The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-08-14
PROHIBITION.
TT is BEING fORN no PIECES
BY THE GREAT QUESTIONS
OF THE DAY.


The Prohibition party is in a bad
way. 1t cast 279.16l votes in the
United States in 1892, out of IL, ISL, AT.
This is not encouraging; and so some
of the leaders have cast about them
to see II they could not unite their
forces with the Populists. But here
the party stumbled over the same diff
tculty which encounters the Demo-
Gratis and Republicans:-its hind legs
were in the East and bird-limed with
Plutocracy; and the result is the party
is torn into factions. Samuel Dickie,
chairman of the Prohibition National
committee, and one of their most con-
spicuous leaders, has just written a
letter in which he says:
Editor New Era-In a recent issue
of your paper am charged with the
heinous offense of being gold bug"
Not knowing what ''gold-bug" is. I
must decline to plead to the charge.
Ii to dissent from the this-is-a-d ollar
nonsense is to be "gold-bug," then l
am OF all men most guilty. If to en-
terrain doubt, developing on investi-
cation into firm conviction, that the
United States can not safely open her
minis to the free coinage of the
worlds silver at the ratio of Is to
makes a man a ''gold-bug," then l
accept the appellation. ~
An examination Of the issue in all
its bearings has led me, almost against
my will, to the conclusion that at the
ratio proposed. and without interna-
tiOnal agreement, the free coinage Of
silver by the United States would be a
calamity OF no mean magnitude. In
this position | find myself in harmony
with the best thought of the Prohibit
a free coinage plank at Cincinnati by
the decisive vote OF 1856 for, to 500
o.. The charge that the law of 1873
was 'crime" and the outcome Of a
conspiracy" has never been proved,
there is no direct testimony; the cir
cumstantial evidence is utterly made
Quate, and the absence Of motive is
important.
(2). The effort on the part of the silver
men to pose as the especial friends OF
the workingman, and to hold up their
opponents in the guise of "aristo TO-
crats,' ''bondholders," ''robbers, :"
gold. barons," "shylocks," ETC., is a
most disgusting exhibition Of the
demagogu's art.
1t is easy to see that Chairman
Dickie cannot cooperate with the
Peoples Party; and, as will be seen, he
claims, and truly, to represent the
large majority of the Prohibitionists
of the United States.
We find in the New York Voice some
additional expressions of opinion sus-
tanning Chairman Dickie:
Editor of the Voice-In regard to
the proposed union with other parties
/, tor one, am not in favor Of it, for,
whatever the Prohibition party is thus
far, in numbers and otherwise, it has
become such on Prohibition straight,
with a prospect of a steady. sure ad-
vance, backed by the same good prin-
cipleS that has brought it thus far.
The chief end Of the Prohibition party
is not to break up other; parties, but
to offer something better, then those
who come to US will come to stay, and
not come for the sake of a temporary
victory. Almost any kind Of an officer
may lead troops into a battle, but it
requires skillful one to conduct
them through, aud bring them out
safe and in good order.
EDWIN G.. SUTTON.
WILMINGTON. Del.
We will never get prohibition of an
effective kind by voting with Social
lists, Single Takers, and others who
tolerate us only in order to get our
votes for their pet issues.-Iowa Com
monwealth (Pro.)
On the other hand that very able
man and leading Prohibitionist Hon.
T. G. Richmond, of Madison, Wis, is
disguised because the Staten Island
conference did not go far enough. He
says, in recent letter to "TheVoice
have watched with much interest
the proceedings of the recent National
Conference of Reformers at Prohibi-
tion Park, and at the risk of differing
somewhat from The Voice, | am led
to say that, so far as union of re-
formers is concerned, can but think
that another splendid opportunity has
been allowed to pass unimprOved. Par
don me for saying that as the great
mass of thoughtful voters view our
action they must, as it seems to me,
think our capacity for laundering i'm
mense, our dimness of vision and lack
OF courage in the presence Of great op-
portunites amazing. Allow me to Of
fer few criticisms:
First. The ''equal suffrage" plank,
in the form in which it was adopted.
will arouse an opposition and create a
feeling, in many portions of the coun-
try, but especially in the South, that
will make it absolutely mpossible to
unite at the ballot box those who
would gladly support most, if not all,
There is a way of getting the ballot
we all respect and honor, without, at
the same time, making elections a
farce, and government of the people
government by the vicious, criminal
and ignorant classes. l grant you
there are tens Of thousands of men
permitted to vote who are utterly I'M
qualified to discharge that important
duty; but it certainly will not better
present conditions in that respect to
double that voting power which we all
fear, and which is constant menace
to free institutions-th power of the
vicious and ignorant classes.
Imagine the coIored women of the
South and the fallen women of our
large cities making, or attempting to
make, laws for this republic. A good
way to delay the granting Of the vot-
ing power to the best women of the
land is to insist that, at the same
time, the same power shall be granted
to all women, however ignorant or de-
80 IL.