Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1888-04-03
THE LITTLE GIANTS SOPHIsTRY.
4 Temperance Man Pulls Some Of bis
Sayings to Pieces.

opera house on saturday evening
and heard Mr.. Mills. 1t was to me
as to other persons, an enjoyable
occa.iou-a good entertainment. A
caterer to the fun loving publ,
Mr.. Mills is great success. As
politician, and he informs hi
audience that he is politician,
he very forcibly reminded me o
that other "little giant" his styl,
Of reasoning and personal appear
ance form the parallel, but he fall.
short i'm eloquence. Mr.. Stephen A
/ Douglas was intellectually a great
man, while Mr.. Mills is a smart
little one. / suggest it would be a
appropriate to call him a pigmy as
to dub him giant"
He speaks Of his littleness as a
joke; he evidently thinks it huge
joke to be called little. But the
baby talk he INDUCES in to his
audience indicates that he feels him
self anything but small For in
stance, his assumption that the
prohibitionists are the only party
whom it is safe to trust, is a kind of
pap that may do for babes, but VIII
have very little weight with men.
would ask any business man in
Salem if he finds prohibitionists the
only customers he can trust? viii
they average any better than the
rest Of the American people? Yet
Mr. Mills tells us that the prohibit
ton movement draws the line Of
demarcation between the honest,
intelligent and virtuous members
and the rogues and criminals of
society, In his judgment the
prohis are the sheep, and all Others
the goats. He admits there are
some honest voters left in both the
old parties, but in about four years |
more they will all be reclaimed in
the ranks Of prohibition, and then |
We can imagine that the president |
will say to them, "COme We blessedw |
and to the goats, depart ye cursedw
These latter, according to the state
platform of this model party, will be
a
tisiranchised, as they will all be
Daupers, illiterates or criminals.
There is an order of self righteous
less in this that smacks strongly of
Mr.. Editor, am for temperance
and for prohibition, but not as Il
hird party man. While can en-
iorse much that Mr.. Mills said on
general principles, especially the
okes, am opposed TO relocating
he Temperance reform to the hands
f politicians, be- they prohis, repub-
leans or democrats, and making il
political issue.
All this talk about reform in poll
les thorough prohibition is simply
uncombc. The prohibition party
fthis state, and Of the whole nation,
~ as much unregrnrmtc human
aturc, as ahidinga regard for "tilthy
lcre, " in proportion to its members
5 either of the old parties whom il |
.ould REFORM of the face of the
arth. The third party men of my
are only average men (:
u better and no worse in all the es-
initials of true manhood, than the
vcHgc of those whom they ~ un-
'aringly condemn, | have found
nat the prohihitionist,, in close
'ntcst, will accept and solicit the
otcS of iuchrNtcs, just us readily as
lc other parties. Ii N fora GOOD
'u>c, they probably argue, and the
nj justitic> the means.
Let nae give am illustration. In
mmhill county last Gll there was "A
'mty seat contest to bc voted on
long with the prohibition amend
lent, At McMiuuviIlr the citizens
all to the prohi Managers, Now,
'rcNcrN temperance vote YOU will
i've uS for the county seat, We will
i've YOU a Vhiskey vote for prohi-
lIiou,' These terms wen, accepted.
nd this kind of trading was
1crwao,s extended throughout
lat county. Men voted for
Whihition who wcp too drunk
b know what ticket they were
otiuy,
Mr. Mills gave Us some iustuc-
ons on rail-spliJtug which will be
{ Interest to editors, professional
lcn and othcr>, I ppeume very
~ who wep ppscut in the hall
ad ever heard that In splitting
ais it Is ncOssay to drive the
.etgc little end inst Thi, evident
, is a discovery of Mr. Mills. nj
seal Dow and other prhibitioniSts
ga H...s.N q