The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-02-17
PLATFORM
SUGGESTED FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF
THE PRoHBITIoNIsT CONVENTION
OF RHODE ISLAND


We regard the use and sale of intoxicat-
ing beverages as evils or gigantic growth
aud portentous proportions and call upon
good citizens everywhere TO aid Us in their
determination wherever possible: in
checking and controlling them when more
sweeping measures are beyond our
power.
We see I'm the record of ruined man
hood, broken hearts, desolated homes,
wasted lives, brawling, violence, lust, ra
pine, murder, arson and every known
crime ana disorder attributable to the evil
habit of drink, n spectacle ~ make good
men or every party stand aghast. we
charge these ills upon the drink habit, and
more. IL fills our jails almshouses, IN
sane asylums and hospitals. IL is at war
with the schoolhouse. IL mocks the
church. 1t gibes and gibbers at open
graves, mocks at the widow aud orphan of
its victim and reaches out its-arms for
fresh ,thralls and bondsmen over the
dumbly protesting record of a nation ;
shame and of humanity's curse IL sits
entrenched in law and custom and, giant
grown in iniquity, sets at defiance the
divided and disagreeing hosts OF reform.
We must close up the ranks.
We deem il the duty of temperance
men TO seek allies wherever they may be
found for battle that can else only end
in defeat of the unorgaDiZed forces OF pro-
gress. We invite local option men, high
license men, restrictionists-all who be-
lieve that the liquor evil must be ended
all who by temperate lives are Il living
protest against eXcesses-all who are for
the church, the home and the school
against the saloon-to join with us in
combating It, We will meet all the ele-
ments of the temperance army in the
spirit of compromise without which no
great reform was ever yet accomplished.
We will walk with them to the END of
their road.
we consider II The duty of Prohibition
lists to enroll themselves in one the other
Of the great historic parties by which this
country is governed, and to work from
primary TO convention and from year to
year to bring both parties, so far as may
be, into line for reform. We deprecate
separate political action on the part of
Prohibtionists. IL divides the friends of
temperance most lamentably wherever
temperance sentiment is strongest aud
where victories might most reasonably be
hoped for. 1t separates the great mass Of
moderate temperance men. IL renders
union in the future more difficult. IL is
always and everywhere a help To the enc
mics of order, with whichever party they
may be allied.
We call upon temperance men TO preach
and practise moderation in the use, or
total abstinence from tea, coffee, tobacco,
opium and other drugs whose abuse is in
furious.
We ask the ballot for women, always
the upholders of purity, religion, temper
ance.
We counsel importance with the wrong
but patience in its undoing. We ask the
aid Of the press and the pulpit. We in
vite the keenest scrutiny of our acts and
the fairest judgment of our motives.
We pray for charity, union, wisdom,
Judgment, knowledge, power; and that
we may rightly use them and that with
them and by the blessing of God we may
be victorious i'm the great fight.
The News never before attempted to
construct a Prohibitionist platform, and
there may be many faults in this, yet
they must be mostly faults of detail, for
we are sure that if the Prohibitionists
are really sincere and logical it is about
the kind of platform which they will
adopt, of course with amended phrase
ology and in better considered form.
And if we've been of any assistance, why
we're very glad of it, that's all.
OF course with such a platform it
won't be necessary to nominate ticket