The Redwood gazette., 1890-07-10
A Prohib ON Prohibition.

Under the above heading, Prof. w.
R. Dobbyn was thus reported in the
Pioneer Press of last Friday.
This will be the last campaign of the Prohi
bition party. 1t will still live and the princi-
pie which it represents will grow in conquer
ing the whisky bottle until 1t will have sue
ceeded. The drink traffic will in 1892 become
more an issue than at any time since 1t was
discovered that the use of intoxioants was in
furious But the party as party will lose its
name and identity as a political entity and
become merged into enc great reform party
that will embrace the principal reform move
ments of our times"
We interviewed Mr.. Dobbyn in re-
gard to the truth of the above and he
replied, "The report is garbled state
ment of private conversation. There
is enough in it that is true to remind
me of having such a conversation, but
it is so placed before the public that l
am put in an entirely false position.
What did say in effect was, There
will be fusion of the great reform
forces in the near future. When this
fusion is effected the destruction of
the liquor traffic will be the dominant
issue. The social agitators are finding
out that the prohibition party is their
best organized, if not their onl ly Or
ganized, political friend, and they will
gravitate towards us. At that time
we will not stand on q name. A name
that will be unobjectionable may be
chosen, and so long as our principles
are made cardinal, we will never fight
for our name: This falls campaign
will be vigorous one. The fact that
it is an off year will make the work
of polling full vote sufficient, and we
may not poll any larger vote than in
1883. The Farmers Alliance must be
informed of our platform. 1t is broad
enough for them. If they do not un-
derstand us, some of them may be led
away into the Independent movement.
II did say, and believe it, that the
next dominant party in this country
will be one built upon the great social
issues of this present time, but l did
not say that the prohibition party
wonld be "merged' and lose its identi-
ty. l believe the coming social reform
party will have as it's dominant issue
the abolishment of the liquor traffic,
and said so to my interviewer, which
every enlightened prohibitionist be-
ieves and hopes for. Permit me to
say Mr.. Editor that the interview was
stolen one. Two journalists met and
privately, as suppose, talked over the
situation. The unimportant part of my
conversation was reported, the import
ant part left out, and what was pub
lished was so prepared as to give an
entirely wrong impression of my posi-
ton. One thing is shown by this little
journalistic episode and it is this. The
prohibition party is becoming SO intiu-
entail that the great dailies will rush
for an item that will have disturbing
influence in it's ranks. Not daily in
the northwest but has published this
inconsequential interview, not because
| said it but because it might breed
distrust among our new converts, or
steady back into the old party lines
those who are about ready to join us"
There is nothing in the world more
pathetic, says the Christian Union,
than the meek, timorous, shrinking
ways of certain old people-we have
all seen them--who have given up
their homes into younger hands, and
subsidized into some out-of-way corner
of it, to sit by the fire side and table
henceforth as if afraid of making
trouble" afraid of being lin the way"
afraid of accepting half what is their
due, and going down to their graves
with a pitiful, deprecating air as if
constantly apologizing for staying SO
long. There is no scorn too deep and
sharp for the sons and daughters who
will accept this attitude on the part of
those to whom they owe so much.