The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1889-07-12
Easily Answered.

OF the three parties in the field. Demo-
crat, Republican and Prohibition, the lat
ter is the only one that can be implicitly
relied upon to give us ~clean-cut, straight
out prohibition and then see to its enforce
ment. The Democrats make no preteilse
oil his kind and the Republicans are
greatly distrusted in their profession OF it.
We think, however, that last year the Re
publicans Of this State made an honest
effort to give us temperance legislation and
perhaps went as far as possible in the con-
c~essions made by the liquor element OF
their own party on this line, and this Tall
they promise TO give US local option in a
greatly strengthened and much improved
form, and since the people do not seem
prepared just now for entire prohibition
and are prepared for local option, (which,
after all, is prohibition in spots would it
not be well to strengthen the hands of
these good men of the Republican party
who brave the opposition Of many in
their own ranks and encourage them to
go on to perfection in the good work just
begun. rather than furnish a club for the
Democrats TO pound them over the head
by voting a straight-out Prohibition ticket9
We ask, wouldn't this be well at the pres
ent junction of temperance and Prohibition
work in our Stase?-Woodstown (N.J -
Monitor.
The problem is not difficult to answer.
The Republican party in New Jersey, If
it really starts out TO destroy the liquor
traffic, could not elect its ticket. If it don't
elect IT'S ticket it can't destroy the traffic.
A union of the Prohibitionists with the
Republicans would enable the latter party
to elect its ticket prorided it could con-
vince a large portion of the liquor meu
that no harm would come to them. If
they succeeded in so convincing the liquor
men, the election of their ticket would not
be any gain to the cause of temperance.
Ii is strange to US that it takes some of
our friends SO long to get hold of the stu
alton. a majority of the voters in both the
Democratic and Republican parties are
opposed to the saloon, but in neither of
these parties is there a large enough ma
jority to elect its ticket without the aid of
those in the party that are in favor of the
saloon. Now if either of these parties really
attempts to down the saloon, the saloon men
leave it and it cannot elect its ticket, and
| of course if it cannot elect its ticket it can
not down the saloon.
The present dominance OF the saloon is
not due to the fact that a majority of the
people favor it, for a very large majority of
the people are in sentiment opposed to it;
but it is due to the fact that those who are
opposed to it are nearly equally divided
between the Democratic and Republican
parties, and thus balance each others votes
while the saloon power shifts the balance
to:whicbever one it thinks will favor it the
most.
This dominance of the saloon will there
fore continue as long as the cause contin-
ues, namely, the division ofthe temperance
men into two opposing parties, separated
by ancient animosities. To get rid of the
dominance of the saloon, we must get rid
Of that system Of political division which
makes such dominance possible. We
must get the temperance men to cease
their divisions IN memories of ancient
issues and get them to unite on the new
issue.
And this can only be done by getting
them to unite i'll the new Prohibition party,
representing the temperance sentiment OF
the whole nation, and with its face set for
ward towards the sun of progress, instead
of backward to the graveyards of the past.
And all these efforts to accomplish a
little temporary good by coalescing with
only delay that contamination SO d~evOutly
to be wished.-Springield (Ohio) Nem
Era.