The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-05-15
Friday. May 10, 1891.
The Liquor Licenses and the Sign
ers and the Lesson They Teacn.

for the present year and the names of the
endorsers, published on our fourth page
invite serious consideration. The list Of
signers is not made up of bummers and
scalawag, of no-accouDt people. To be sure
there is fare sprinklipg of scurvy fellows
among The signers, but there are also very
large number of those who are placed il
the first class. by general consent of our
citizens; business men, men of integrity and
moral standing, and we believe church
members. Ten years ago many Of these
men could not have been induced 10 place
their names on whiakey application. Why
this apparent change? The change is moi
real but apparent. There are several rea-
sons that can be given. And among them
is the disposition which crops out when
temptation is placed before the average
human biped, TO fall in with the steal when
started and get share of the swag. But
the worst feature which is brought TO the
surface by this list decorated with the names
Of respectable men, of business men, Of
moral men 1.-THE way the world goes) aud Of
religious men ~ is the utter decentralization
ofthe $ temperance cause" This decadence
has been steady since the more earnest aad
anxious temperance workers determined
to form separate political party, and on
this one moral issue to disrupt and finally
vanquisb the two old parties. The concep.
tiun was brilliant, daring, chivalric, and SO
was the " Charge of the Light Brigade. /" the
noble six hundred who charged into the
gates of hell.o Tennyson tells US in moy-
ing tropes. But that charge wac waste Of
effort; and SO has been the separate and dis
tinct political party which was christened
the Prohibition party. The principles Of
that party were high and pure; its efforts
heroic, and it should haye been crowned
with victory; and SO should Poland and
many noble cause that has gone down in
night and storm and persisted forever, but
the principles they strove to establish lived
on to appear on future fields with more
suspicious supports and confronted by less
powerful opposition.
People are always ready and willing to
shirk responsibilities. and when the temper
perance leaders-the most aggressive part
of them-formed distinct political party,
the easy-going temperance man said, swell
the new party will take care of the cause. !
am no longer under moral obligation to
keep up the moral suasion contest" and
efforts on that line relaxed. These moral
suasion battles had about accomplished all
they could in the condition the temperance
forces found themselves. An advance was
demanded, was Imperative aud that advance
was determined upon in distinct political
party. The temperance army was drwn up
in battle array in the open field, and volun.
feers called upon to ell up lis regiments
and give lighting strength to its thin battle
line, but no amount of exhortation and
appeals to every noble sentiment could in
duce the voters in any considerable numbers
to leave their old party and take service
under the new. The saloon saw its oppor-
unity. Il immediately organized through.
out the whole country. Its treasury was
filed 10 overlooking with money, and over.
lures were at once made to the old parties
Ifthey would furnish the voters to beat this
new party which had organized to destroy
the liquor traffic the saloon would furnish
the money to carry on the war. The offer
was accepted with avidity. The old party
newspapers opened their batteries on the
new party; the political machinery Of the
old parties was put in operation against the
new party and il was assailed in front, in
faux and from the rear. The new party
was shining mark in the open plain and
without reserve. It was beaten by these
allied powers in every contest. Prohibitory
amendments were sought by the new, ''the
third party" in which to try lis strength
and the long lines and heavy battallions Of
the allied powers crushed them with over
whelming defeat. The saloon became more
arrogant as its fear of the Prohibition party
lessened, and it began to demand more
privileges from the old parties, and from
being suppliant for their help, it speedily
became their master by the power Of its
money. And now they both stand as sup
plants, crouching before it and asking,
What would you that we should do?
The Prohibition party is a dead failure
we hoped for good results, but feared il.
ability to execute the task it undertook
The saloon at the rate it is driving the old
parties will soon coyer the whole land
again. The temperance forces must organ
lee outside of parties and withdraw from
the field political candidates exclusively o.
its own selecting. The whiskey association.
have shown bow victory can be organized
and the old parties brought to their knees
The Farmers Alliance and other labor or
examinations have demonstrated that a new
organization without candidates can WELD
vastly greater political power and influences
than ss separate and distinct political
party with all the costly machiney that 1
party is obliged to keep up. These organ
izations are all political but they are MOI
distinct political parties. Temperance or
CARNATIONS must become one compact body
but avoid the pitfalls of distinct, isolated
party. They can secure all the Prohibition
party promised for the cause by co-operat.
ing with the labor organizations which are
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