The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-06-12
Friday, June IL, 1891.
The Prohibition Party VS.. the
Alliance,

The Prohibition Party VS.. the
Alliance.
The New York Voice is of late dividing
its attentions pretty evenly between the
saloons and Farmers Allianc.
The saloon represents Thousands of heads
of one great Hydra, which grow as fast as
cut of. The evidence of this is plain enough
for any wayfarer to read in the history of
the half dozen years of sctive, aggressive
work of the prohibition party, led by the
Voice, on the saloon. The saloon business
has increased and greatly prospered during
this time. The source of the saloon strength
lies in the liquor monopoly which is made
possible and upheld by government favor
and protection. The growth of this monop-
oily has been steady, each succeeding years
growth being marked by the increased tax
collected from whiskey and beer. In 1890
the tax amounted to 107 million dollars,
which exceeded the previous year by ten or
twelve millions. The returns from this
source for the present year are in excess of
last year SO far. And thus the hydra grows
The liquor monopoly is one Of the many
monopolies which owes its existence to the
protection received from the general gov
eminent, which guards it from foreign and
home competition. Whiskey which costs IL
to 10 cents gallon pays the government 80
cents to store and guard it and prevent
competition, which insures the business to
be confined to the wealthy class. With
this government protection it is useless to
attempt to suppress it by merely batteripg
down the saloons, which spring up as fast
as demolished. The beer business fourishes
by the same strong support. The English
millionaires who have directed our fnan-
cial affairs through their Wall street agents
own the best ofthe breweries and distillenes
in the United States. And this liquor
monopoly is one of the money trusts chief
sources of political power. Saloons are
planted in every town and district in the
country nearly. and the large cities are
completely under saloon control. The
saloon is The great political headquarters
through which both houses of congress are
filled with Wall street attorneys. Without
this enginery of elections the money trust
would be powerless almost at the polls and
would have to depend mainly on the lobby
in congress.
To repeal the protecting laws which are
thrown round the liquor business is the
beginning of the overthrow Of the saloon.
Until government protection is Withdrawn
from it by the repeal of those laws it must
continue to be losing battle against the
saloon. The lines which the prohibition
party has been placed upon-and this di-
rection has been given the party in a large
measure by the Voice, of unfolding the
financial policy of Wall street, which in
turn upholds the liquor monopoly for the
double purpose Of money making and the
control of elections-are in effect strength
ening the saloon grip upon the government,
state and national.
The policy of the Alliance is the true
policy TO uproot the saloon, by attacking
and breaking the power of the money trust
over the government. When this mother
of all monopolies is broken by releasing the
government from its grasp, the liquor in
tefnal revenue tax will be repealed, the
monopoly which now upholds the saloon
will disappear and the combined power that
stands behind the saloon having collapsed,
the latter unprotected will fall.
The prohibition party as at present con-
Quoted by the Voice and few kindred
spirits who hold the party machinery in
their hands, is an aid rather than an injury
10 the liquor interest, and 1t is fortunate
their political influence has become almost
infntisimal. That the party has been a
disturbing element in the temperance cause
cannot be denied. The temperance element
is broken up and disorganized all over the
country and so demoralized that it has
ceased to exert any influence on legislatures
or political conventions. Until the distinct
party feature is abandoned there is little
prospect Of drawing the prohibition senti-
ment of the country together and organizing
it into an active reform movement that
could take part with the other reform
movements of the country. Before there
was distinct prohibition party with its
regularly nominated tickets in the field,
prohibition legislation made rapid strides,
since then the enemy has gained and the
prohibition element has lost much of its
power against the saloon. AS distinct
party it has never been strong enough to
send members 10 the Legislature or cong ess,
and has hindered prohibition influence from
exerting itself on the old parties. The only
hope for prohibition is through the Alliance
and the dissolution of the Voice, Dickey,
St. John political party.