The midland journal., 1896-07-03

That the prohibition party as a distinct
political party has fought a losing game
or battle, we believe every candid mind
will admit, with the evidence of more
than twenty years of supreme effort to
base an opinion upon. The object of the
party is right and justifes every wisely
directed effort, but its methods have
proved radically wrong. Ont of vote of
fourteen million, it has only been able to
make a national poll of about one-fourth
of one million with no prospect of further
gain.
The policy of running ticket for the
election of national President and con-
gress has, by the light of experience, be-
come so visionary, that every hope of
success on that line is extinguished in the
most enthusiastic minds. The party has
fallen a victim to influences which en-
danger every old political organization.
After an Intellectual struggle through a
series of years the money power, in its
battle against every reform movement,
seized upon the prohibition party and
shivered it to pieces. The Voice, the head
of the party, fought bravely for the rights
of silver and against the usurpation of the
gold power for years. and the party went
OH record as the champion of silver till
this year, when it tsuccumbed to the power
of the money trust.
In the work of getting out the Standard
Dictionary the publishing firm of Funk &
Wagnalls, which owns the Voice, were
compelled to apply to the New York
banks for large sum of money in order
to complete that great enterprise They
soon found that the enemy of mankind
and which is logically the friend of the
saloon-had its relentless hand upon the
firm and hence upon the Voice, the lead
ing organ of the prohibition party. To
advocate the cause of silver meant death,
not only that, but the paper must become
the firm friend of the "gold standard"
Its able editor, who was devotee of
truth and justice and of course friend to
the reconciliation of silver, without re-
gard to the wishes of the gold trust of
England, could not be tolerated by this
enemy of mankind which had laid its
relentless hand on the paper, was ousted
and his place filled by more plant tool
of the gold power.
This accounts for the one plank and
goldbug nominee, Mr.. Levering, of what
is left of the glammering prohibition
party. After this falls campaign it will
cease to exist as distinct political party.
In its mistaken policy the party has
by keeping the enemies of the saloon
from concentrating and mobalizing their
forces. The principal work of the party
has been to divide, demoralize and dissi-
pate the prohibition vote.
When this cartoon of party, with big
head and little body is laid in its little
grave next fall and the three gilt balls
mark its resting place, the prohibition
sentiment of the country will have
chance to ge together and make its
power felt at the polls.
At local option elections where the
distracting influence of the prohibition
party was prevented from obtruding,
prohibition has in most cases, been sue
cessful. When this friend of the saloon
in the angelic robes of temperance is ban
ished from the country, the cause will
make its power felt everywhere at the
polls.
The most that prohibition can do at the
polls is to follow the liquor element into
the controlling parties and fight it there.
This it is possible to do, and this the pro-
hibition party has prevented it from
doing, and thereby acted as a safeguard
to the liquor party, which is left free to
work its will on all political parties, to
dictate the nomination of candidates and
assert its power for or against parties.