The Wichita daily eagle., 1895-09-20
REPUBLICAN REsuBMIssIoN.

! being convinced that Prohlbltion
| would lead to the defeat of the Repub-
lican party. would prove the rock on
which we would finally go TO pieces.
started the Resubmission movement i'll
the state Every prominent Republi-
can paper. we believe. in the state,
if we remember correctly, opposed the
suggestion. Prominent officials wrote
Us deprecating letters. Our reply was
| that large element Of the party de-
| sired another vote. and that the party
in denying the right OF the minority to
| such petition would be defeated; that
the only hope of Prohibition was in
ReSubmiSsiOn, as in a postponement
sentiment against the law would in q
few years grow to be so formidable as
to force Resubmission, in which event
Prohibition would go to the wall. The
leaders declared our rejOinder as lack
ing in wisdom and forecast. and re-
rejoined by denominating the move
ment the Murdoch Rebellion. How
ever a state convention grew out of
Resubmission Republicans. The OBJ
ject of the convention was to lay be-
fore the governor a memorial, which
had been prepored. asking him to lay
the matter before the next legislature
through his message. Hon. Lucien
Baker, elected to the United States
senate last winter, and the writer,
headed the committee appointed to
wait upon the governor. who broke his
word to the committee and insulted the
convention. The Capital referred to
the members Of that convention as "a
lot of hellions."
The Eagle is not making or leading |
off in any Resubmission movement |
now. But what we thought We fore |
saw then, is coming to pass. Prohi- |
bition would probably have been reaf- |
firmed at that time, as We predicted, |
and the question in being settled would |
have saved the party. But no man
can tell now what the result of Re
submission would be, now that it is
in spite of any and all |
parties. The sentiment threatens to
defeat the party next year. With a
single exception, leading daily Repub-
lican papers of the state are either
openly for Resubmission or are criticiz-
ing and abusing a law which is all
letter and no spirit, a law which is
daily violated in every city, town and
village in the state. The hypocrisy
of it is more than any can stand up
under.
1t has all along been held that the
rural counties and the rural popula-
ton of the state, were Overwhelm-
ngly for Prohibition. This anchor is
failing the politicians. The farmer
has been least concerned. The law.
rs enforcement, or non-enfOrcement,
has touched him at no point, except
Individually as he might want a glass
If beer, or the like, on going to his mar
let town. But the farmer is at last
)eing touched and becoming interest
ID. Without regard to party he finds
hat there is a continual expense incur
ed in attempted enforcement, and the
Republican farmer is getting his eyes
)pen to the fact that his party is be-
ng injured and weakened. and often
defeated through the agitation and eff
OrtS to enforce 4 law which is after
Ill never enforced only in a spasmOdic
md Intellectual way. The result is that
here is being heard a protest from the =,
armerS in almost every county in
he state. We noted this fact, par
in looking over some of our
exchanges of yesterday. To some
loser to home, in neighborhood i'm
he western part of Sedgwick county
where lives twelve prosperous farm ,
rs, all ProhibitiOnistS. staunch and /,
rue. who were interviewed on Mon
lay of this week by a candidate for Of
ice, ten Of them declared that they
we're not only for resubmisSion but that
hey would vote against Prohibition
nd in favor of local option and high 4
cense If they could but have the op-
ortunity. These men are just as
trong temperance men as they ever
Tere, but they have become disgusted
yer the failure of the law. the hypoc-
isy it engenderS. the perjury, demor-
lization and the expense growing out l.
f its attempted enforcement. y
"