The Somerset reporter., 1888-12-20
That Portland Letter

FRIEND EDITOR -
In the last REPORTER !
notice the letter from Portland, over the
signature Of "A Lounger" which / think
certainly deserves TO be noticed 10 some
extent, and | venture to ark short
space in your columns for that purpose.
Let us be calm about the matter and in
qnire what was the object rat called the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union
into existence. 1t was to get rid Of the
saloon. to prohibit the rum traffic was il
not.
he Union was 10 make n compromise
whatever with this great national evil
but, on the cont airy, to wage unrclcnt-
ing warfare against it IN every honorable
and possible way. In the REPORTER Of
| last week, Mrs Rollins says the MON
urges the duty Of total abstinence and
also speaks Of the necessity Of tptal
prohibition. Warner Miller's hieh lie
cHee schemes cannot possibly meet the
approval OF the Union. High license or
any other sort Of compromise measure
cannot consistently be tolerated. but
>gnarely cut, clearly defined prohibition
Of the aecurscd liquor traffic is the onicct
| ior which the Union contends Now
/ then cannot scc any Inconsistency in
I the mon endorsing and sustaining any
organization, political or otherwise that
/ j. al work on the same line The prohi-
/ hltlon party advocates the same prlnci-
/ pies that the Union does cyeryW here. all
over this broad land they both stand for
the Home against the saloon Their
banners may be torn down and they NAV
/ he malgncd and abused and even in~ulicd
As has often been the case in the late DO
litieal campaign. bat they know that
their causc Is just and they can Afford To
labor aud to sacrifice until God gives
them the victory
The writer of the Portland letter SAYS
that members Of the Union are to do
their best to break down every church
that may oppose them That is quite IA
sweeping assertion, but after a second
thought wish to add that if in thi, land
anywhere a church can be found in favor
Of licensing the liquor traffic, or In any
way proposes To compromise with il.
that church ought to be broken down and
IN It's place new one arise that under
stands more clearly lis duty towards the
great work the Union proposes to ac-
complish
Allow me to ask "A Longer" or any
one else that may choose to answer, IA
few questions
II the Prohibition party is an annex to
the Democratic party and in league with
the rum traffic, As Is 50 often asserted,
who are the parties that have torn down
prohibition flags; thrown rotten eggs at
Prohibition speakers; that have sought
to break up prohibition meetings: that
hung the prohibition candidate for the
Presidency in efligy four years ago: that
have already hung in elligy the candidate
for Vice President this year; that even
went SO far as to place u bomb in pre-
hibition tent where were assembled five
hundred men, women aud children aud
sought to explode it in their midst a. il
was done in Lancaster County, Penn, a
few months ago.
And who WAS it that murdered in cold
blood Rev. Mr. lladdock in Iowa. and Il .
d. Gramhall in Mssissippi both party
prohlhitionSts, because of their open
hostility to the saloon2 And who are
The parties that have counted out the en-
lire prohibition vote of South Carolina.
and have returned only - prohibition .
votes in san Francisco when POO men are T
ready to take oath that they voted the .
ticket? viii a Loungcr" T
II someone Gle cnlGhtcn Us ON these
points?
Now, Friend Editor, there are nnmer-
aus questions that could be asked on this
same line. Let us have the light turned .
III. The W. {. T. L. and the Prohibit
iionists only desire Il fair field and fair
hearing viii the REPORTER give it to
them! s. +. EMERSON.
Skowhcgan, Dec. Eth, s..
The above letter is used as a personal
favor to the writer. The REPORTER is
Republican newspaper, advocates Re
publican principles, while the darling de
sire of the leaders of that party known I
is the Prohibition party is to destroy the
Republican party even in such States as
Maine and Kansas. Our columns are
open to articles favorin9 temperance and /
indeed the w. {. T. t. have
a column devoted to their order and have
bad for years, but to the advocacy of 7
What we believe to be the incorrect
.eachings of impractcable men, whose
leaders are the most pronounced types of /
lemagogucS the effect of whose effort.
IS TO hlast the c"u4o thoy advocate, our
columns are open only SO far as we are
disposed to open them. En-.
III, ftaEnrp1r md E,n,,f1 i,,,.,. 49,, f,,....t