
leadership to constitute majority party
we will surely win. And then, and in
that case. if our legislators are uniformly
wise, and our officers jealous and efficient;
and if no. new set Of misguided enthusi-
asts, rejected Office seekers, cranks aud
marplots are led by our success 10 follow
our example. and break our party to
pieces, IN order to use its j1x,sgments IN
the building of another, befate we shall
have done our perfect work, we will wipe
the saloons from the face Of the earth
as soon as We can, and everything will be
lovely-with US on top"
Let me add another idea. So long as
you weaken the Republican party suhi-
GENTLY to keep the saloon party in power,
you perpetuate the evils that flow from
the dram.selling business, and every day
of every year unsaved victims pass into
eternity, new ones taking their places.
And if, in spite of your predictions. the
Republican party declines to die, and the
Prohibition Woman Suffrage party re-
mains powerful for evil, but powerless
for good" will not your hearts ache when
you remember that the dreadful conse.
quences of your mistakes have been and
are being borne mainly by the innocent
and suffering who had no control in the
matter? This is not merely game of
politics fer pastime." The stakes are the
bodies, minds and souls of men, women
and children multitudes of whom are
absolutely helpless, and, this being the
case, is it not best to secure each cam.
paign the certain tangible good that is
then attainable rather than to risk every.
thing upon guesses as to future possibili-
ties?
ALBERT GRIFFIN,
Nho;rmon Ant; Co1oor Don No% Nouo
No. Broadway, New York City.
Free Trade Killed the Nickel Industry,
Eight years ago large part of the
nickel used in this country was made at
Ph@nixville, Pa, by Joseph Wharton,