The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-04-14
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY.
An Old Letter and It's Lesson

An Old Letter and Its Lesson
Fishing down in the pocket of an old
cast off coat the other day, we drew
out political letter from an old and
valued friend, formerly citizen of
Cecil county. Many Of our readers in
this section will recognize the writer.
We give liberal extracts from the letter
and the editorial from the Homestead
By the Fight of other days the letter
makes interesting reading, and by in
exorable history of these years since,
the fallacy of the dogma and the proph-
ecies put forth are terribly exposed.
We quote from our friends letter
June 18th, 'S9.
l see by the JOURNAL of the 7th inst.
that you are not hopeful of victory for
the prohibitionsts of Pa. on the 18th
inst, the constitutional amend
ment.-ED and with a perverseness
which I fear is becoming chronic, you
are already charging its defeat to the
dominant party in that State. The
defeat was overwhelmingly proven to
have been the work Of the two old
parties combined, the saloons furnishing
the Doodle. A suit in the court brought
out the fact that every old party paper
of both parties had been bought by the
liquor associations | transcribe
for your especial benefit part Of an
editorial from the Iowa Homestead Of
even date with yours of the JOURNAL.
1t does not refer to the Prohibition
Party but to the western ''reform party
There is a world of wisdom and COM
mon sense backed by experience in it
THE HOMESTEAD EDITORIAL.
'.The history of al! third party reform
movements in Iowa has been that of
conspicuous failure, while the history
of reform movements within the parties
has been that of conspicuous success.
"The reason is not far to seek or
hard to find. The farmers make up a
majority of all political parties in Iowa.
There is large element IN the cities
that is in full sympathy with their
views, having in fact interests that are
identical. Why then should they form
an independent or third party and
evolve new party machinery; when all
they have to do is to take control of the
old? This they can do any time by
attending the primaries in the town
ships and thus control county and State
conventions and nominate whom they
please. The track is already laid and
the train at the station. All they have
to do is to put on the right kind of an
engineer and conductor. Politicians
and farmers no: yet emancipated from
the influence of the party fetch will
bitterly antagonize all third party
movements, but will meekly follow,
and in the end try to lead reform
movement within the party. Why
awaken unnecessary hostility and
enmity? Study human nature. No man
who has been brought up in political
party and believes in its cardinal prin-
ciples has right to abandon his her
itage and throw anay his political in
fuence, when by active efforts he and
those OF his class can control its policy.
Nothing pleases the corporation element
ia a party so much as to have the anti
monopoiist; forsake it and form third
party. The farmers are in a majority
in every State west Of the Mississippi.
Let them take their place at the head of
the table. They have adopted this pol.
icy for two years in Iowa and these two
years have accomplished more than in
the ten preceding. 1t is no time to
abandon it now. If the farmers in
other States follow the example of the
farmers of Iowa they will in a few years
have little cause of complaint
Now my friend, substitute prohibit
tionists for farmers, and saloGnists for
monopolists, and you have the whole
thing in nutshell. The temperance
Democrats are not going to leave their
party nor the temperance Republicans
theirs If they are honest they have
no right to do so. If there is not
enough of them in either party to con-
troll it there is not enough of them, il
united, to accomplish anything. They
will have to keep on preaching and
teaching, but more than all will they
haVe to learn to put leaders in COM
mand who have enough of McClellen-
ism in their make up to not attack
before the artillery is ready.
With the illumined finger of history
of the years which have interviewed
since 'S9, we look in vain for the "world
of wisdom and common sense" cur
friend thought he could discern in the
morphine charged editorial of tn e
Homestead. Previous to the time the
Homestead published this sophistry the
prohibitionists, not as distinct party,
had forced the saloon out of Iowa, and
the republicanparty..d declared they would
keep it out. And now that party, led
on by Clarkson and his State Register,
is leaving no stone unturned to secure
the saloon vote.
The Homestead is one of those old
i