Blue-grass blade., 1891-11-07
AT PROHIBITION PARK,
TEMPERANCE CONGRESS AND FROilBl-
TON PARIY CONFER NICE
Informal Meetings-Au shades of OPin-
ion Expressed ON Various Top.es-:'is-
eussiOns Party Platforms ard
Methods of Party Work.
Special Correspondence.)

Methods of Party Work.
Special Correspondence.)
The National Temperance Congress
and the National Conference of Pr hi
bitiOn Party workers. which We're lie Il
at Prohibition Park, Staten Island.
Aug. 8 and 6, and and respectively
were not largely attended. There
were number of representative nirn
from abroad, but the signers of the
calls were conspicuous!y abseat. Your
correspondent ventures the opinion
that for person to sign such call
for the purpose of attracting attend
ants from long distances. and then to
be absent is fully as discourteOuS as
to invite q friend to his home and
then absent himself. leaving the in
vited one to knock at the door of a
vacant house. This discouitrsy was
severely commented on by some who
had travelled long distances to ''con-
fer" with the signers.
So far as the Temperance Congress
was concerned, your correspondent
could see nothing gained by it, All
the attendants were party Prohibit
tionists, except few who had been
invited to take part in the exercises,
and most of them left promptly after
their own papers were presented.
DR.. A. j. kynett, of PENNSYLVANIA.
was present with his double back
(ward) action suggestion for Union
Prohibitory League on the principle
''How Not to Do It." Prof. Dickie
read score of letters from all parts
OF Pennsylvania unanimously dcclar-
ing that the League had never accom-
plished thing in the line of temper
ance work, and testifying that so far
as could be seen the entire League
consisted of DR.. Kynett himself. The
Doctor left on the next train.
'"The Religious Newspaper-How
May 1t Effectively Help in the Battle
Against the Rum Traflic?' was a
topic that was spoken to by Rev. Dr.
j. NJ. EUckley, editor of Tie Christian
Advocate. Rev. Dr. Arthur Ed
wards. editor of The Northwestern
Christian Advocate, and l.. A. May
nard of The Christian at Work. DIR.
Buckley, while heartily declaring for
a consistent Prohibition attitude, sug-
gcsted the need of having regard for
the opinion of readers and subscrib-
ers, and intimated, therefore, that adj
vocacy should be judiciOus. He also
went out of his way to attack the w.
c. II. Z.
Marshall H. Bright of The Christian
at Work surprised his hearers by say
ing that in his opinion it would be in
the interest of securing more general
cooperation to unite for the over
throw of the traffic in distilled liquors.
This idea was advanced as an answer
to the question, ION What Basis can
All the Opponents of the Saloon Co
operate for the Overthrow of the Rum
Traffic?"
DR.. Funk repeated his former ex-
pressions in favor of working for re-
striction without license.
Robt. Graham, the Church Tenn
perance Society's secretary, who
stumped Pennsylvania against the
Prohibitory Amendment, was intro
duced as ga friend of temperance"
and after insulting all preceding
speakers, by calling them ''silly," and
chair Drained fanatics" advocated
high license. Mr.. Graham was very
lonely and was the recipient of much
misp aced sympathy.
In an address on What Are the
Best Methods for Furthering the Tenn
perance Agitation in the South?" Nell
son Williams, jr., General Secretary of
the Coiored Y. NJ. c. A. of Richmond,
Va, made powerful plea for the
Strengthening of the Prohibition
party. He said that this party is now
the only hope of the colored man.
Bishop Turner closed the congress
with a strong plea for the Prohibition
party. Rev. j. H. Hector was not
present, as announced, as speaker.
THE PARTY CONFERENCE.
A. A. Stevens, of Pennsylvania, pre-
sided at the first session of the party
Conference.
John L. Thomas, Secretary of the
National Committee, and A. A.
Stevens, of Pennsylvania, were the
speakers on the first subject, why
Workingmen Should Vote the Pro-
hibition Ticket" They gave empha-
sis to the argument that Prohibition
is a pre-essential to the success of
every other desirable reform advo-
Gated by the wage-workers, as well
as to the claim that Prohibition when
enforced has been greatly for the
benefit of individual laborers.
The second subject of the pro-
oramme, Should the Prohibition
Party Platform in 1892 Declare for
Other Issues than Prohibition-If so,
What?" was ably discussed by j. E.
Ramsey, of Brooklyn, and others.
The desirability Of speaking out on
many questions of reform was urged,
and there was no serious objection
manifested to the broad platform
policy, although, as was to have been
expected, Woman Suffrage occasioned
some difference of opinion.
The first business in the afternoon
was to hear what W. &. Crum, editor
of The Wall Street Farmer, Rev. w.
II. Volger of New Dorp, Staten Island,
and E. j. Wheeler, of The Voice, had
to say about Our Relations to Other
Reform Parties.
'The Reserve Forces of the Prohibit
ton Movement How can They be
Made to Cooperate with the Prohibit
ton Party?" was the subject next
taken up. \. 4. Stevens was of the
opinion that in order to get the sup
port of these forces we must educate
them and remove the stumbling
blocks that keep them from us-that
is, drop from our platforms those sub
iectS that excite controversy. John
W. Pritchard, editor of The Christian
Nation, said he thought the hope of
the Prohibition cause rests chiefly
upon the Temperance education and
Junior movements.
Herbert A. Lee, of New York, deliv.
cred an address on How 10 Organize
Perfect Junior League"
He strongly urged work among the
coming voters. and their organization
into working clubs. The Junior -
paper published at No. IL East 18th
street, n. Y, received cordial thanks
for its splendid work along this line.
THE NATIONAL COMMITTEES WORK.
In the discussion of the question,
I'm What Ways can the National
Committee Do Effective Work from
Now until the Meeting of the National
Conventions" the sentiment of the
Conference was strong in favor of in
dustrious and careful organizing
work. Secretary Thomas said it was
the purpose Of the Committee, by
keeping organizers in the field in CO.