The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-07-29
THE FIRST ONE.
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Prohibitions Candidate First
"Ofllcially" Notified.


more Last Evening-Re Says "Under
Consumption is Cur Trouble"
Baltimore. July 2S-Hon. John Lever
ing, candidate of the Prohibition party
for President, was notified at the Ly-
ceum Theatre tonight. He accepted by
reading his formal letter Of acceptance
After felicieous opening, he continues !:
The platform adopted by the convon-
zion meets my hearty approval, and
though based on the single issue Is in
reality sufficiently broad to allow all to
stand upon III who are opposed so the
saloon and its consequent evils, regard
less OF their views of any of the other
public questions of the day.
1t Is true, and no thinking man, re-
gardless of his surroundings or residence,
can for moment doubt 1T, that very
many of the people Of ouI beloved land,
and especially those engaged in indus
uIial and farming pursuits, are suffering
from the general depression SO widely
prevalent at present, and also that
thnre has not been time since the me-
morable days just preceding the breaking
out of the civil war, when these difficult
ties weighed SO heavily upon the people,
or when there Was SO much unrest and
dire foreboding for the future as exists
today.
The products of the SOIL the mainstay
of the nations prosperity and wealth,
are SO low IN value in many instances
as not to pay the cost OF production,
leaving nothing for the labor of the toiler
sons hold the opinion that the cause of
all this trouble is over production. But
can such an explanation be trueP Is not
the thought an impious one? Can any
one who believes In q benefcent creator
believe that he bestows bountiful har-
vests rather than blessing of mankindp ?
No. no, Perish the thought The reason
of all the prevalent troubles in orr fair
land today Is not over production, but
UNDER CONSUMPTION.
That being so, where is there cause
which prevents the consumption of ne
cessaries, to say nothing of the Injuries
of life comparable to the liquor traffic.
We are told by the advocates of one of
the political parties that high tariff is
the panaceae of ell our ills, and yet the
average annual receipts from customs
for the three years ending June 80, 1894,
when the Mckinley tariff bill was opera
ting, we're only $171, 90, 600, less than So 30
per capita of our population. Others
tell us that the free and unlimited ooin-
age of silver will be the cure-all of the
evils affecting our people. 1t is strange
such an ioea should be entertained when
the fact ia recalled that the total output
of silver in country for the last year was
only $50. 600, 600, a sum much less than
the annual product of tho familiar barn
yard fowl. How utterly insignificant
are either of these figures compared to
one billion two hundred million dollars,
which is reliably estimated, is the direct
yearly tribute the people of this coun-
try pay to the support of the liquor
traffic. A stupendous sum and SO large
as to be difficult of realization.
1t is nearly twice as large as the aggre-
gated capital of all national banks, or to
state 1t more plainly, it is equal to
about 10 per cent of the entire money,
gold, silver and paper currency of the
United States. Let this vast sum of mon
ey which is now spent yearly in this
way, and for which no value is received,
but ON the contrary is only adding to
the suffering of the people in varied and
manifold forms, be turned into tho
channels of legitimate. trade, in the pur-
chase of those things which will bring
comfort and happiness to the home and
family, then, believe, the trouble which
are now Weighing SO heavily upon them
will be largely things Of the past, and
until 1t Is done no relief can be expected.
While thus emphasizing the results of
the liquor traffic as 1t exists today in our
midst, and
THE ABSOLUTE NECESSITY
of it's suppression for beverage purposes, if