The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1888-08-09
FISK'S LETTER.
THE PROHIBITION NOMINEE
ACCEPTS.
General Fisk Issues His Letter, and
Severely Criticiscs the Old
Parties.

letter OF General Clinton B. Fisk, can
didsb- for President, Is dated at Seabrght,
n. D., July 25 The opening paragraph ex-
presses a grateful sense Of tn, honor confer
red upon him by the Indianapolis convention
and formally accepts the nomination. IL
then proceeds as follows:
"within afew ye'rsthp temperance reform
has altogether changed from. In the great
conf ct which has be,n and Is vet W ging
temperance forces no longer face human APP
petite and habit alone: they oppose le sis alton,
law, the purpose of polh ic Il parties. the pol
icy OF State and Nation, What law creates
law alone can kill. The ere ,turcs of law, the
saloon. the liquor traffic can die only at laws
hand, or at the hand OF laws executor. Con-
ceive in avaricious iniquitv, born Of sinful
legisla i've wedlock. the licensei ssloon. the
legal zed liquor traffic, b'stard child Of n civ
ilization protesting purity and virtue. must
he strarg'ed by the civiliz ,tion which begot
it, or thrt civiizst ton must go forever brand
ell with the scarlet letter Of its own shame.
"It is not enough that we reform the
individuals; we must reform the State The
policy of the great commonwealths OF n
whole people, must be re~nade, and put i'm
harmony with sound, economic PRINCIPLES,
the true cooperation of industrial eff ,rt
the essential condition of national prosperity,
and genuine brotherhood OF man. So hrom
= demand as this IN be met but In one way.
IL has been well said: A political reform can
become n fact in government only through n
polit cal party that administers government" ="
A reform so vast ms this We ivocate. involv-
Ing such radical changes in state and nation
policy is utterly dependent, for its agitt>
ton and consummation, upon some party
agent or force.
The National Dem cratic party In its
platform ut'ers no word in co ,demn ,tion of
the greatest foe to the Republic, the liquor
traffic. That party having sieadfsst'y, in
lis utterances at National conventions, IN ,in-
tained its allegiance to the Americ an sal Don.
IL was no dis s,ppointmint to any one that at
st. Louis In lSSS IL reafirmed its old posi-.
tior on this, the greatest question now being
det atei among men. 1t was
with great reluctance that accepted these
conclusions. and came to admit the
imperative neei of Il new party, while
yet the ptrty OF my choice, thu Nstionsl Re-
public IN party, maintanet its organic ,tion.
IL cost me the sacrifice of cherished
associations, when four years ago enrolled
myself In the ranks OF party ProhibtionistS,
under the flag OF Prohibition, bleached snow
white by the tears of smitt-n women AID
children through generations Of sorrJw and
want. have seen no hour OF regret. Every
day since then has shown yet more clearly
the logic Of my course, and the inevitable
truth OF my conclusions.
'Iu Michigan, in Texas, In Tennessee ard
Oregon, soc tlled non-partis,n efforts to
establish prohibition hsvs failed, through
pa'tisan necessity, born Of liquor clements IN
old party composition. In Iowa, Rhode Is
land and Maine, the laws have been shame.
lessly defed for like reason. the entire
tresd OF things, these last four years, has
provei hopeless the broader range OF Prohi-
hition effect through non-psrtiss sn means, and
equally futile, as a final cousummation, the
narrower methods Of local option ard higb
E.anca whila from thu itcaIf
has come, with startling emphasis, sdeclara-
| tion so natioralizing this reform that IL an
never bc made of local or State limitation
again.
"'The first corcern Of good government
said the recent National Republican Conven-
tion at Chicago, is the virtue and sobriety
Of the people aud the purely OF the home
Revenue, then, Is not governments chief
| concern, whether coming from int.rnal tax.
alton or t,rif on importstions; and any
! sourcs Of revenue which discounts the vir-
tue aud sobriety of the peop o and begers inn
purity in the home should be tho first object
assaile 10y every party protesting to s,-k
! gooi government; while the revenue derived
| from such n source should be the ii st to [ q
! forsworn-not alternatively, for sake Of Il
! prot. ctive tariff, but positively, for sake oi
! protection dearrr and more vital than the
| tariff can ever yield. Hal | not left the Re
! publican party four years aso, | should ht
compelled TO leave it now, when, after read.
ing the words have quotel, from resolu.
tion suppl' mental 10 but not included IN il.
platform, AMI ii,dng IN the q words my owr
idea Of governments chef concern set forth
i search the long platform through in vain u
find condemnation Of the s'loon, or hint OF
| purpose to assail II, or any sign of moral con
Sc ,UuSneSs that the saloon is n curse and IL
! incom too unholy for the nation 70 sha.c
'lf the chief concern has no plac, in {
party's platform, and party has m pol c,
as to that chief lncsrn, tn At party does moi
deserve the support of men who love goot
government aud would sec it maintained .
"The Prohibition ptrty's chief concern i
for the purity Of the home and the virtue ant
sobriety OF the people. The party is not In
boris truest friend which would bar ths i'm
porlation Of paupers from abroa I, or clos
the tariff door of competition to pauperiz
foreign industry, and thea by liquo' sys,
TEN, perpetuate the manufac, ,ure oil pauper
and criminals in our own midst, with whom
honest labor must compete aud whom largel,
honest labor must support"
The letter closes with review of the prin
| ,i,,l.s af Prohibition