Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1893-04-25
SOME VIGOROUS TALK.
Plain Talk to Those Who Advo-
cate Fusion

The California Voice and the North East
Georgian Express Their Opinions In
Very Emphatic Sentences Concern
ing the Fainthcartcdness of
Some Probibitionists.
/ Editorial in California Voice. March 23 1909,
/ When we prohibitionists come to re-
alize that the only hope of the ascen-
tency of our principles must como
through our efforts, and ours alone, a
great point will be gained.
! The effort has been to shift
the burden of carrying out our cause to
q successful isiue to some other party
than our own. We have importuned
the Republican party and the Dem
! ocratic party to take up prohibition.
Some have wanted the church to take
up prohibition as political issue, and
have become estrangcd from that insti-
| tuition because it has not done it. And
others still have looked to the women
to carry our burden. Our last effort in
this direction has been to bring about
union with the Peoples party. but in
every instance we have failed. signally
failed. The women cannot do it, the
Republican and Democratic parties will
not do it, the church cannot and the
Peoples party spurns our offer.
Even the proposition to nationalize the
liquor traffic, made by the New York
Voice, meets with no greater success.
The Peoples party press is almost a unit
against it. That party is not Prohibi-
tion Larty. and only Il minority of its
/ :, ,In
prohibition would disrupt that party as
surely as the abandonment of that prin-
ciple would disrupt US.
There is one sure way of bringing our
principles toa successful issue, and that
is by getting all who believe in them
to stand together in Il party. formed to
make them success. Such "a party is
the Prohibition party There is no
necessity of = new party, or change
of name, but there is necessity of work,
good, honest, hard work and liberality.
There are enough prohibitionists in
the church and in the old political par
ties to make our party majority party,
and if we would spend the same amount
of time and ingenuity in pursuading
them to join us. that we have spent in
trying to shift our burden to the shoul-
ders of some other party, we would sue
ceed.
Editorials in North East Georgian, Demo-
rCst. Ga,
The prohibition press of this country
is most earnest in its unwavering sup
port of the Prohibition party as it is.
At the same time it is doubtless true
that every loyal editor of our news
papers would most enthusiastically
welcome all the converts who could be
induced to join our ranks.
The same feeling pervades the whole
membership of the party. But some
men have the idea that new converts
cannot be secured to unite with politi-
cal party which they have been fighting
in the past. This is actually an impu-
tation of dishonesty, possibly uninten-
tional, against every believer in pro-
hibition who is not in the party.
With such dou BITS and imputations we
have no sympathy. Our hope of party
success has always been grounded on
our faith in the integrity of the voters
who believe with us but do not yet vote
with us.
Let our fellow prohibitionists go
through short catechism with us:
Do you believe there are people
friendly to the principles of prohibition
who are not in the prohibition party?
Will not every man answer, Yes, thou
sands and millions?"
Do YOU believe these men want the
saloon evil destroyed? "Yes, as earn
cstly as we do.
Here, then, is the material already in
existence to form 4 strong and winning
party. Why do they not come with us?
Some prohibitionists express the opin-
Ion that it is because they have opposed
the Prohibition party and been embit-
tered against it, That may influence
some, but il does not influence honest
men.
One thing that has held back our
party from making the progress and
growth it might have made, has been
the fact that some of our leaders have
lacked faith in the possibilities of our
success, and have continually been pur-
suing some ignis fatuus of fusion.
We want to register our utter repudi-
alton of the doctrine that the Prohibit
tion party is temporary expedient,
and that the victory must come from
some new combination. Such new
combination may be made and may
win, but it viii not win for prohibi-
ton.
But our impatient friends ask "when
are we going to win by the Prohibition
party?" Well, now brethren, we don't
know and we don't care, SO long as we
keep our faith that God will put into
the hearts of American voters to destroy
the American dramshOp. and we never
will believe that God will do that
any quicker by our making combina-
tions with the devil.
Here is our platform:
The Prohibition party can win.
The Prohibition party will win If
those who are in it and believe in it
| will stick to it.
The Prohibition party will win soon
if prohibitionists will quit fooling with
fusion.
Brethren, keep in the middle of the
road.
A Whisky Raid