Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-08-02
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Party, or even Sectional Party.
! Applause Your "bed is shorter than.
that a mau may stretch himself on Il;
and the covering narrower than that he
can wrap himself in it, If the fearful
power of the Saloon is to be broken, We
must begin at once and with whatever
means we can command. If State Pro
hibition is impossible for the present,
then Local Option may be used. If
Local Option is also out of reach, then
such restrictive measures as are possible
should be applied. l have no sympathy
with the sentiment that cares not whether
the saloons in community be few or
many. Every saloon is q school of vice
and centre of bad influences. The
reason which leads Us to multiply public
schools should lead Us to reduce public
saloons. Applause. But your plat
form, gentlemen, calls only for State or
Federal Prohibition. You must wait
everywhere until the sentiment will sup
port that before you can apply any legal
remedy. Your influence as a party is
really against all other methods. The
! Voice, your national organ, tells Us that
the Local Option remedy is none of yours
! that it is utterly Enthusiastically ''-and
| last week, in reply to criticism by the
supporters of High License, it said:
| We have no objection to closing "a large por-
ton of the grog-shops, and law that did that,
and that only, would not resist law re-
! strictng saloons one to every 500 of population
we would not resist a law requiring every ap-
| plicant for license to procure bOndSmen under
| the conditions imposed in Philadelphia we would
| not fight. 1t is the Internal revenue feature Of
your law that we object to, and restrictive law
! without that feature we can say God-speed to,
eOe7e though IUe haze idea 1T 1coWld 10 much
! good.
| Notice the words I have emphasized,
! Would not ''resiSt," would not '!fght'' would
not "o5ject'' TO these various measures of
restriction. These words proclaim in
difference, not hearty support It is only
tolerance at best, not active favor, which
the Prohibition Party gives to any legal
method of fighting the Saloon, except
State or Federal Prohibition. And so,
gentlemen, you propose to build great
national party on this narrow platform;
| to leap direct to State Prohibition with
out any intermediate steps! The same
sort of wisdom would lead you, if you
were half q mile from ditch you wanted
to jump, not to take the trouble to walk
| the half mile and then jump, but to jump
the half mile and ditch too, with such
leap as the world never saw-and never
will see. Applause Political parties
are not built up in any such way.
TEMPERANCE REFORM DOES NOT NEED THE
PROHIBITION PARTY.
In the fourth place, Temperance Re
form is going on bravely without your
help. Your party has fought four presi
Dental cam paigns, and your have run
full tickets in many of the States for
several years. How many Congressman
! h plaatpS2 Not How
governors? Not one. How many mem
bers of state legislatures? [ find seven
credited to you in 1886 Applause |, one
of whom was elected by Democratic votes
and two by Republican. You still have
seven, one each in four States, and three
in Kentucky. It is rather mean, know,
| to taunt you with questions as TO what
these seven legislators have done, but 1
think the questions are pertinent. What
! legislation have they devised and placed
on the statute book? Where are the
breweries and distilleries and saloons
they have closed! What have you to
your credit? You have not passed a
single law, nor closed a single brewery
or distillery or saloon; ana you cannot
positively say that you ever will be able
TO pass . law or close a saloon. Who
passed all the hygiene laws in the States
and in Congress? Who passed all the
Local Option laws by which hundreds of
counties North and South have been freed
from the Saloon? Who submitted the
amendments in Oregon, Michigan,
Tennessee, Texas, Rhode Island? To
what political organization is due the
magnificent advance in the past few years
in temperance legislation? Not to you,
gentleman of the Prohibition Party. You,
as party, have had no greater part in
all this glorious work than a fly on the
spoke of wheel has in moving the car
riage. [Applause.
Does Temperance Reform require the
Prohibition Party? Well, should say not.
Temperance Reform requires legisla-
ton. The Prohibition Party has no po-
litical power and cannot, therefore, pro-
vide legislation.
Temperance Reform requires legisla-
ton now. There is no prospect that the
Prohibition Party will ever be in posi-
tion to furnish it.
Temperance Reform succeeds beet on
non partisan basis. The Prohibition
Party insists on partisan basis.
Temperance Reform requires all meas
ures and all weapons to fight the Saloon,
The Prohibition Party discards all of
these, save one.
| Temperance Reform requires unity.
The Prohibition Party creates division.
Temperance Reform proposes steady
advance all along the line. The Prohibi-
tion Party requires it to wait while the
party begins to commence to prepare to
get ready. [Applause.]
No; Temperance Reform does not re-
quire the Prohibition Party any more
than wagon going up hill requires
brake. It does not require a distinct
National Party. The fight must be in the
States, and when tt g States, or a major
ity of them, are right, Congress will be
right and will give Us all needful
National legislation. Temperance Re-
form, gentlemen, does not need
YOU party, but it needs you. L
have not attacked you as individual
members, but your party as party.
Temperance Reform needs your earsest-
less, your courage, your enthusiasm. It
needs your energies, and the energies of
your magnificent leader, General Fisk.
Applause. I do not plead fo- the Re-
| publican Party or the Democratic Party;
but for Temperance Reform-practical,
common sense Temperance Reform.
do not say that the continuance of the
Prohibition Party Is crime; say that
il is worse than a crime; it is blunder!
Loud applause.
THEY CUT GOVERNMENT TIMBER.
Criminal Proceedings to be Instituted Against