Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-08-31
RUNS SILENT ALLY.
Republican Party as Painted by the
Chairman Of the Prohi.
bitionists.
Its Downfall Traced to the Convention
Of 1872, When ut Surrendered
to the Beer Kings.
From the Chicago Times.1

from the Chicago TimesJ
J.. G. Pitner, the Chairman of the Prohibit
ton State Central Committee, has issued an
address, in which he gives the Republican
party some hard knocks, shows why the OPP
Ponents OF the saloon should not vote the
Republican ticket. and calls upon all tenn
R aa an zee Republicans to leave that party.
of the National Republican platform of 1872,
which is as follows;
4, Inc Republican party proposes to respect
the rights reserved by the people to them
selves as carefully US the powers delegated
~ them to the State and to the Federal
government. 1t disapproves of the resort
to unconstitutional laws for the purpose of
removing evils by interference with rights
not surrendered by the people to either tho
State or National Government"
Referring to this resolution, which is
known as the Raster resolution, he reprints
the authors Interpretation of it as given in
reply to question of G.. NJ. Miller, Of Mich
lgan. in the following words:
Inc sixteenth resolution of the Philadel-
phla platform was adopted by the platform
committee with tho full and explicit UNDER
tenancing OF all so-called temperance (pro-
,hlbltory) and Sunday laws. This purpose
was meant to be expressed by reference to
those rights Of the people which had not
been delegated to either national or State
government. it being assumed that the right
TO drink what one pleases (being response
Bile for the acts committed under the influ-
ence OF strong drink) and the right to look
upon the day on which Christians have
their prayer meetings as any other day were
among:the rights not delegated by the peo-
pie. but reserved to themselves"
:. Commenting on the fact that the Repub-
lcnn party has lost prestige since the sur
render to the beer Congress" in 1872, the
address continues in these words:
We have said that the history of the Re-
publican party since 1872 proves that the
Raster resolution was accepted by the party
its author-namely, to fully commit the
party to the liquor interest. That the brew
ers' congress and the leading liquor men so
understood it there is no doubt. At the
brewers convention in New York June 5,
1872. President Clauson said:
In the affairs of our national government
the temperance party. although they have
spared no exertion have up to the present
time met with poor encouragement. The
Presidential election which takes place this
fall QS72) may change the aspects of that
party. At the Cincinnati convention they
have placed at the head of their ticket a
man lHorace Greeley whose antccedents
will warrant him plant tool in the hands
OF the temperance party. and none of you
gentlemen can support him. 1t is necessary
for you to make an issue at this election
throughout the entire country. and though
have belonged to the Democratic party
ever since had vote would sooner vote
for the Republican ticket than cast my ball
lot for such candidate
In line exactly with this action was the
Cook County Republican platform adopted
in 1882. which has never been repealed nor
modified. It stands to-day as the last off,
cinl uttcrance Of the party in this great city
and county on the liquor question, The
following is the Raster platform in plain
English;
I'm accordance with our national platform
of 1872 we oppose all such prohibitory.
sumptuary. or ecclesiastical legislation
as aims at the curtailment or destruc-
ton of those inalienable rights which the
people in forming State and National Gov
ernments have reserved to themselves.
Remembering we'll the origin and history
of the Republican party. which its infancy
jority of the people might by its imperious
will impose the barbarous institution of
slavery upon the unwilling minority, we
earnestly and solemnly deny the right of a
majority of the people to destroy with one
fell swoop millions of property earned in
thousands Of peaceful law abiding citizens.
And further believing that religion. tenn
perance, and morals can be best inculcated
by the church, the school, and the home,
we therefore utterly condemn and denounce
as a measure essentially unrepublcan and
despotic the adoption Of a constitutional
amendment prohibiting the manufacture
and sale of fermented and distilled bever-
ages, and instruct our representatives in
the State Legislature not only to resist and
oppose all propositions to destroy personal
freedom by prohibitory. sumptuary. or
ecclesiastical laws. but especially TO resist
any effort to submit to vote of the people
any constitutional amendment like those
lately adopted in Kansas and Iowa, or any
proposition destructive OF those alienable
rights which in every true popular govern
ment are and ought to be placed beyond
the power Of a majority vote.
Contrasting the prohibition plank as
passed by the last National Republican Con-
vcntion with that passed by the Liquor
Dealers Association in 1886. to the great
advantage of the. latter, the address con-
cludes as follows
Every candid Republican must admit the
truth Of the plain, incontrovertble facts
herein set forth-namely, that the Raster
resolution was adopted in 1872 with the
full knowledge that it committed the party
against all temperance and Sunday laws and
against the right OF the people to prohibit
the liquor traffic by law. no matter how
great the majority. That this was done to
secure the liquor vote. especially the Ger
man beer vote, by an alliance with the
Brewers Congress-; that the history OF
party legislation and party action in it's con,
ventions. both State and national. as well
as its party press from 1872 to 1888. demon
strate that the party has never repudiated
the Raster doctrine, but vigorously main
tanned it. The refusal of Miss Willard 8
request by the National Convention OF 1854
to submit the question to a vote of the peo-
pie, and a like action in refusing to adopt
the Griffin resolution at Chicago in 1888.
also prove that the party is irrevoctbly
committed to the Raster doctrine, that the
people have no right to vote on the liquor
question. that the right of drunkard- making
is inalienable. Thousands of honest Repub-
leans have hitherto been unwilling to be-
lieve that their party was so committed.
They looked forward to the Chicago con-
hibition plank would be placed in the
national platform. only to again be cruelty
disappointed. The time has come for tenn
perance Republicans to assert themselves
by leaving party that gives more heed to
the liquor vote than its temperance vote
and thousands are doing so. Come out
from among them and be separate.
Necessity for Work.
Very mich uuiet personal work is being