The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-05-22
WHERE "PROHIBS" COUNT.
a BIG FACTOR IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
A Law which Enables Them to Embarrass
the Older Parties - Mcpherson For
President Talks With Leading
knights of Honor.
DAILY Sentinel, May lal

daily Sentinel, May 10
There are judges. mayors and "honorables"
galore among the representatives TO the
supreme lodge of the K. of II. The newly
chosen supreme director is mayor of his home
city and he is only one of several such in the
convention. The Hon. George f. Hodgdon of
New Hampshire, who is stopping at hotel
English, is one of the number. In addition to
being a representative in the state legislature
he is mayor OF the large and enterprising city
of Portsmouth He is familiar, therefore, with
state and municipal affairs in his state, and TO
SENTINEL reporter spoke interestingly yes
terday Of them. AS you probably know"
said he. "the law of our state requires that
candidates for state Offices shall have a majority
over ell their opponents. On that account the
temperance party in oar state has been able,
in the last two elections, TO defeat the choice
of the people. The republican candidates for
state officers last fall had a small majority, but
not sufficient TO overcome the 1000 prohibition
vote in the state. Accordingly the election viii
be thrown into the legislature, which meets
next month"
The republicans have majority there,
have they nots'
Yes, on Joint ballot. Their majority in the
house is twenty. In the senate things are kind
OF mixed. The law requiring a clear majority
applies 10 legislators and state senators also,
and in fouT Of the senatorial districts there was
no choice which throws the matter into the
hands Of those senators who were elected and
who are compelled TO choose between the two
candidates having received the highest vote.
As the senate, rs now constituted, stands
eleven republicans 10 nine democrats, you can
arriu rhof will Of he IsNr
left 20 them to decide"
docs not the law work injustice and create
expense by requiring candidates TO have
clear majority:
1T does, for il permits 1000 men TO tie up
the votes OF $1,000 men. At the cOnstitu-
tlOnsl convention held last January an effort
was made 10 submit 10 the people an amend
ment making a plurality all that lie necessary
for candidates at election, but il was defeated
by the republican members of the convention
The republicans don't want plurality law, be-
cause II ii should be enacted they are gone.
They have gerrymandered the state in such
manner as to make the legislature solid for
them, and IN doing so have wholly ignored
geographical and other natural lines. The
plurality either way, republican or democratic,
Is very small, and il the districts were fairly
spportioned the state would go democratic
good portion OF the time"
what about the prohibition vote in your
state2"
Well, il remains about the same, and it is
certainly not liable TO increase. / have at
tended the prohibition conventions in my town
Tor number OF years past, and / observe year
after year the came old faces, with few new
ones. The pIohibitiOnists received setback
In the defeat of the prohibition amendment
recently, as 1t was voted down by about 10000
majority. We expected 1t to be defeated, be-
cause it required a two-thirds majority to
carry, but supposed 1t would have something
OF a majority. Instead, however, there was
about a two-thIrds majority the other way,
which surprised both the friends and the enc
mics of the amendment. The cause of the
defeat probably is that we have prohibition on
our statute Just as strong as human can iugraft
II with this exception, the manufacture of in
foxicants is not prohibited. The law as il now
IS, prohibits the sale only of intoxicants. We
have seven or eight breweries in our town.
The law even in regard TO selling
has never been enforced in Portsmouth, and
IN other sections OF the state il has been en-
forced only spasmOdically. 1t would be en-
forced probably year, and then be disregarded
for four or five years Nevertheless, ii was the
fact that the constitutional amendment, re-
Gently submitted, contained a clause prohibit
ing the manufacture also of intoxicants which
defeated IL II it had not been for that the
amendment would have carried. There was
large class even of temperance men who voted
against the amendment, because they thought
the law we now have strong enough IL the Off
GERS would enforce it. There was also large
class OF thinking men, especially lawyers, who
were opposed to Numbering the constitution
with such an amendment, and who, while they
we're in favor of temperance, thought that
laws regulating il should be confined to the
statute book. The amendment was not fathered
By the third party, and was entirely a non
political measure"
Mr. Hodgdon thinks the outlook for
the democratic party entirely cheerful "Be-
fore ten years, said he, Massachusetts, will
he a solid democratic state. The old New
England stock IS migrating, and the Irish i'm
migration increasing, and the latter are propa-
eating rapidly" He also thinks New Hamp-
shire liable 10 turn into line. An uncertain
element In that state, however, is the Canadian
French, who have come over in large numbers,
now composing 5000 of the population Of the
state. He describes them az miserable people,
who take no interest in public affairs, and are
much ike the Cinnamon in their disposition to
stay in this country only long enough 10 make
some money and then return home. They are
employed mostly in the numbering and manu-
featuring districts.