The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-07-25
Mr.. La MONTE SPEAKS.
The Woman Suffrage Plank
Will Not Hurt the Pro-
hibition Vote.
HIS VIEWS ON LOCAL OPTION.
He Is Looking for a Big Temper
ance Vote in This State The
Coming Fall.

Rumors come from Trenton that the
Mercer county Prohibitionists are up in
arms against the woman suffrage plank
adopted by the Prohibition State Conven-
tion at its meeting in Asbury Park last
week. They say that they are willing to
fight under the no-license banner, but that
they cannot take any woman-voting in
theirs, and they express the belief that the
insertion of that plank, foreign to the
achievement for which the Prohibition
party exists, will cost the cause Of tenn
perance many votes. Intimations are
made, indeed, that the plank was inserted
by Republican influences to drive the
Prohibitionists away from their teetotaI
allegiance.
WOMAN sUFFRAGIsT.
1t has been seriously doubted whether
Mr.. George La Monte, the candidate of
the party for Governor, is in sympathy
with this new departure of his party, and
with view to ascertaining his position
visited him at his Office, No. ITO Nassau
street, New York, yesterday afternoon
do you not think, Mr.. La Monte, {"
asked, "that the adoption of the woman
suffrage clause by the convention will re-
suit in some disturbance of the Prohibit
ton yote?"
81 do not know of any, SO far, as the
result of it," he answered. sit may not
have been policy for the party to insert it
in the platform, but think that the gem
eral sentiment of the voters of the pro-
hibition ticket is in accord with its
spirit"
"Is it your opinion, then, that the Pro-
hibitionists are essentially woman suf-
fragistssn / pursued.
81 think they are" was Mr.. La Monte's
not at all confident reply.
HIS VIEWS ON LOCAL OPTION.
l then questioned Mr.. La Monte about
the failure of the convention to give any
utterance in condemnation of local option.
81 think" he replied, that the ques-
ton is amply answered by the broad Mt
terance that is made in the platform
against the issuance of license The adop-
tion of the local option law was not q
party measure, nor was it fathered by the
Prohibitionists. But the good results of
local option were largely due to the work
of Prohibitionists.
"If the measure, as they distinctly stated
at the time, was not theirs, they worked
for local option as the best means at their
disposal for furthering the cause of tenn
perance. But it was only temporary ex-
pedient, and the only aim the Prohibition
lists can have is the complete extinction of
the liquor traffic. !"
Mr.. La Monte was not prepared to
make any estimate of the possible vote
his party would poll at the coming cleo
tion- 1t was too early in the canvass to
form correct idea. He did not think
that any of the reported deals between
the leaders of the two other parties in the
State would affect the Prohibition work
in any way.
Reviewing the general condition of the
party in the country, he thought that if the
prohibition amendment to the Pennsyl-
vania constitution was submitted to
vote today that it would be carried.
A reference to the fact that prohibition
had been badly worsted in the elections in
several States, he combated by the state
ment that although the majorities were
largely against them. none of the party's
votes, as shown by previous elections,
had been lost.
His Judgment of the prospect of the
party in New Jersey was hopeful.