Blue-grass blade. [volume] (Lexington, Ky.) 188?-19??, 1892-01-02
FOR PROHIBITION.
UNION OF FORCES.

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UNION OF FORCES.
Hon. Gideon T. Stewards Opinion on the
Campaign Of '82,
Last month 1 had the pleasure Of
casting my twenty-third annual vote
for the state and county ticket of the
prohibition party of Ohio. says Hon.
Gideon T. Stewart In the New York
Voice. Our hrss party vote was In DC.
tober, 1859, when in all the state then
the first and only one where it was
formed), we gave but $40 for our guber-
Material candidate. Rev. Samuel Scott
Since then our suffrage strength a.
vanced, at its highest to nearly 80, 600
ip the state and over 800, 000 In the ma
ton This party vote, with the firm
orgapization which it represents, is dit
fused through every county and into al
most every township of the state; and
the fact that, this year, 1t has so well
responded to the roll-oall from un-
broken ranks. under very adverse DIR.
cumstances, is tho first encouragement
found in the late election in Ohio
Another is derived from the result Of
that election. though in favor Of one Of
the opposing candidates for governor
Since VIM. Dennison, jr., left the guber-
Material Office in January. 1852, period
Of thirty years. VIM. Mckinley, r.,
will be the first governor of Ohio, Of
pronounced prohibition sentiments,
who in his political career had dared to
confront the liquor power. am wefl
advised that his private life and per.
sonal example are consistent with his
public temperance record. Though
silent on the subject as all but prohi-
billion candidates were, during the late
political campaign, his triumphant
election by so large a plurality, with
the known fact of his prohibition ante
cedents, is a very audible event, and
testifies that on this great reform quss-
ton, a man may dare to do right and
yet be governor Of Ohio. in the year
A. D., 1899. God reignA the world
moves, and even the republican politi-
clans Of Ohio may now venture to say
that their souls are their own.
The third encouraging fact IL the
public attitude and bold, united express
sions, especially this year, of the Ohio
Farmers Alliance, the Ohio Farmers
Union and all the farmer organizations
Of this state, against the liquor crime.
Our party has very special relations TO,
and ought to be in very close sympathy
with the farmers in their political
movements In the first place Il il safe
to say that more than thrss-fourths Of
all the voters in the prohibition party
are found in the farming communities.
kEss-hotss pSssss.;oai movements there Is
no hope in the cities Look ct the late
vote Of only 800 for prohibition out Of
AGRA in Hamilton county, including
the city Of Cincinnati. While Tam.
many Hall and the liquor league rule
the democratic party with corrupt mar
chinery operating through all the great
cities, and the beer congress and the
mammoth corporations concentrated
In the same cities. dominate the repub-
dcan party, the farmers and pro-
hibitionists must stand equally and
uncompromisingly opposed to both
those parties. When 20, 900 farmers be.
sieged Boston, where the standard Of
King George was unfurlsd, and the
British forces held New York city, all
knew that the only hope for Ameriosn
Independence was out Of the cities and
with the farmers. So it is with every
moral and political reform in our coun-
try, and must be. until q moral revolu-
zion changes the character of our cities.
The prohibition party can take but Q
feeble hold there. while all its strong
hold must be with and maintained by
the farmers. Hence our national and
state committees should hail with well
coming hands every movement of the
farmers in the path of prohibition, and
seek every opportunity to combine
with them; while the farmers, on
their part, should welcome prohibition
lists into open conventions with
them Prohibition farmers should
enter the alliance. oranges and
other farmer organizations and infu-
ence them IN support of prohibition. A
vast majority of the farmers and plant
ers of our country, from Maine to Tex
as and from Alaska to Florida, are OPP
posed to the liquor drink traffic.
Our great party blunder has been
that we have written down prohibition
of the liquor crime at the head of all
our platforms, principles and proceed
ings, as the one great and only unit,
and have added other reforms in so
many cyphers, as If merely to catch vot-
yrs and swell the suffrage value Of that
enit Once each year our conventions,
Estate or national, have published plat
forms including the other reform. while
all through the year our party presses
and orators have printed and talked
only the one theme Of liquor prohibi-
ton. A merchant who once in a year
publishes full list of all his wares but
through all the rest of the year con-
fines his advertisements to single
staple, will find a very limited sale Tor
his commodities. Hence, the ill-success
OF the prohibition party in
acquiring suffrage power. on
its solitary line Of argument and
endeavor The great lesson Of
this year is the necessity of union be.
tween the relative political reforms, to
secure governmental success for any OF
them. They are all passing through
the same nlSLOrlc Jesus anu crlScS Cdcn
has pursued the same misguided policy
of fighting out the political war with q
single battle line formed of its special
adherents, against the consolidated ar
ray of moro than ten millions of voting
foes II is true that every new reform
must have its missionary period, to in
form the popular mind Of its doctrines
but with the prohibition party tina
period has long since passed away
Our national party organization is nov
within thirteen years as old as that O.
the republican party; yet what arr
their comparative records in the gov
eminent? What state, district, count,
or city, in all the United States ha
the prohibition party controlled b.
its separate vote? Its first and onl,
member of congress was electe'
: in Minnesota last year, by uniol
with the farmers. A political party j
formed to control elections and com
mand the government by placing it
partisans In Office. Tho American pee
MIA ara eminantly uraatiaal and tmAl