Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-08-08
Ex. Gov. st. John Scores the Republicans.

Ex-Gov. St.John, the prohibition candi-
date for President in 1884, addressed a
large prohibition meeting at Port Rich
mond. N. Y. He spoke in part as follows:
"Four years ago political matters were
somewhat complicated. The process of
crystalization of this new political move
ment had just fairly begun. The action of
both the democratic and republican parties
in 1884 left the people somewhat in doubt
as to whether either or both of them would
in due time take up the questions connect
ed with the liqnor traffic and finally settle
them. Our republican friends refrained
from going into the prohibition movement
because they believed it would endanger
the safety of civic government if the dem-
ocratic party came into power.
Now, after three years of democratic rule
had demonstrated that our fears were only
imaginary, it was supposed that our repub-
lican brothers, when their convention
should meet, facing the hist ry of 1884,
would take some steps in the direction of
the suppression OF the manufacture, impor-
tation and sale of Intoxicating liquors as
beverage. In order to pave the way of this
new movement an Anti-Saloon Salvation
Army was organized, which declared that
the Republican party in national conven.
tion assembled, should make declaration
against the liquor traffic Of nature as
strong, plain and emphatic as the English
language could make it. When the repub
lican party convened the president of this
anti-saloon organization quietly permitted
himself to be bucked and gagged, and went
into the convention absolutely powerless to
do anything.
"The republican party in its platform
says we must reduce the surplus in the
treasury, first, by removing the tax from to-
bacoo, because it is burden upon agricul-
ture; I'd, if the removal of the tax on tabacco
is insufficient for this purpose, the party ia
vors the removal of the tax on alcoholic Ii
quors used in the arts and for mechanical
purposes, and next, most monstrous of all,
it proposes to revise our present tariff laws
so as to check the importation of foreign
goods, and thus reduce the revenue; to shut
out all healthy competition and build up
giant monopolies-in other words, to keep
the burden upon the peoples clothing and
food. You little realize how much the tar
iff is costing you. The suit which I have
on (of gray Scotch goods) cost me $35 in
Kansas. 1 have just come from Halifax,
in Nova Scotia, and there I went into
tailor's shop and asked him what he would
duplicate the suit for. He said $50, and
before left he offered to make it for $1S.
This shows that 1 paid an extra price of SIT
for my suit in Kansas This set me to in
quiring. I thought l would buy black
platform suit. l had one that cost me $40
in Kansas, and the tailor made me one of
the best West of England cloth for $751;
"How about the wages ?" some one in
the audience inquired.
sss."They say that these men were working
for pauper wages. l asked one tailor how
much he paid the man who cut out and
made my suit of clothes, and he answered
$I00 month. l found the wages of COM
mon laborers there $1.25 day. They do
not have free trade in Nova Scotia, but
their tariff rate is away below ours. Now
this great republican party, instead of pro-
posing to reduce the tax SIT or $35 on a
suit of clothes, says ''No, we We'll take
the burden off tobacco and liquors used in
the arts, land if that is not sufficient we will
raise the tax on clothing in order to shut
out competition Thus, instead of taking
the burden off the masses, they propose to
pile the burdens higher on them. And if
this is not sufficient to reduce the surplus
they say that they propose to remove the
tax from every distillery and brewery and
saloon rather than to take the burdens from
the necessaries of life. The people of the
lOouhVly WILL hONOL SuCu du lu1d-
nous proposition.
"The republican party is wrong for pro-
posing to take the tax from whiskey, be-
cause it is wrong to take the tax from any
iniquity. If the republican party had Joined
to its action in respect to whiskey a con-
demnation of the liquor traffic, it would
have received the approval of all christian
men. The great trouble is that there is ten
times more politics in their purposes than
protection for the people. say that for
every dollar ofprotection extended to labor
there is $1,000 given to capital.
Now, Central, youie posted, come give us
your views.
III a brush at the front, what's the powder to
2"
/ He winked at a star as he puffed his cigar,
And slowly replied, "In q brush at the front
l never use powder, ,but-SOZODONT.''
| Go Where you VIII
you'll find SOZOOONT in vogue. People
have thrown away their tooth-powders and
washes, and placed this oderiferous preserv.
ative of the teeth on the toilet table in theil
place. 1t keeps the teeth IN splendid order,