The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1894-12-07
Losing Ground.

AS the official figures ofthe last election
are made public they show falling away
OF the prohibition party vote, and are
indicative of the steady decadence of the
party and the indifference of the public
to the party's existence. 1t, as distinct
political party, seems to have lost almost
all interest with the general public. The
prohibition cause has by no means shared
in this decline, but on the contrary is
everywhere gaining in strength. With
practical, sensible people this is unmis-
taxable evidence that the methods and
aim of the organization known as the
prohibition party are generally admitted
as hopeless, having run their course. AS
long as the few officers at the head of the
organization can persuade those of the
membership of the party with more zeal
than judgment to contribute to their
maintenance, they will endeavor to keep
the organization alive at the evident cost
to the cause and advantage to the saloon.
Under the generalship of the prohibit
ton party Iowa has been given up to the
saloon. Maine almost, and the saloon is
preparing to make combined assault
upon Kansas to have the prohibitory
Article in the State Constitution repealed.
All of these gains to the cause of pro-
hibition were made before the prohibition
party had acquired a commanding in
fluence in the country. Wherever prohi-
bition has achieved success it has been
independent of the party, and by vol
untary vote of the prohibition sentiment
among the people. More than half the
State of Georgia is under prohibition laws
by county legislation and local action,
and many States by local option legisla-
ton have made progress i'll driving out
the saloon, but nowhere has the prohibit
ton party achieved any success whatever.
While the voluntary prohibition vote has
achieved much, the party has never been
able to draw more than handful from
the ranks of other parties to its own, and
the last election shows too plainly that
the party is narrowed down to a few i'm
practicals who are unable to exert any
impression on the public.
South Carolina has been the pioneer in
new movement against the saloon which
overthrows the business at single stroke
i'll its worst and most dangerous, as we'll
as its greatest source of political power,
by placing the sale of liquor in the hands
Of the State, known as the "dispensary"
system. Georgia is preparing to intro
duce the dispensary or State method, and
the prospect is that other States will soon
follow. Massachusetts, has commenced a
movement on similar line. Strange as
it may appear the saloon and prohibition
party are in sympathy with each other in
opposition to the dispensary, working in
opposite directions toward the same
object, the perpetuatiou of the saloon.
The first step i'll the reform is to abolish
private profit by taking it out of private
hands. This brushes the political power
of the saloon by abolishing the saloon.
The next step will be the withdrawal of
government protection of making the
raising revenue by the government. At
present $3.50 900, 900 of revenue is paid
into the treasury by the liquor monopoly.
1t is one of the monopolies which is in
control of government. The banking
monopoly, the railroad monopoly, the
telegraph monopoly, the sugar trust mo-
nopoly, Standard Oil monopoly and the
liquor monopoly, are the six tyrants
which govern the United States, with
innumerable smaller concerns, all CO.
operating with each other. 1t is mis-
taken idea generally held among the
people that Congress and the President
are the law-making and executive power
which represents the government. They
are only the obedieut servants of monop-
oily. To this great political force the
prohibition party bears about the same
relation as star dust i'll the armament to
the planets.