Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1893-11-16
Will Keep the Faith.

The republican campaign in Iowa
was fought and won largely upon ma
tional issues, which predominated in
speeches and literature. The demo-
cratic campaign was lost while the
party workers magnified prohibition
and practically ignored national ques-
tions. Because of the latter truth, it
has been argued by some that the prin-
ciple of prohibition had triumphed.
THE REPUBLICAN would be glad if that
were true. But the forces which
fought the republican battle and the
platform upon which it was waged
were organized and passed on the oc-
casion of the republican State conven-
ton. That organization was neces-
sarily preliminary to the campaign, and
the forces which controlled that con-
yention are the ones which must be
consulted in studying the probable
course of republican legislation this
winter. The third party prohibition
lists, who opposed the republican party
in the presidential as well as the state
contest, and the democrats whose OPP
position we have always, have been
wholly eliminated from our consider
alton.
All factions of the republican party
were harmonious upon the national
features of the platform, but the two
strong elements waged a war to the
finish on the thirteenth plank. The re-
suit of that contest was agreement up
on plank that promised to maintain
prohibition in counties where it is or
can be made efficient, and to bring a
law of relief to the districts which have
openly and tlagrantly violated it every
day of its existence. The platform was
pliable and contemplated law rliable
to the varied existing conditions in all
parts of the state. The best practical
prohibitions of the state regarded it as
promising the greatest degree of pro.
hibition possible. True temperance
men who recognize the traffic rs a nee
essary evil, regarded it as means to
reducing the evil to minimum, while
those who by birth and education are
sincere believers in liquor as beverage
and are -prohibitionists, regarded
it as pledge that their ideas should
be duly considered in the event of sue
cess. The plank was made Of good
politics. 1t united all these elements
of the grand old republican party, and
all of these elements were beseeched in
view of these promises, to work and
strive for success. They all responded
nobly. To conclude, then, that prohi-
bition was vindicated, when all these
various elements were working in re-
spouse to promises gratifying to each,
respectively, is folly and can hardly be
regarded as serious.
The pledge was made by the conven-
ton, the factions united and responded,
and the pledge must now be fulfilled.
A law should be made as pliable as the
platform. 1t is duty which the sue
cessful legislative candidates owe to
their party. There were dissenters in
the convention as there must be in the
legislature, but there were conces
sions in the first body as there must
be logically in second The legislature
must fulfill the promises of the con-
vention.
There will be much discussion as to
the best methods of procedure and that
will be healthy, but each legislator
should remember his duty to redeem
the promise of his party, and by which
he will sacrifice none of his individual
right to continue his personal efforts III
whatever channel of moral reform he
may prefer. We have no doubt that
the legislature of January next will
maintain prohibition wherever pos
sible, and provide means of procur-
ing revenue where it is impossible to
prohibit.