The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1902-07-04
w. C.T.U.COLUMN.
CONDUCTED BY MRS. NJ. L. HOBBS.
SOME EARLY HISTORY.
N. E. ShieI Tells How the Prohibition
Party Came to be Organized In
Indiana.

Ex.Gov. Hendricks, who had thel
reputation Of making platformI
like a sock to fit any foot, with his
usual political smoothness offered al
compromise for submission at gen.
eral election, and moved its adop-
ton and previous question to cut on
debate, and it carried. This action
did not please either the temperance
people nor the anti's, but showed
that they feared the temperance ele-
ment. As between special and
general election the Antis favored
general election and we favored spe-
cial election.
f DIR. Gerrish, John East. Col. Dob
bins and other Democrats stumped
the state for the prohibitions.
Jno. Overmeyer, OF North Vernon.
was made chairman of the republi-
can state committee. He was hon.
est, and anxious to push the work
as he was capable Of doing, but his
hands were tied; campaign funds
were kept from him, and he had to
almost fight to get little literature.
Candidates on both tickets assur-
ed the liquor sellers that they had
to endorse submission, but would
stump the state in opposition to
prohibition in the campaign, and
it required good deal of crow-eat-
ing for temperance people to vote
for them.
The indianapolis Journal, and
Times, and Sentinel were simply
whisky papers. The Times turned
up its unfair toes and the other two
are still whisky chattels. The
News was friendly to US and gave
us every opportunity.
The Republican bosses took very
little interest in the campaign, and
appeared to do everything they
they could to discourage Mr.. Over
myer and put almost the whole
weight of the campaign on the
ID psalm singers.
After the election it was discov-
cred that all but A 900 Democrats in
the state had voted, and 25,OOC
republicans did not vote. The
democrats carried the state by TO-
600 plurality and elected a Demo
cratic legislature. The Republican
bosses gathered up all the profanity
they had in stock, and manufactur
ed all they could, and gave the
ID psalm singers" the full
benefit of it.
But we we're not defeated yet
We again petitioned the legislature
tits time with over $4,000 sigma
lures Of voters. MIR. Huston wa'
now in the state senate. Our pc
titions were presented, and sub
mission carried in the lower house
30 easily that il was great str
prise to us; but the greatest sur
prise and disappointment was ye
in store for US. When our bill wa
called up in the senate, it was dis
covered that it had not been entered
on the minutes OF the lower house il
81, and on this technicality it wa
knocked out, and the explanation
for dispensing with the minute
shown up, and the liquor men wer
assured of the farm friendship OF tn
&. o. p.
We had worked hard, spent sew
eral thousand dollars, and lost by
trick, but we're as full Of fight a
ever. AT the regular annual meet
ings Of the different state organiza
tlons, they firmly declared that
neither Of the parties nominate
prohibitionists, and endorsed prohi
bition, we would resort to separat
political action.
Time rolled on. j. A. House
was elected president Of the Stat
c. II. IT,, and +. b. Reynolds pre-
ident Of Grand Temperance Coul
Gil. At the spring meetings
1884 these organizations reiterate
the former resolutions with mo
vim than ever. Both parties ga'
us to understand that we need :.
pect no favors from them. III
republicans nominated whisky
for governor, and in this coun
I nominated wholesale whisky DEF
{ er for sheriff and the democrs
| put their usual no sumptuary shi
gle in their platform.
> TO be continued.