Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-09-08
VERSUS THIRD PARTY.
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PRUHf-
BITfONISTS OF IOWA.
The President OF the Alliance Shows
What Has Been Accomplished
by Non-Partisan Means.

be borne in mind that in any State or in
the nation, as soon as by nom partisan effort
! public opinion is sufficiently enlightened
to call for it, one of the existing parties
will be compelled to heed the call and to
secure the enactment of such public opin-
ion into law. This has already been done
in Iowa and Kansas. In Iowa, in 1879, at
the solicitation of Prohi 5itionists, the Re-
publican party resolved in favor of submit
ting to the vote of the people at nom
partisan election prohibltory constitu-
tional amendment. This amendment was
accordingly submitted and voted upon in
1882, and was carried by majority of
nearly $4,000. In 1883 the Republican
party declared that, having in good faith
submitted the amendment to the people,
sit accepted the result of said non-partisan
! election as the verdict of the people in
| favor of constitutional and statutory prohi-
bition," and that said verdict should be en-
acted into law, and ''to this end the faith
of the party was pledged" In 1884 the
| same party, through its majority in the
General Assembly, gave us good pro-
hibitory law; and in 1886, and again in
| 1888, the same party amended and strength
ened the law, so that to-day, thanks to the
Republican party, and in obedience to the
nonpartisan verdict of the people, we
have one of the best prohibitory
laws on any State book. Under this
law it appears from Official reports
| that over three thousand saloons have been
al -, II ole 81, ~
| law Is swell enforced in sixty counties"
reasonably well enforced in twenty-eight
| Others" and "disregarded in only eleven"
The question is asked, "Why doesn't the
Republican party enforce the law in those
eleven countless l answer, it is not the
duty or function of any political party to
enforce law. If one political party enforce
| law, another party may resist such enforce
ment and anarchy would ensue The pro-
hibitory law is not law of the Republican
! party, but having been enacted by the Leg
islature, it is a law of the State, and its en-
forcement belongs not to the Republican
or any party, but to the people of the State.
| Again, by the Constitution, while the State
is the unit for enactment Of law, the coun-
ty is the unit for the enforcement of law.
1t is in county Courts and by county and
town officers that State laws are executed
Now, in any county where large major
| iiy and all the officers of the law are anti
Prohihitionists, the law viii for a time be
| disregarded. The State itself cannot con.
stitutionally override the county authori-
ties and enforce the law. But if the law
| remain, gradually the people will become
enlightened as to their true interests, the
consciences of sworn officers will be aroused
and quickened and the law will soon and
etfectually be executed by constitutional
and legal methods. For notable examples
of such progress | call attention to Keokuk,
Clinton and Council Bluffs Prohibition
in Republican Iowa is making constant
progress, and if not disturbed will
soon succeed in every county. 1t
is affirmed that "by the recent decision
of the Supreme Court, prohibition has be-
come national issue" The Voice of
August 9th declared that there is no
| Georgia or Iowa in this election. To-Day
| we are Americans. Let us vote as Amer
leans" Let us see. 1t pertains to the
police powers of each State to control and
suppress the manufacture and sale of in
toxicating liquors in said State, and this
includes at least nine-tenths of the busi-
ness. The Federal Government has con-
| troll only of interstate traffic and that of
the territories. The source of power in
the General Government is with the peo-
pie of the several States. Prohibition
sentiment must first be created in the
STAGES before national prohibitory legisla-
ton can be secured. Given prohibition
sentiment in 4 majority of the States and
national prohibition will easily and natur-
ally follow. Given anti-prohibitiOn senti-
ment in the States, and national prohibi-
tion is impossible. No Iowa in this cleo
tion p Suppose few thousand conscien-
tious Prohibitionists vote the third party
ticket-enough to give the Iowa electoral
vote to Cleveland-will not such result
exasperate enough supporters of prohibi-
tion to turn the State next year into the
hands Of the license party? In my opin-
ion, any Iowa Prohibitionist who votes the
National Prohibition ticket, whatever may
be the motive or conscientious convictions
of the voter, he will cast a vote that will
tend to weaken the State Republican party,
endanger its supremacy in the State and
lieopardize prohibition itself, with no COM
pensating good to the nation.
Why, then, organize the Prohibition
party in Iowa, where prohibition is legally
new party introduced? No temperance or
ganization has invited it. On the con-
trary, the State Temperance Alliance,
| Woman's Christian Temperance Union,
independent Order of Good Templars, as
organizations, are strongly opposed to the
third party Indeed, those who for twenty
TO thirty years have made Temperance a
specially both in method and work, those
to whom the temperance cause is the dear
est of all causes save the Christian religion
those who at great personal labor and sac
ri6ce have fought the battles and won the
victory of closing over 5000 saloons and
breweries, are almost unanimous in their
opposition to prohibition political party
in Iowa.
OF the ,412 men of iowa who voted for
St. John in 1884, how many have been at
all prominently active even in their own
counties in securing or enforcing our pres
ent prohibitory fsw p How many saloons
have they closed? Have not third party
correspondents and papers persistently
disparaged both prohibition work and
workers in Iowa? Are the Prohibitionists
of Iowa ready to follow such leaders in
this reform?
| Hon. Aaron Kimball furnishes the key
to the situation. He stated to me that
when attending the exposition at New
Orleans in 1886 he met Governor st.
John, who, in their conversation on this
subject, remarked in substance, as follows:
Senator, your non-partisan prohibition
success in Iowa is constant rebuke to our
third party movement" Yes, the Gov
ernor is right. Iowa's partisan pro-
hibition success is "rebuke" to the Ma
tional Prohibition party, but an inspira-
ton to all earnest and sincere Prohibi-
tionists who unselfishly seek the overthrow
Of the liquor traffic. And Iowa can best
serve the cause of national prohibition by
a vigorous maintenance OF her own State
prohibition, and by an earnest and deter
: mined effort to secure Federal protection
of her prohibition policy by such Con-
, gressional legislation as will prohibit the
Importation of liquors into any State where
the traffic is prohibited by State law. We
should also JOIN the temperance hosts in
all the States, in obtaining, as soon as pos,
sible, the legal prohibition of the traffic in
! all the Territories and in the District
Of Columbia All this can be done by the
l NON -parficar n,atbo1