Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1891-08-13
OUGHT TO ORGANIZE.
PrOhibitiOnists Who COntrOvert
the Opposition to a POliti-
cal Party.
Reasons why None of the Old
Parties are Entirely Sat.
isfactOry.
eff you are q Trapper Where are
Your Furs?' Lively
Document.
An Open Letter.

Document.
An Open Letter.
To Hon. Chas A. PollOck-Dear Sir:
We have read your astonishing letter to
Hon. Samuel Dickie, which you have
circulated so widely over North Dakota
IN which you state that
If l attend the coming meeting at
jamestown, it will be for the purpose of
opposing the design of the meeting as
announced by you.
At the present time we have no need
for prohibition party, as q political Or
ganlzatlon, in North Dakota.
1t would be the basest ingratitude for
any considerable number of prohibition.
lists at this time to organize such a party.
The republican party has always plac-
cd itself on record in this state as favor
ing the development of the home rather
than the saloon.
We are indebted to that party for con.
stitutional prohibition. A republican
legislative assembly carried out the party
pledge, and gave us stringent prohibi-
tory law-said to be the most severe of
any in the union. A republican govern
or (Miller) approved that law. The re-
publican legislature of last winter re-
fused to change or do away with that
law"
Permit us to say, thereis crying need
for an "org anization" among the prohl-
bitionists of our state. We have no pre-
tense of state organization, and haye
not had since Mr.. White of Casselton
died. The prohibition workers and
voters have long felt their greatest weak
ness lay in the fact that they had no state
organization and no recognized
leaders to concentrate and direct
their work. The prohibitiopists
are practically without leader in
North Dakota today and their cause suf-
fers greatly thereby. The farmers al
lance is 'organized" and their interests
are being we'll protected. The republic
an party has long been organized and
has it's recognized leaders all over the
country and SO is the democratic party
organized" with its managers; and why
can't the prohibition;sts have an organi-
zatlon" without rebuke coming up
from some Of the other parties.
1t is true that the republican party in
convention has several times endorsed
prohibition; it is true that republicans
helped to vote it into our state constitu.
ton; it is true that republicans voted to
adopt the prohibition law in the legisla-
ture; but it is not true that the prohibi-
tionists are thereby under any obligations
to abandon their right to 'organlze" as a
party and put themselves in harmony
with the national prohibition party. It
would be sabsurd for the farmers
alliance to insist that the re.
publican party should dlsband just be-
cause it, the farmers alliance, had
adopted all the party measures Of the re-
publican party, and yet this is the sort
of talk Mr.. Pollock offers to the prohlbi-
LiOnists.
The national prohibition party, which
by the way, is some years older than the
two-year-old constitution of North Da-
kota,is aiming to put prohibition into the
constitution Of the United States. which
none Of the other political parties are
aiming to do, and there is no more prac-
tical way for the prohibition party to &C.
compllsh it's object than by effecting an
Organization" in all the states of the
union. Hence it is unreasonable for Mr..
Pollock to ask the executive committee
to keep out of North Dakota just because
some republicans might lose their hold
on Office when the prohibition party have
re.organized, and get their forces to the
polls.
In both state and county elections
last fall the republicans nominated q
great many liquor candidates for Office.
whom the prohibltlonists could not sup
port. And yet the prohibitionists had to
vote for these liquor candidates or stay
away from the polls. In numerous in
stances liquor candidates we're
nominated by both the re-
publicaDs and by the democrats.
So it was "Hobson's choice" with the pro.
hibition voter, simply because there was
no prohibition organization and no pro.
hlbition candidates. In many cases pro.
hibition voters stayed away from the
polls in disgust, and yet Mr.. Pollock
offers them no remedy for this unpleas.
ant predicament, but he denounces their
proposed organization as inimical to the
interests Of the republican party.
Prohibition fell into the constitution
OF North Dakota by q direct act of
divine providence! The politicians did
not submit prohibition with the belief
that it would carry and hence they were
treated to a genuine surprise, largely
through the aid of the Scandinavian
voters. Having once adopted it, the
legislature could do nothing less than
pass a law to euforce it. Then began
the fight Of the liquor men, and at the
last session of the legislature, the liquor
lobby bribed enough votes to pass re-
submission through both houses. En-.
boldened by their success the liquor
lobby next attacked the penalty clause''
Of the prohibition law, and they secured