The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-28
SEATTLE. MONDAY, SEPT 2s.
THIRD PARTIES.

A correspondent in yesterdays issue put
In plea for the third party Prohioitionlsts.
In the same issue appeared the following
from Senator John Sherman:
lam ouite sure that the cause OF temperance
would have been better promoted by the aglta-
ton of individuals In both the great parties IN
favor of temperance legislation. This would
have secured gradual and finally effective meas
ures for the restraint of the liquor traffic and
the correction of the great evils conceded 10
spring from intempeTance No cause can sue
coed in this county until IL has enlisted on It's
side one of the two great parties, and no pro-
posed measure of legislation can fail to get the
support of one of these parties when 1t is sup
ported by the opinion OF majority of the peo-
pie OF the state or nation who are affected by It,
In 1884 the third party Prohibitionists
polled %, 900 votes In New York state, thus
electing Democratic president. In 1885
the third party Prohibitionists polled
10000 votes in New York. thus electing to
the governorship David B. Hill, who has
steadily vetoed every high license bill in
obedience to the command of the saloon
keepers. In 1887 the third party polled
Al $50 votes in New York, and had they
polled as many for Fisk in 1888 Harrison
Fisk polled less than 10000 votes. Hill,
the saloon candidate, was elected governor
by reason of the third party men refusing
to vote for Warner Miller for governor,
and thus by the action of these third party
silly political sand peeps and ''tseter
tails" the rum power was securely en-
trenched at Albany for three years. The
third party in New York has twice elected
an out-and-out saloon statesman governor
and thus made him United States Senator
for six years. In New Jersey in 1885 the
third party elected the saloon Democratic
governor. and in 1888 legislature that re-
pealed the high license and local option
law of the Republicans.
The only effect of the presence Of this
third party In the political field has been
to undo all temperance legislation and
elect saloon heroes and martyrs to execu-
tive and legislative responsibility. The
Republican party has established legal
prohibition In eight states and high Ii
cense and local option in every state where
it has control, and yet the third party is
always hostile to the Republican party in
all its efforts to restrain and regulate the
liquor traffic. Temperance is but one of
a number of important social and eco
nomic problems that press for solution,
and the Republican party will never con-
sent to give up all the vast public interests
10 represents to embrace the single one of
prohibition, which is not a principle at
alt-nothing but question of efficient
practical means to legitimate, desirable
moral end. That it is an exceedingly
doubtful means to the end of temperance
Is shown by the statistics of arrests for
drunkenness in Portland, Me-, on the 4th
of July last.
The population of Portland Is SO, 425, and
the number of arrests was 81. The figures
for several other New England cities were
as follows: Springfield, Mass, "A, 179, Is;
Lawrence, Mass, 1861, %; Bridgeport,
Conn.,, 1896. II; Hartford, Conn, 81, $50,
20; Lynn, Mass, 55,727, 80; Worcester.
Mass, s4,655, ~ 1t will be observed that
every one of these cities has n considerably
larger population than Portland, one of
them (Worcester) more than twice as
large. and yet in only two cases was the
number of arrests larger, while in three OF
the others it was decidedly smaller.
This is the working of law that ha:
been on the hooks of Maine for over forty
years. This is the record of the third
party, who expect to extirpate by law all
temptation to excess on the part of those
who cannot be sober so long as there re
mains anything in human economy upon
which they can get drunk