Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-02-24
PROSPECTS DOWN SOUTH
Rev. Sam w. Small's Observations in
Some of the Important
States.
Lock Out for Curious Results in Novem.
berthe Prohibition Sentiment
Growing.

recently unlSned q TWO weeks lecture
tour through Southwestern Virginia and
Central North Carolina, and have good
news for you from all along the line. The
is cracking. There is an effectual break
ing up not far ahead. Prohibition senti-
ment is organizing and doing the work
slowly, but surely.
There are evidences everywhere OF in
creased strength and energy among the
good and faithful women of the w. c. T..
u, and they are making almost daily con-
verts to the cause of total prohibition.
The Prohibition party is, as yet, but feebly
organized in any Southern State, but these
converts to its doctrine will not much
longer remain without effective organiza-
ton. 1t is an inherent trait OF the South
ern man to have political faith and to
belong to party organization.
There are Prohibitionists enough in both
these States of Virginia and North Caro-
lima to make strong and eventually victori-
GUS organizations, but they hesitate to Join
the Prohibition party from fear that is
genuine and not easily overcome. They
know that most of those who ought to be
in the Prohibition ranks are now in the
Democratic ranks. They fear that if they
forsake the Democracy now they cannot
make the Prohibition party Immediately
successful, and the result would be to re-
instate the Republican party and its ig-
norant and irresponsible negro constitu-
ency in the control of their local and State
affairs. These Southern man know what
that means, and nothing can induce them
to risk it. They prefer rum to radicalism,
as they have experienced it, and no amount
OF mere argument can ever induce them to
risk another regime OF dusky Casarism and
its carpet bagging spawn.
There is another possibility of next year
that may greatly affect the situation. In
Virginia and North Carolina the Demo-
cratic party has set itself stolidly against
the entire system of internal revenue, and
demanded the determination of war taxa
ton, both root and branch. But now
President Cleveland, inoculated, doubt
less, with the doctrinarianism of Buffalo"
Miller and his whisky trust monopoly
comes to the front and boldly sets the
Democratic party in array against the abo-
lition of this war scheme of internal reve-
nue..
In this dilemma the Democrats Of the
South must either "eat dirt" at the COM
mand of Cleveland, or kick out of the
Democratic traces. What will they do?
it is that 1 have found hundreds in North
Carolina and Virginia who declare they will
not stultify themselves and go back On their
record for twenty three years by accepting
the Cleveland "dish Of crow" They say
plainly that they will stand with the Pro-
hibitionists upon platform that reiterates
their demand for the abolition of this infa-
nous and I'M Democratic internal revenue
imposition. A leading Democratic Mayor
and distinguished Democratic editor
of a prominent Virginia city both declared
that upon platform embodying Cleve-
lands message the State of Virginia could
not possibly be held in the Democratic
column in 1883. And in North Carolina
prominent citizens and journalists, all
Democrats, make the like assertion as to
their State. The situation is complicated
and interesting one, and the certainty that
vigorous Prohibition campaigns are to lie
conducted in both States next year will
make it still more involved and uncerta n
as to the places these Southern Sta.es will
occupy in the Presidential count. Unless
the great body Of the Democrats back
down ignobly and lick the boots of the
Buffalo bulldozer, they will have to swing
into line with the Prohibitionists to keep
the control of these States out of the hands
of the Republicans. With the Prohibition
lists actively in the field, the Democrats
cannot maintain their supremacy except by
wholesale intimidation, or fraud, OF both
combined. This is the truth of the situa-
ton, and it will be interesting to see how
the situation develops between now and
November next.
In Tennessee there is growing decided
sentiment Ill favor of the Prohibition party.
The treachery of both old party organiza-
tons in the recent amendment fight has