The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1895-05-31

| Mr. N. n. Mock,
Editor of The Bel Air Times, Bel -tir, Nd:
KIND SIR have read with much interest
| in the edition of The Times of May 18th, your
| able address which you delivered before the
| Temperance Alliance, and quite agree with
you until you come to 1.-The Third Party Fal-
lacy" Here, | think, you have made some
errors and with your permission beg to show
| that. while the Temperance Alliance has my
good wishes, | think the Temperance Prohibi-
| ton Vehicle is going where | want to go, al
| though our team may not be so nicely groom
ed as that of our competitors. As Hon. John
| G. Wooley expresses it. 81 would rather ride
in the caboose of a freight train, than in an
upholstered palace express car, providing the
freight was going where wanted to 90 and
| the express was not"
Our party, realizing the fact as stated by
YOU. viz: sThat the liquor traffic cannot
have Il political organization of its own. and
that it, works through the two great political
parties" is one reason why we educate away
from the Democrat and Republican parties.
For their allowing this traf1ic's foul controll-
ing influence in their ranks, and beg to add:
We do not have much trouble in winning over
to our reform party, temperance men as soon
as they realize they have been voting with the
whisky element by voting the old party tickets.
While we have not carried a precinct in this
State, YOU cannot say we have not elected a
man, and the backwardness of our cause, |
attribute to the educational influence, thrown
out by party papers, containing articles SINH
lar to this which You have just published
against us ; and also with the help of promised
temperance legislation in your platform, first
sanctioned by the rum power. which catches
quite number of would:be temperance voters
who follow party instead of principle. 1t
seems strange to us Prohibition workers to
have a temperance worker denounce the sa-
loon and the saloon keeper and then to see the
RI With hn
for political party that protects the saloon
keepers business. If these voters could only
realize that the whisky element is not going
to vote against its own interest we could soon
carry the precincts. You will find this pref
ty good rule: If you want to rout the whisky
traffic. vote the opposite to that which they do.
Suppose We should return and vote with the
two old parties to balance the Influential
'sslum" vote ! Pray what good could be ac-
complished. and how could the successful
party accomplish practical temperance re-
forms For would not the traffc's influence
be there all the same? How can party serve
two masters What would the liquor interest
care if the laws governing their business were
made and controlled by the party which they
control? river cannot rise above its source
If these two old parties want our vote, simply
have them insert in their platforms plank,
on which temperance reform measures may
he built. This to our party, looks very, very
doubtful for. when in 1884, kindly remember,
how Miss Francis f. Willard, John P. st.
John and others strived for this and failed.
And why? Just because the party knew it
would lose its power, for the present, at least,
and instead knelt to the wishes of the rum
power, and by 50 doing tore from the plat
form the very plank on which we temperance
workers always stood. Fully realizing the
temperance sentiment in our county, az you
mention, which shows a total of over $500
votes are cast for local-optiOn. and of the non
partisan legislation you have procured
through the Alliance. kindly remember that
the masses realized that for which they were
voting but when 1t comes to principle ahead
of party, then the corrupt influence has full
sway. and when the parties kneel to this vote
to gain power, legislation procured in this
way is always carried out on the same level,
and our country suffers just the same. Or,
in other words. the nonpartisan sweeping
victory for loca-option is now being enforced
here by a nonpartisan power, which is far from
our Prohibition party's views. Again, in
closing. if the old parties really want and
mean to bring about this reform, let them put
in temperance plank on which we can stand.
And if they cannot and will not do this, then
let all pure and good citizens get in and keep
the party alive. A party where no rum power
vote is known so as to have a pure party
ready for. and where the women can work
when q cd answers your and my wish, and the
ballot is placed in our women's hand.
Most respectfully yours.
ii. J. HoLLINGSwoRTH.
Wbaal 80 1SQ5