St. Paul daily globe., 1892-03-12
HIS POLITICAL GRE ED.
How He Stands on the Tariff, tae
Silver and Other Questions.


The first article in the creed that
Gov. Boies believes is that man must
be true to his convictions. 1t was
fidelity to his convictions that led him
to become Democrat. In speech be-
fore his fellow toWnsmen at Waterloo,
explaining why he was Il Democrat, he
said:
1t seems to me that but one more disgrace
full political offense is possible than delib-
crate attempt on the part OF any one TO mis-
lead others upon questions whose sole arDlt-
rament must be the will of the Leople eX-
pressed through the ballot box, and whose
settlement thus determined will affect for
veal or woe the vital interests OF great ma
ton, and that is the oifenSe or him who,
blindly following the load OF some political
party, refuses TO patiently consider and hon
estly deter nine for himself those questions
which his own vote must help TO decide, or.
having considered them, wllfully mlsrepre-.
sents his own convictions hy adherlng 10
party whose principles are no longer i'll ac-
cord with his own Judgment.
Perhaps the next article in his creed
is that which concerns the liquor ques-
ton. 1t comes next, because i'll Iowa 1t
involves the question of individual lib
erty, ana was the first point upon which
Gov. BOieS made war against the Re-
publican party. His position is that the
prohibition law should be repealed, and
that in its stead should be Subtituted
the law of local option and high license.
When he was inaugurated at DeS
MOineS in 1890 he said the following in
his address:
In my own judgment the chief obstacle
to The enforcement OF this law Is IN the fact
that in and of itself it is cruel violation of
one of the most valued of human rights. By
that act Iowa stands convicted OF first max
ing the business of the brewer and the wine
maker legal of watching without warning
the expansion of their business within her
borders until millions upon millions of the
capital of her citizens had been Invested
therein, and then coldly wiping it out with
out one effort TO compensate those who were
ruined thereby.
Later in the same speech he said:
The greatest of care should be exercised to
take the traffic out of the hands Of immoral
and irresponsible parties. Every safeguard
possible should be thrown around those who
are in this respect legitimate subjects of legal
control. A wilful sale to a minor or drunk
ard should be cause for reVoking q license.
Proprietors should be required to furnish in
some form adequate security for the payment
of all judgments, either criminal or civil, that
may be obtained against them for any act
done in the line OF their business.
drunkenness should be punished as
crime, and the habitual drunkard should be
taken i'll charge by the state, tried by COM
mission, and, if found guilty, sent TO an asy-
lum and kept there until cured. He has no
more right 10 be at large than lunatfc, for
he is such when Intoxicated: and when it is
made known to him that he is to be treated
by the law. as he should be- and not by a
vltiated public sentiment, as ne never ought
to be. there will be fewer homes wrecked by
diSSolute men than noW.'
These views are permeatlng Iowa
now, and the Shrewdest Judges of the
trend of popular feeling predict that
before long there will be revulSion of
sentiment in the Republican party, or
that sufficient Republicans will move
into the Democratic camp and bring
about high-GcenSe local-optiOn law.
Upon the SUBJECT of ballot reform the
governor has positive opinions. He ia
vOrS the Australian law or something
like it. Here is his position in his own
words:
TT is a humiliating fact and yet one that
it is criminal negligence to ignore, that some
men are corrupt enough to buy and others
base enough to sell the noblest birthright of
an American citizen. No duty is more plain
than that which demands of the legislative
department OF every government the enact
ment of the laws which shall to the utmost
limit of utility surround the ballot box with
safeguards that will Danish from all elections
the corrupt use or money and secure to the
state the unbiased judgment of each elector
This can, as l believe be most effeetually ac-
complished through the statutes which COM
pei the deposit of secret ballot. Such laws
put in beyond the power of others to criticise
the electors ballot who desire to keep it
secret and compel those disposed to use
money corruptly 10 rely upon the uncorrobo-
rated word of men base enough t. sell their
votes
AS to other questions Gov. Boies
agrees generally and fully with the
Democratic party. Especially is this
true as to tariff reform. That is prom
inent article in his creed. Those who
have read his speeches, notably those
delivered at the Madison Square dinner
of the Reform club in December 1890;
that at Denver on Tilden's birthday, at
the dinner of the Greystone club, and
that one week later, OH Feb. 16, at
Omaha, in honor of Gov. Boyd, will re-
call with what force he has expressed
his arguments for a reduction of the
tariff