Blue-grass blade., 1891-05-02
'The Ensign''-A Connecticut
lsatiOnalistic Prohibition
Paper or the Blade.

Last month we inserted brief
complimentary notice of the Blue
Grass Blade, the Prohibition pa
per of Lexington, Ky. The ed
itor almost took the breath out
of Us by returning the compli-
ment with words of greater praise
than we deserve. Among other
things he said:
The Ensign came to me when L
was busy, but 1 stopped to read a
few lines that caught my eye and
! did not stop until l had care.
fully read every line in it, and if
every preacher on my list kicks
when say it, | am going to say
all the same, that although I
have seen newspapers enough to
make a stack as high as the cross
on st. Paul's down Short street,
that's the first newspaper / ever
saw every word of which | en-
dorsed.
1t is not large, but it is NOR
ally, intellectually and mechanic
ally the cl |! newspaper ;. | ever !,
saw. 4 4 X 4
That little paper costs 25 cents
a year, and l hope lots of people
from this State and everywhere
the Blade goes, New York, Mas
sachusetts, Florida, Texas, Cali
fornia and Japan, will send and
get it.
Unlike the Blade, another Pro-
hibition organ has studiously ig-
nored our existence, and q
temperance leader, in the State
returned the specimen copy sent
him with the emphatic words,
mot wanted" 1t is a pity that
men, to crafty some spite or fool
ish prejudice, will act against the
best interest of their party. We
say be friendly with every one,
treat even Satan himself with
courtesy, if there is the slightest
hope of making votes by so do
ing. A year or two ago, the ed
itor of this paper sent a commu-
nication to a Prohibition organ
charging the leaders of this party
with using this political organi-
ZatiOn to increase the member
ship of certain Protestant church
es. The latter was never printed
and the writer of it began to
think that perhaps he was mis-
taken. But, every now and then,
something happens to revive his
former suspicion, until he is al
most forced to believe that he
was right, after all. If he was,
then no wonder the temperance
party does not increase. We say
nothing against church work, but
splitting up an entire political
party, for kindling wood to light
the gospel fires is not the thing.
Cheaper fuel can be had than this.
Any attempt to unite religion
and politics always ends in max
ing one subservient to the other.
We object to any class, sect or
party having a monopoly of the
temperance cause. For this rea-
son, we have enlisted in behalf of
the temperance League, deter
mined that there shall be at least
one organization where all who
favor this cause may meet to-
gether and work in unity; where
temperance shall be the sole work,
absolutely independents Of every
outside influence.
We commend the Blade for
this very reason, that the editor
has, evidently, but one purpose
and that is to make Prohibition
votes. He is intensely radical,
but whether We follow him in ali
things or not we admire his
singleness ofpurposo. With him,
certainly, Prohibition is not dis
guise for some other purpose.
His paper has taken a vacation of
a week or two, until he can get
supplied with material to do his
own printing, and then he PROM
Uses to be as lively and interesting
as ever,