Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-25
A CAMPAIGN OPENED.
The Prohibitionists Are the First in
the Political Field.
MUCH ENTHUSIASM ; FEW VOTERS.
The Orators Are ALI Hopeful of q Successful
Issue.
VIEWS UPON THE AMENDMENT DEFEAT


opening meeting of the Prohibition cam
paign in Lafayette Hall, last evening. j.
D. Simon, of Braddock, presided, and the
proceedings were opened with prayer BY DR..
Robinson, of Allegheny. The personnel Of
the meeting was truly typical temperance
gathering, the ladies being in force in the
front seats.
The most important point in making
statistical estimate of the value of the meet
ing as political factor was the question of
how many voters were present, and next how
many workers. To the latter class the ladies
undoubtedly belong, but as they are still
debarred from voice in the government of
the State, they could not be classed with the
former.
Deducting the ladies, the people under
age and others who hsd no vote, the
number of people present who could place
ballot in the box for Mr.. Johnston, as State
Treasurer, might be safely estimated at 30.
Still John A. Mcconnell was iubilant over
the size of the meeting and its promise of
great results, and said: ''This is where we
have the advantage OF the two parties. We
have meeting ahead of them, and do you
know the reason why? Because neither of
them can raise enough people to hold
meeting"
CHAIRMAN STEVENS GRATED.
A. A. Stevens, of Cambria county, Chair
man of the State Prohibition Committee,
was the first speaker of the evening. He
said the liquor question was the only politi-
cal question in the country unsettled. The
tariff and pension questions are settled so
far as either political party is concerned,
but the liquor question remains only to be
settled at the ballot box. Mr.. Stevens
asserted that the Liquor League of Penn
sylvania secured whatever legislation they
demanded because both political parties are
afraid to refuse, and the only way to secure
legislation in the interest of morality and
sobfiety is through the Prohibition party.
If the party fails to settle the question
properly the history OF the country for the
next century will be the same as that of
Rome, where vice and immortality was
allowed to control the Government. No
country can live which allows right, virtue
and integrity to be subordinated by vice and
immortality.
A MICHIGAN ORATOR.
M. j. Tanning. of Michigan. was then in
troduced. He said the greatest good to the
greatest number of people, and not party
supremacy, is what the Prohibition party is
aiming at. "But, said he, ''if our Savior
was on earth running for an Office, and Judas
and Barabbas were his opponents, there are
people who would forsake Him and stick
to Judas or the other fellow because they
were the regular nominees OF their parties.
We want measures, not men. The pre-
Smith had been the Republican candidate
have been defeated just the same. Mr..
is President because the platform
upon which he stood was indorsed."
Mr.. flaming took up the wage question,
and gave statistics showing that in Penn |
sylvania the average salary for wageworkers,
women and children, is 1896; in |
Ohio, 1869, and in Nevada, $7S6 per year,
showing that the farther west the greater |
the wages, owing to a smaller proportion of |
women employed. In England more than |
30 per cent of the wageworkers are women
and children. while in America the num-
Der is about SO per cent. The speaker |
pointed to the saloon for an answer to the
question, why are so many women and chill
dren employed at labor?
THE CAPITALISTS END.
He then took up the question of capital |
and labor and the argument that If the |
liquor traffic is wiped out thousands of men
will be thrown out of work and capital will |
be caused to remain idle. As water seeks
its level, SO capital seeks investment. And |
if the capital that gives employment to only |
33, 900 people were invested in some other
industry there would be demand for labor
in this country that could scarcely be sup
piled, and wages would increase.
HOPEFUL PROSPECTS ADVANCED.
Every man now brutalized by the laws,
and supported by the two old |
parties, would be humanized by virtue, lib
,rty and independence.
Mr.. Tanning said he was willing to in
lorse all that is said by the advocates of
free trade and tariff but it still follows that
either cannot exist without injury to all
ines of industry, while an absolute prohi-
oition of the liquor traffic, with either pro-
ection or free trade, will give boom to
very industry.
The workers of the party held CONFER
,nce yesterday afternoon in Lafayette Hall,
A. A. Berker, of Cambria county, presid-
ng. He said the defeat of the Constitu-
ional amendment meant the fastening of
prohibition. A number of other addresses
we're made and roseate reports made by MEM
,ers of the State and County Committees,
ii agreed that the defeat of the Constitu-
ional amendment last June made rather a
avorable showing than otherwise for the
,rohibition cause, as it awakened the peo-