Telegram-herald., 1890-09-28

k0sEILHS4t-
KEIo's OMNIBUS
II there . any ore paper IN the eoan-
try that s ceyotedly attached 10 the
Prohibition party, that paper = the
New York Weekly Witness. 10 hss long
pursued q steady .eonsistsn advocacy OF
that one reform znd Il does not believe
IA mixing it up with = multitude OF
other so-eslled reforms. A eOrrespoa-
dent recently wrote to the Witness,
from Nebraska, asking whether the
Prohibition party were not little too
narrow. lie asked;
lis Il reasonable or logical 10 pre-
sumo thatthe vast aggregation Of voters
OF this country can be brought 70 az
issue on the question OF the drink
traffic Would ar Abolition party
have abolished slavery as a Republican
party did, Is Il wise 10 select one from
dozen Or more vitality important sub
lects requiring national reform, and
name the party FOR that one; Can a
GSenback party, Labor Reform
party, a Farmers Alliance party, an
AnIl-Monopoly party, an Anti-Slavery
party, an Antl-iOlygamy party. Free-
Trade or Prohibition party ever be
come National party Until the teni-
perance retOrmers can associate with
themselves several other bodies or Ma
tiOnal reform, how can they expect 10
amass sufficient political interest 10
equally divide the voters OF this great
country, or even approximate TO that
object? Is Il likely that TIE reform ele
ment of this country, # II now has or
ever attains 10 majority, Will select
the farmers, or the iaborers, or the
tradesmen. or the antI-saloon people TO
make the reforms Will not something
more OF a coalition OF great progressive
interests than the mere appendlng OF a
string Of nice sentences 20 a Prohibition
J or Greenback or a Farmers Alliance
platform come 10 be essential TO the
| political success of true reform move
ment"
That Nebraska Prohibitionist lives a
little toe far west, 10 be up with the
times, and he sent MS queries a little
too FAR east to get the answers he was
sghing for. He should come to Michi-
gan and learn something. Rev. J. W.
Reid can show him an aggregation of
reforms, under the name Prohibition,
that Will warm the cookies about his
heart and send hlm home rejoicing.
The Witness, however, does not be-
lieve in such an aggregation. 1t reads
its correspondent a lecture that would
make a fine commentaryo Rev. Reds
incidental Prohibition platform. The
Witness says:
Suppose that we should sdmit that
Mr.. Browns position is theoretically
sound, how much farther advanced
would he be? Suppose, even, that Mr..
Dlckie and the other active leaders OF
the Prohibition party should make the
same ADMISSION, how would that mend
matters? Nay, suppose that they should
propose and even carry resolution to
change the name OF the party and TO
make prohibition less prominent IN Its
platform, adding at the same time fresh
| planks to meet the wishes of the other
| reform elements named by Mr.. Brown,
what then? Would the Farmers ALI
ance, or the Greenbackers, or the
Labor party men be deceived into the
idea that the Prohibition party had
changed its nature in changing its name
and platform? Not at all. What, then,
would be the result? Simply this: The
party wouldfrom that day forward cease
10 command the respect OF anybody,
for it would be confessedly a dema-
gogue's party, seeking to capture votes
on all sides. Such party would die of
its own inherent weakness before II had
come to anything, just as all labor re-
form parties have died. There is too
much good sense in this country to
allow q party go constituted to 1--we very
long. Any party which seeks to get
possession of the Government must at
least profess 10 :eek the good OF all
classes equally"
The Witness voices the sentiments of
the TELEGRAM-HERALp, expressed some
| time since, that such party as the
Prohibition party in Michigan has made
itself in its platform, is mere dema-
gogue's vote-catching party, that has
ceased to commsnd the respect Of any
one, but set of irresponsible cranks, :"
40 one of its own convention delegates
suggested. And there is, indeed, too
much good sense in Michigan to give
such a party much chance for exist
ence.
The Witness further says: ''People
who want an omnibus reform party,
that will take in everything that
anybody chooses TO call reform, will
nave to get together with Brother
Evans, of Tonawsnds, and help him 10
start such party" We do not know
Brother Evans, of Tonswsnda. +"
but we presume he is another "irre-
sponNbls crank" The TELEGRAM.
HERALp, however, respectfully recon-
mends Brother Reid, o' Grand
Rapids" to al who are signing for can
omnibus reform party" His omnibus
Is now awaiting passengers. lie doesn'i
drive quite as fast horses ss Brother
Arney, but he THINKS ne Is gong to get
there just the same" All aboard,
Just going Up to the Captol-if toe
blamed old thing doesn't 20 70 pieces
ike the Deacou's "one-horse shay."
FRGxK A. DEaS issnother iurid rolit
iCal sky-roczet Ike George L. Yaple
H's genius, eloquencs and briIEsnos
can not make respectable bad cause
I r.. .,--~,..-- ..eo-f. -