Bent County register., 1888-08-11
To Temperance
Men.

itlltle dehiuS eu'SNahh'1'y S''
can a vote for the Republican Natio
nal ticket this year help the temper
ance cause?" that l venture to ask
republican editors to publish the
folio wing reply: Every body knows
that either the republican or demo
cratic nominees will be elected and
that therefore votes cast for other
candidates cannot possibly effect
the approaching election. 1t is, OF
course, true that the man who votes
for Clinton Fisk or Belva Lockwood
stand. up to be counted, but it is
equally true that, in the vital mat
ter of deciding who TO rule over
us. he counts as mere cipher in a
column of ciphers. His actions say,
II have no interest in the result OF
the struggle. Between Harrison
and Cleveland l have no choice, aud
am entirely willing that the worst
one shall succeed. l am aware 1t is
possible might prevent this, but l
utterly refuse to make the slightest
effort in that direction
And no tairly well-informed and
honest supporter of Fisk or Lock
wood will pretend that this refusal
Is based on a belief that there is,
from temperance standpoint, no
difference between the two tickets,
for General Harrison is an active
Christian and lifelong total abstain
er, and an outspoken opponent of
the liquor power, whose nomination
was opposed on the ground that
it would insure the hostility of the
entire saloon fraternity, while Mr..
Cleveland is-"Grover Cleveland "
Moreover, Gen. Harrison is the nomi-
nee nf party that ha- always con
tanned within his ranks q large ma
jority of the temperance men of the
country, and has been growing in
creasingly hostile To the saloon
every year, until now, after defying
the liquor league, by heading Its
ticket with pronounced temperance
man, and choosing for second place
one who more than year ago pub
licly announced II heartily sympa-
thize" with the anti saloon repub-
lican movement, and has, 10 its
national platform committed itself
unreservedly in favor of "all wise
and well directed efforts for the pro
motion of temperance" while MIR.
Cleveland is the nominee of party
that has for generation been domi-
mated by and grows constantly more
to the liquor power.
The character, convictions and
of the 100000 Federal
officers and employees, and the in
iiueace they exert upon living politI-
cal issues are largely affected by
and dependent upon "the administra-
tion," and this is especially the case
when the president and his party
are in substantial accord. There
can, therefore. be no doubt that, un-
der existing circumstances, the cleo
ton of such a man as Gen. Harrison,
would be followed by decided I'M
provement in the gen eral attitude
and tone of this large and very In
tiurntial class of men upon the
saloon question. Again, If the re-
publican party finds that "doing
right does not bring Defeat" it will
at once become more aggressive in
its warfare against the saloon. But
if, on the contrary, the democratic
party wins because of professed
friends of temperance lobored un-
ceasingly to diminish Gen. Harri-
sons vote instead of increasing it,
then the saloon power will be
strengthened aud embeldened, and
its enemies will be correspondingly
weakened, discouri ged and embit-
tered against each other. For it
must not be forgotten that the sup
porters of Mr.. Fisk and Mrs. Lock
wood are not content with putting
their own votes in cipher columns
but strive to induce others to do the
same thing-and, knowingly and
Intentionally, work mainly among
republicans.
The foregoing propositions are so