Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-09-01
TWO ELECTORAL TICKETS.

TWO ELECTORAL TICKETS.
The Prohibition party and the Peoples
party will both have an electoral tick
ct in the field in this State, and the
LEADER asserted in its issue of Aug
18th, that it might subsequently give
some reasons why such policy would
inure in the end to the advantage OF
both wings of the reform army.
Much as we would like to see such a
thing, we are not of those who are
sanguine enough to believe that Cleve-
land can be defeated in Mississippi
this year. even if the Prohibition and
peoples party men were fully united
on one presidential ticket. They haven't
an effective and compact national or
ganization, backed by an cS,OOO,OOO
campaign fund, furnished by the mon
ey power and office holders, as each of
the old parties has. They haven't the
local press. the effective state organizd-
ton. and an army of adroit and train
ed speakers such as their opponents
have, and hence they enter the fight
against heavy odds and seriously
Handicapped.
Worst of all. it is fight against Is
norance and prejudice ignorance of
the real truth about the false prctcnces
and record of the National Democrat
ic party, and prcjudices. sectional and
racial, which have been cherished and
nursed for generation, and only need
to be appealed to in the way 50 we'll
understood by the political dema-
gogues. to be famed into u flame of
binding hate.
For these reasons. thousands of
good men, who would otherwise be
with the reform forces, cannot be in
duced to leave the G.. o. p. Grand Old
Pretender) ut this time. These, too,
are the men, in the main, who mnst be
won over when a new party does sue
coed.
But of the two electoral tickets. The
new party men now i'll Mississippi and
those who may get their consent be-
tween now and November to leave the
old parties. may be divided into two
distinct classes. One class arc Prohibi-
tionists first. last and all the time.
They believe i'll and sympathize with
all other wise governmental reforms
proposed and will do their full share
to bring them about; but with them
the suppression of the liquor traffic
the liquor monopoly with all that
that implies, is the dominant and over
issue. The other class is
principally of Prohibitionists
also, but they are chiefly farmers and
Alliance men, and they have given
more study to, and lay greater stress
upon, the currency question and hence
regard that of paramount Importance.
The Peoples party ignores the Pro
libition issue in their national plat.
'orm and the Prohibition party, while
not ignoring the financial and other
living issues, makes the suppression of
the liquor traffic paramount. Many
men who could not be persuaded to
leave the Democratic party to vote for
Gen. Weaver, with Prohibition left
put of the platform, will vote for Bid
we'll and on the other hand, many who
belive the currency question of prime
who could not be infiu-
enced to leave the Democratic party to
vote for Bidwell, will vote for Weaver.
AS we have said, the first work to be
done i'll Mississippi is to educate the
people above their narrow prejudices
up to a higher and broader plane of
reason and intelligence, where they can.
get their consent to leave the old par
ties for any new organization, and
therefore it is hest just as it is
In four years more, the reform forces
will no doubt come together on plat
form including Prohibition as we'll as
other vital reforms, and then they
will march to a national victory.
Happily the Peoples party of Missis-
sippi has declared for Prohibition, and
thus made it practicable for Prohibi-
tionists to unite with them in the cleo
ton of.Congressmen. By this it is made
consistent and possible for the man
who believes Prohibition the dominant
issue, and the man who believes in
Prohibition, but thinks the currency
and other questions more urgent, to
come together, and elect men to Con-
gress who will work for the carrying
out of both reforms. And while the
LEADER does not believe that the new
party men are strong enough yet to
carry the State, even if united, it does
believe that they can carry at least three
If not four of the Congressional dis
tricts, and it exhorts all true reformers
to work faithfully to that end.
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Congressman Hooker is likely to find
it very difficult to explain to the salts