Bent County register., 1888-08-11

continue in existance, the cause of
temperance will be promoted by
republican success; but they be.
lieve-or think they beIieve-that
the republican party is such puny
or decrepit thing that it can be
easily anmhiliated, and that the
quickest way to destroy the saloon
is to protect it until the republican
party shall have been destroyed, and
a new one resurrected from its grave.
1t is the old, old story of men SO
hypnotized by party zeal that they
are oblivious to everything except
what blinded or designing leaders
authorize, or of the discouraged
traveller who leaves the beaten high
way to follow will. l.o-the-wlsp he
thinks is leading him to shelter
close at hand, but suddenly finds
himself plunged into an impossible
morass.
To hear these zealots talk in their
hop-skip and jump fashion one would
think that tnr wiping out of exist
ence of party 100000 strong by
one about a twentieth as large is
mere pastime for them, but q prop
er statement of the case will show
that there is an element of doubt,
in fact several doubts. Here are a
few of them: sIf we can defeat the
republican party this year, by draw
ing from its ranks enough jealous
temperance men to enable the saloon
party to triumph; and if the repub-
lican party becomes SO cowed that
il refuses even to kick and straight
way 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
women suffrage does not prove to
be ian old man of the mountain on
our shoulders; and if a majority of
the people suddenly become indiffer-
ent to tariff, currency, immigration,
labor, land and other questions,
about which they now care more
than they do for anything else; or
if we are able 10 make the support
ers of both sides of other question
believe we favor their views; and if
enough of these antagonistic ele-
ments can be welded together under
our leadership 10 constitute a ma
jerity 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 enthus-
lasts, rejected Office seekers, cranks
and marplots are led by our success
to follow our example, and break
our party to pieces, In order to use
its fragments in the building of an
other, before 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 sufficiently 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 eter-
nifty new ones taking their places.
And if in spite of your predictions,
the republican party declines to die,
and the prohibition-woman suffrage
party remains powerful for evil,
but powerless for good" will not
your hearts ache when you remem,
Der tha: the dreadful consequences
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 a
game of politics for pastime.' The
stakes are the bodies, minds aud
souls of men, women and children
multitudes of whom are absolutely
helpless, and, this being the case, is
it not best to secure each campaign
the certain tangible good that is
then attainable rather than to risk
everything upon gaesses as to future
possibilities?
ALBEIT GRIFFIN,
Chairman AntiSaloon.R Rep. Nat. Com.