The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-03-25
THE FREE PARLIAMENT.
The Republican Party and Temperance
To the Edttors Of the Nsscs:

The Republican fsry ana temperance
To tAs Edstors Of the Ns'0s;
At the recent State convention of the
Prohibition party of Rhode Island. their
speaker. Rev. gentleman from New
York. arraigned the Republican party for
.'its hostile attitude toward temperance"
and stated boldly, but without giving
proof, that the 'Republican party was a
license party" 1t Is poor cause when
AN advocate thereof has to lie TO make
Republicans Of hhode Island to put the
above statement along side OF the fact, to
begin with, that here In New England,
three states, MAINE, New Hampshire and
Vermont), are prohibitory states and they
are In the Republican column. That fact
alone shows the falsity Of the New
than no loaf at an. A third party friend,
when that balf is saw-dust." I answer,
then Is prohibition sawdust. for half the
New England states have prohibition un-
der Republican Administration.
Then take the following fact I cut from
the New York Tribune this week to fur
ther offset the above campaign falsehood:
"PRoHIBITIoS VICTORIOUS IN IOWA.
"DEs MONIES, Iowa, March 2o-rhe
Catch bill, substituting county option for
prohibition in Iowa, was finally disposed
of to-day. being indefinitely postponed in
the lower House of the Legislature. The
vote was strictly partisan, the Republic
cans favoring postponement and the DEM
ocrats opposing 1t. A large crowd OF spec.
tators was in attendance. The result of
the vote was greeted with cheering by the
Republicans"
Talk as men may. we have TO choose be-
tween the Republican and Democratic
parties And say common sense dictates
a choice of the former. A man who leaves
the Republican party to vote the third
party ticket actually chooses the party,
which, az the great Democratic leader in
Rhode Island says: Has the Alcohol"
With the money sent into this State by
wholesale liquor dealers, and by coalition
with third party voters the Democrats
hope to win, April 9th. and temperance
Republican who goes Tor stays) out OF his
party, in reality, chooses the rum party.
When such men will leave their church
church is responsible for the continuance
of the saloon" then feel more patience
with them. Surely they cannot expect
more OF political party than Of Christ's
Church, aud il they stay in the church
aud they do-why not stay in their party.
even if IL does not accomplish what they,
yes, and all Of us wish it could.
In "a campaign document, sent by the
National Prohibition Committee to minis
ters. w. c. Il. o., Third'party politicians
and others in Rhode Island-with the fac.
simie signatures Of Samuel Dickie and
others appended-after stating that, The
Eyes of the Nation are on Rhode Island
now," Crhe Journal please notice.; assur-
ing workers for prohibition" that THE
present is a good time TO make prohibition
voters" that document states that THE
liquor traffic will rejoice If the vote for
the prohibition party IN Rhode Island is
not Increased April 9Th" What false
statement is that No. the liquor traffic
in Rhode Island will hold a perfect jubilee
over the increase in the thlrd-par.y vote
| many misguided temperance people are
working SO hard for at this time That
increase will only increase Democratic
hope OF victory.
In another campaign tract. third-party
politicians give, what they style, "Rea-
sons why temperance men cannot vote
with the old parties" In parallel columns
they give quotations from party plat
| forms and utterances Of party organs aud
leaders. In the Democratic column is
given abundant proof from National and
State platforms that the Democracy Is
the unified and bitter foe Of prohibition,
| Except in localities true, as places in the
| South), but in the Republican column
there is notable and absolute failure to
| produce q sentence even from Republican
platforms, State or National, to prove the
| slander on the Republican party as Rum
party" All you md in that column is the
| individual and unauthoritative sayings OF
certain Republicans, who have no right
| to speak for the party, any more than we
may consider certain men speak for the
| church who say, as some thus do: The
| church sustans the saloon"
The largest sentiment in the Republican
| party is favorable to temperance and the
| obli Grafton of the saloon curse. Tenn
| perance men will only weaken that senti-
ment bp going of aud helping an effort
being made, confessedly so, ito defeat the
| z. O. D." as the Voice, and Prohibitionists
| generally call the Republican party.
| 1t is not the "Grand Old Party" but
| the Grand Young Party"-vital with
| youth and conqucring life force, that has
given us Harrison and Blaine aud Aldrich
and others of whom we are proud; that
| has given Us the Mckinley bill, about
which Democrats can lie no longer,
when every laboring man knows he lives
! well under its operation; aye and that has
| given Rhode Island such a clean State
| ticket, headed by that clean, honest total
| abstinence man, ID. Russell Brown.
AS temperance man, Republican aud
a Prohibitionist. l call upon consistent
| temperance voters of Rhode Island, to
vote as you pray" and vote solid against
| the Democratic party which declares
against Prohibition in so many OF its ma.
| tional and State conventions and which,
| in Rhode Island, as their campaign leader
says, Has all the Alcohol"
| Geo w ANnERsnN