The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-03-18
Friday, March IS, 1892,
Miss willard Advises the Prohibi-
bition Party to Disband.


ST deyotedly hope that the name of our
party will then be either the Home Protec-
ton Party, the National Party, the Nation
Ell Reform Party or some designation which
without lowering our standard will increase
our hold on the immense number Of voters
who are with us in sentiment and alienated
by the prejudices that have grown up in
consequence of previous campaigs."
Miss Francis E: Willard writes thus after
her experience at the st. Louis Industrial
Conference.
What Miss Willard has at last come to
see and acknowledge is being impressed
most forcibly or the mind of all who are
not hopelessly blind, that prohibition as a
political party solitary and alone, is an ut
ter failure. Political incompetents at
tempted to manage it also, which has made
it doubly failure. If it were not for the
grotesque attempt to still keep up the SEM
blance of an independent and distinct
political party the prohibition element
with every grade of temperance could
be united in one formidable alliance
which would move in concert with the
numerous reform associations that are crys-
talizing in party whose work entrances
the destruction of the liquor traffic. But as
distinct political party, the leaders of the
prohibition party are fighting in unison
with the democrat and republican parties
against the Farmers associations and all
others who propose 10 form union against
common enemy. They have succeeded IN
completely demoralizing all temperance
organizations and bringing almost TO q
stand still the temperance and prohibition
movement. That nothing can be accom-
plished for prohibition by the political
party which has assumed that name after
dozen years effort is too painfully plain
to a majority of its former most hopeful
friends, and yet a set of narrow minded
impracticables are attempting TO go through
the pantomime of nominating presidential
and congressional ticket, while they feel
there will be but 4 few scattering votes
polled for such ticket, with no prospect oil
future increase.
The Voice in one of its attempts to test
the strength ofthe prospective vote suggest
ed that the members get a million voters
pledged, and after months of effort finds
tina. not twentieth part of the old voters Of
the party have made any effort. The fact
is they care convinced the organization
known as the prohibition political party is
a blank failure, has never succeeded in
electing candidate of any importance and
has not the faintest hope of ever electing any.
As at present constituted the prohibition
party is the best friend the saloon has in
politics to-day. 1t serves as buffer for the
old parties. They blackmail the liquor
associations by threatening them with the
prohibition party and raise Doodle funds
for their campaigns. They shift their re-
sponsibility for temperance legislation onto
that party, and make it a scape goat and
plea to the people for their shortcoming.
In short the prohibition party is an element
of discord in temperance work, and even
Miss Willard has at last discovered the
fact, and the same can be read between the
lines of every recent issue of the Voice. We
hope the members of the party will have
the good sense to take Miss Wizards ADVICE
10 disband when their proposed national
convention meets.