The Portland daily press., 1888-09-07
POLITICAL PROHIBITION.
The Evil which the Third Party
Does.
Suppression OF the Liquor Traffic
Only Retarded by IL.
A Party that Does not Serve the Ends
OF Good Government.

OF Good Government.
Mrs. }. Ellen Foster In Zlons Herald.1
In the administration Of government DO
litical parties have come to have a recognized
place and acknowledged potency. Political
parties are voluntary associates Of voters, to
secure the election of men to Offices of public
trust who shall make and administer govern
ment according to a general policy set forth
IN party records and party declarations.
Two great parties will divide the mass Of
voters voters at the November election, a few votes
WIN WIZ scatter elsewhere, but humanity speak
ny ny ueneral Harrison will be the next PresI-
ueht, or President Cleveland will be his own
sIt6 SJIg6essSI sS Every citizen will cast his vote
| mind MINI 'pese conditions and certalnties In
| M.hu. Inc character Of the candidates and
sesoI principles for which each stands are
the considerations which will determine-
| tickets. '"0 o"oi'o "a 'no
The best types Of American manbood are
represented In the persons OF General Harrl-
| son ana MI. Morton. Pages have been writ
| zen Oh NE records Illustrating this; 1t Is
HSnig Sanggod necessary here to make the unchal-
| lenged statement. For what principles do
they standP In general and comprehensive
terms-tor the principles Of the Republican
party. ms party was the political organl-
zati0n which first went to battle under the
shibboleth, mo extension of slave territory
freedom Is national, slavery sectional"
1t triumphed In the din Of battle while can
non thundered, "The Union must and shall
be preserved.
The cry for human liberty and against Az
rican slavery had been uttered by the Chris
tan and the philanthropist; the masses had
Deen rallied by the reformer and the preach
er they had been Mortified by the aggres-
d SIohs Of the slave oligarchy. In Gods time,
Hnuer Lincoln and Grant and the "bOys In
plue. slavery was overthrown and the
Union was preserved.
Inc Democratic party during these crucial
fSass fSais ssoou against every measure by which.
tneSe results were accomplished; IL now
i gives lLs honors TO Southern disuniOnists and
/ thelr northern sympathizers; IL holds the
administration OF government to-day by
| crimes against the ballot-box; 1t defends
these practices as political virtues.
Ine Republican party undertook and ac-
complished the work Of reconstruction; 1t
began and carried out great works Of inter-
mai improvements; 1t has established mon
4 eSary system which transforms our paper in
| 70 gold In any corner Of the earth; under its
| industrial system American labor commands
| Detter wages and better conditions OF living
| tnan anywhere else on the round globe. The
States Oh the North, where Repnblicanism
l mad It's seat Of power, sustain free school
| systems, without which permanenee TO popu-
1 Iar government IS not assured. The Demo-
cratic South still loves the darkness Of illit-
efacy-Ior lts masses-better than the light
The liquor traffic finds its political allv In
the Democratic party; that party makes no
contrary claim. At the South where much
| temperance legislation has been enacted by
sne votes OF Democrats, that legislation has
Deen non-partisan. At the North the strong
republican States are the ones where most
Stringent laws have been enacted and en-
IoIeed; IN Kansas, Iowa, Vermont, Maine,
ana Rhode Island the Republican party
Ooidly declares for the total suppression Of
the liquor traffic. In nearly every State It's
party platforms are OutspOken against the
dominance Of the saloon In politics.
| ~ the National Legislature on the subjects
1 Mhlch hcOnstitutiOnally come within its action
the record OF the Republican party Is az rela-
lively good as II Is in the States. In striking
| contrast are Democratic utteranees for ssper-
sonai liberty" and mo sumptuary laws"
ana the Democratic record OF votes and
yetoes against temperance legislation.
Inese propositions are unquestiOned 10
would be supposed that persons desiring the
overthrow Of the liquor traffic would give
s.. sns,. ,Ia mioral ana political support 10 the
unless, perchance. some greater question
demanding superior allegiance and immedl-
ate attention were ebamplOned by some
otner party. Out OF the ten millions Of vot-
ers VINO Tour years ago exercised the right Of
sovereignty, one hundred and fifty thousand
claiming TO consider the settlement Of the
liquor problem the greatest question Of the
houI, cast their ballots In such a manner as
| TO give the administration Of the government
TO the supporters Of the liquor traffic They
made their greatest efforts where there was
the best chance Of defeating the party which
had eonfessedly most served the cause they
claimed TO love. They said they were 'testi-
flying to the truth, standing no To he
counted for great principle" Their testi-
mony was loudest where the temperance
cause needed works more than words; they
STOOD up 70 be counted where the saloons
most desiled they should; their testimony
gave great rejoicing in the headquarters Of
Il
During the years since then the cause Of
temperance has steadily gained; all temper
ance laws are better enforced, and the LIQUOR
tfafiic IN the prohiDitory States Is fast becom-
ing thing OF the past There have been
some signal defeats, as In Michigan, when
tne expectation was justified that the pro-
nlpltlon amendment would carry. The cam
| palgn there was weakened by party prOhi-
oltlonlsts who would not surrender, for that
Il party ticket.
The Republican Party has in many States
favored advanced legislation and made omen
| declarations OF emnity to the saloon. LiquOr
/ sympathlzers by the hundred have deserted
| Lne party, and still the exodus goes on. The
National Republican Convention with great
enthusiasm and with only one dissenting
voice declared: "The first duty Of an GOOD
/ government Is the virtue and sObriety OF the
| people and the purity Of the hOme.b "The
hePuDllcan Party cordially sYmpathizes with
| all wise and well-directed efforts for the pro-
motion Of temperance and morality" It did
this with an unmistakable determination 10
utter Its voice against the decree of a few
umid conservatives on the resolution com
1 mittee.
In face Of this record. and with these facts
SUN fresh In mind certain persons are seek
| ing-aYowedly In the interest OF a holy
eause--to accomplish In November, 1888,
what they aided to bring about in 1884, name
| ", the defeat OF he Republican Party. They
smut their eyes to history or do violence to its
| plaln teachings: they deny or misstate pres
| ent conditions, and declare those persons
who do not utter their shibboleth and vote
their ticket, to be either hypocrites or Grim
/ lnals, or towards, or incompetents: to be un-
/ der the crack Of the party whip, and 10 love
party better than principle. They themsel-
yes thoweyer, refuse to vote for stanch tenn
| perance men, II they are not on the (sO-ealled
| prohibition ticket; they do this when thew
know that their action may-and often does
@result In sending liquor sympathizers 10
state i, LEGISLATURES and to Congress. They
fa far tbs ins xGtlng as t9sy pray They pray
then rejoice when the actual result Of their
kingdomi
II Is attempted to shrink the condemnation
OF this result by declaring that the Third
Farty Is not responsible for tine selection Of
men II did not vote for, though il Is often
boldly asserted that the defeat Of these good
men Is desired because they are Republicans
and that party must be defeated know a
Congressman from western State, who has
| gwen years OF service In the church, In COM
munity, and In political affairs; he has al
ways been total abstainer and prohibition
| lsti IN his district more than two thousand
Third Party" votes were east against him.
lie VIII be renominated this fall every friend
| OF temperance would be supposed TO desire
ms return to Congress; his vote Is needed
there Tor the appointment Of a commission OF
inquiry, for the submission Of constitutional
prohibition, for prohibition in the District OF
Columbia, for the Blair Educational bill for
| every measure which temperance people de-
| sire. The Third Party" will put up can
didate against him. IL they succeed. a man
VIII be sent who will, according to precedent,
vote against every one Of these measures.
| In Iowa at the present time, where the light
i for prohibition has been so terrible and the
i victory so glorious, that this Third Party
/ is organized for the defeat of the battle
i Scared warriors chosen Of God 70 lead His
/ people into the Canaan Of prohibitiOnl God
So. also, in the State Of Maine, which has
wrought righteousness for more than a quar-
| ter OF a century. the Third Party" h az
tempting the overthrow OF the very men
whose testimony for prohibition has been
the Gatling gun Of the struggle In an the
other States. A man Is not permitted IN
court to impeach his own witnesses. to AZ.
tempt TO do so Is 10 plead guilty 10 the in
les aiesulenL y. charged. II prohibition Is sue