Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-10-18
THE GOOD TEMPLARS.
They Have No Connection Whatever with
The Prohibition Ticket.
RICHMOND. VA, October u, 1889.

| RICHMOND, VA, October 10, 1889.
| To he Editor oftbe DispGich:
The card Of Mr. Smithdcal calling him
| self the nominee of the Prohibition club
of this city in to-day's DiSpdict IS cal
culated 10 misrepresent the Order OF Good
! Templars in regard to Prohibition or the
! third political party. No Good Templar
LODGE has authority 10 appoint delegates
| TO a prohibition club. and no delegates
have been appointed by any lodge IN thu.
city. nor has any lodge received notice OF
| such nominations. In fact, most OF the
candidates say it was without then know
! ledge.
10 let the temperance people. and espe-
| cially the Good Templars OF this city, see
our true and honorable position in re-
ference to the Prohibition party and IFS
candidates we give the formal and matured
action of the Grand Lodge Of the hide
pendent Order of Good Templars in Viz
| ginia. Mr.. Smithdeal is not Good Tenn
| plar. What sort of temperance man he
we know not: but we do know that neither
| his time, influence, nor means are given to
| the only organized body IN Virginia except
the Woman's Christian Temperance Union
that works regularly and continuously ~
| raise the fallen and save Others from iall-
| ing" The Grand Lodge of Virginia
at its Danville session in 1885 mp.
pointed two committees composed Of
! tried Ternplars and influential cti-
Zens-one committee of Republicans
and one of Democrats. They were APP
pointed 10 try to get this great moral hu-
manitarian movement taken away IRON me
| danger of political ENHANCEMENT and the
| temptations of political patronage. Each
committee was directed 70 appear before
| the convention of the political party with
! which ii acted 10 secure from the conyen-
| ton a pledge TO enact "a local-optiOn law
| giving to the people the right by their
votes to prevent the license for the sale OF
intoxicating liquors, and IN the language OF
| the platform of the order secure prohl-
bition by the will of the people
Both conventions in their platforms gave
| the pledge and the Legislature then elected
passed local-option law with little altera-
| ton from the act drawn and prepared by
| Good Templars, one satisfactory to the
! Grand Lodge of Virginia. The Grand
| Lodge met in this city in 1856 and It's com
mittee on temperance legislation, OF when
! Hon. j. y. Stubbs was chairman and Judge
| Cochran and other prominent men mem-
bers made full and exhaustive report on
| this subject of Prohibition by third po-
| litical party. and they congratulated the
order that its work of keeping temperance
| out of politics and preserving the order
from the temptations and cOrruptions incl
dent TO political parties was accomplished
| The report was unanimously adopted, 10000
copies ordered to be printed and circula-
ted, and the grand templar, Colonel D. Il.
| Miller. requested to issue circular To the
order explanatory of the move and
communicating it on the success OF the
committees and the act Of the Legislature.
Now the two national political parties ac
| copied our proposition, gave the pledge,
and fulfilled it. Our order with few in
considerable exceptions, have kept Its
pledge. although. like the present move
ment, there have been occasional en-
deayors 10 seduce Good Templars 10 do
that which their order has solemnly
promised not TO dO-to wit: to carry
temperance into politics, organize, sup
port, and vote for the candidates of po-
iitical party and enter the avenues of pO-
litical strife and discord. For what pur-
pose are we asked to support these self
| made politicians and selt-nOminated candl-
dates! Where was their convention:
Where is their platform? Will their sue
cess save a solitary poor drunkard9 VIII
| il accomplish any good: Can they hope
to elect enough members Of the General
| Assembly to make one cOmmitteeI They
can excite the animOslty Of both parties.
and possibly harm temperance and the
order of Good Templars. and in this cleo
ton certainly aid leader who IN all the
past has been only the enemy of tempe
/ rance ana IFS advocates.
All such movements are of the earl II
earthy." The men and women who are
doing work for God and man in tempe
rance saving men from q debasing habit,
and trying to encourage a moral pub
/ lie sentiment that shall suppress the
| traffic and close the avenues of temp
tation---are the men and women who
desire neither Office nor candidacy,
but who. pledged abstainers themselves,
are found working in lodges and unions,
| doing deeds of kindness among all classes
"for sweet charity's sake" Good IemplarS
will never consent that the pure white ban
ner of their order and their motto, For
God for home and native land" shall be
trailed in the mire Of party politics By any
candidate for any Office. We cannot con-
sent that our order shall be held RESPONSE
( bic for the opinions of political candi-
dates, nor will it endorse any one seeking
to induce us to violate the solemn pledges
of its Grand Lodge. Coon IEMPLAR-