The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-02-25

hibitory legislation. They are giving
US such legislation constantly. What
the old antislavery heroes wanted
was restriction or abolition, not party
triumph. You are not satisfied to
get prohibition you want your par
tisan organization and the triumph
of your party.
In the second place, you make
your own success impossible by
dividing and antagonizing the friends
of temperance. 1t is just as bad gen.
eralship in politics as in war to
divide and distract your own forces.
Your movement creates three dis
tinct camps, while there is only one
of the enemy. There are Republican
Prohibitionists, Democratic Prohi-
bitionists and Prohibition Prohibit
tionists. And, gentlemen, of these
three divisions of Prohibitionists
yours is the smallest, most decidedly.
This is easily demonstrated. In Mas
sachusetts the total vote in cities and
towns against license was, in 1886.
about 100000. The third party for
governor the same year was only
8,251. The vote for prohibition in
Michigan last year was 17S,OOO. The
vote for the third party candidate for
the supreme court was only 1880.
In Texas, the vote for the Pgohibi-
ton amendment last year vas 49,
273. The year before the third party
vote for governor was 1876. In
Georgia liz of the 1877 punties have
adopted prohibition. In the same
state the third party presidential can.
didate got 1853 votes.a little more
than one for each County. The elec-
ton returns abound n illustrations
like these.
Your Prohibition party does not
draw the Prohibition voters, either
in the north or the south. And the
reason is in the plah sight of every
body. 1t is because your policy an
tagonizes them. You run your can
didates against Their candidates you
do what you can &c defeat their can
didates and elect the candidates
often rum candid.tes-of the othel
party you harass, worry and annoy
them, and tell then, as you did il
New Jersey, that tley are accessory
to the liquor crime and equally guilty
with the man who carries on tn,
traffic." You do all this and rOus
their political passion, and then ex
pect them to break their party tie
and kneel as penitent converts a
your political shrine. And you ar,
so earnest in this warfare against tn
Republican party in particular tina
you seem almost to forget that you
sole aim is not to wreck parties, blu
to establish prohibition. In 1886 vol
waged hot campaign in New Jer
sey. In Morris county the Republi
cans nominated for the senate mai
who had made a record as a Prohi
bitionist in the assembly. Tie Dem
ocrats nominated a man that wa
known to be for rum, and you nomi
mated man. Early in the campaign
a letter was sent to every saloon
keeper in Morris county by Gottliel
Kruger, the Newark brewer. telling
them that the Republican candidate
was a dangerous man, an avowet
Prohibitionist, and urging them t
do all in their power to defeat him
Did the third party say, here is tn
man for us, the man whom tn
saloons fear and propose to cut down
Did they say that ? Nothing Of tn
sort. They kept their own man il
the field. Nor was this all. In tn
town of Randolph there were NOR
than a score of third party ticket
voted with the name of the thlrt
party candidate erased, and that o
the Democratic candidate inserted.
Immediately challenged the correct
ness of this statement, but got n,
denial. On the contrary, 1 was as
sured that the same thing was dom
in other parts of the state. Is it an!
wonder that such incidents as thi
should drive some men to the con
clusion that the third party is no
first, last, and all the time Tor prohi
bition?
In the third place. your temper
ance platform is too narrow for .
National party, or even a sectiona
party. Applause. Your "bed il
shorter than that man may stretch
himselfon it and the covering mar
rover than that he can wrap him5el
in it," If the fearful power of tn,
saloon is to be broken, we must be
gin at once and with whatever meanl
we can command. If state prohibi
bition is impossible for the present
then local option may be used. /
local option is also out of reach, ther
qunh roof riofiva rnaaourac oc oro No,