St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-28
HOW POLITICS AFFECT 1T.


Mr.. FLETCHER, the gentleman who
claims the distinction of having drafted
the local option law and been largely in
strumental in securing its passage, rises
up to protest against the formation of
prohibition party in Dakota. He is a
Republican leader, and his political as
pirationS are all dependent upon the
domination of that party. He asserts
that there are ''other great questions"
to which this of regulating the habits of
men is SubOrdinate-thatt the Republi-
can party has given the prohibitionists
local option, and in the overlooking of
their gratitudei they should give their
support TO that party to advance other
measures in which they may have no
interest or that they may be OPP
posed TO. OF course the gen.
tleman sees no objection to Democrats
leaving their party to join the prOhibi
tioniStS, but it is all wrong for Republi-
cans to do so. He fails to grasp the
fact that the true prohibitionist finds
no other principle in the political field
worth cOntending for. The liquor
traffic is the sole object of his warfare,
abOlitiOniStS. Other questions are only
OF Importance to him as they contrib ute
to this central purpose-woman suf-
frage, for instance. Mr.. FLETCHER
and those Republicans who protest that
the objects of the prohibition movement
can be effected by adherence to the Re
publican party are not honest in their
claims. In Dakota the prohibitionistsf for
the time took possession of the
Republican party so far as to force it to
do their bidding in the last legislature
In regard to the submission of the ini-
tial measure of local option. This is
rather temporary expedient than the
cOnsummation of the prohibition pro-
gramme. A majority of the counties at
present refuse to license the sale of
liquor. The large minority of counties
continue the sale with increased volume
on account of the proximity of the dry
districts. In many of the counties that
voted dry the majOrities were small and
may be reversed at the next election.
The Republican party shows no DISPOSE
ton TO advance further on the restrictive
line, and cannot be depended upon to
hold the ground now taken. The
prohibition horoscope covers eliminat-
Ing statutes applying to the entire terri
tory and the enforcement of its theO-
ries by the agency of the general gov
eminent wherever the national power
extends. So far as the Republican
party has policy on the liquor question
IN the states at large, it is for high Ii
cense. Look at the great Republican
states for evidence of this; Ohio,
Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Mas
sachusetts, Michigan, and some other
invariably Republican states; they
have adopted high license, and in
New York, Pennsylvania and else
where they are making the issue on
that line. In Kansas and Iowa they
have been forced to prohibitory ground
to save the party, but the drift
of the party in the controlling states is
in favor of high license. There is moth
ing that the true prOhibitiOniSts so
abhor as high license. Their speakers
and organs invariably denOunce it as
the most Objectionable form of treat
ment of the liquor traffic. Low license,
or the free sale, is greatly preferred 10y
them. License in any form they de-
nOunce as partnership with the traffic.
And yet this is the most they can eX-
pect of the Republican party. The
leaders of that party dare not go beyond
this, as it would lose them the German
vote and wreck the party in the great
states of the West. The only hope
of the sagacious prohibitionists is
to break up the.Republican party and alb
sOrb most of its membership. This
would give them national party strong
enough to contend with. the Democrats
for the control of the general govern
ment. With these large hopes they can
not afford even in Dakota to be allured
and driven from their central and over
shadOwing aims to SubServe the selfish
purposes of Republican politicians. The
banners of prohibition and the w. c. r.
L. are up, and Will not be furled at the
behest of timid senators. A lengthy adj
dress recently published by Rev. B. S.
TAYLOR. of Wahpeton, one of the leading
eVangeliSts, concludes with this sum-
mary of the purpose of the new party
and warning TO the wheedling poll
ticianS:
The prohibition party grows. Unjust and will
wrong-doing. 1t must ard will protect the
public morals against liquor, gambling forni-
cation, blasphemy, Sabbath breaking and all
other crimes as well. Let the political shys-
tiers take note; new moral power is coming
into action, and men and money Will not be
wanting 10 give US real reform.
TheRepublicanS must keep step to this
music if they would retain the reformers
in their party.
WOMAN SUFFRAGEIND DAKOTA
The recent success of the ladies in
Washington Territory in having the
elective franchise restored TO them, after
its loss for time through some defect
in the law, inspires and gladdenS the
hearts of their Dakota sisters. There IS
special encouragement in it for the ex-
cellent ladies who want chance to
WELD the ballot, as it is an Endorsement
by the masculine element of the man
ner in which the Washington females
exercised this right during the years
they possessed it. 1t is argued that if
they had used it ungracefully and the
decentralization in the domestic circle
and other bad effects commonly pre-
saged by its opponents had transpired
the men would not have restored
it when accidentally lost. The Da-
kOta ladies claim that this is a
full vindication of the discretion and
good sense the ladies are capable of ex-
ercising when entrusted with the full
rights and privileges of citizenship, and
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