Backbone. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. ;) 1897-1906, 1905-12-01

had enacted a prohibitory law and four
teen of these were still ON the statute
lied until 1862 when the dark days of
the war were upon us. This was the OPP
portunity of the trade The elections OF
that year were largely disastrous to the
Republican party and within one week
of election day the liquor men had formed
This sf faof Of he s of the result paope
in the stirring events of the war only
three of the fourteen prohibition states
close of the war. A great reaction also
took place in the attitude of both the
secular and religious press of the nation
The Political Teeter- Board.
How has the saloon thus won its
fight? By it's nonpartisanism. It knows
no politics save it's own defense and per-
throne God in order to carry on its hellish
trade. Giving the saloon the largest
number Of votes claimed a. for Or it, it can
rectly but those 5000, 600 practically con
troll the remaining 100000 votes. The
Republican party is at one end of the
cratic at sthe other while the saloon at
the center tips first this one up and then
that one, as may serve its purpose. And
I speak moderately when I say that the
people who hate the saloon and yet help
to carry out the, program of the liquor
men are chumps."
SaIoonsts Know No Politics.
support of Harrison (Rep.) for president
and Hill Dem.) for governor by the sa-
l LoHai; Of New York City and that this
10000 majority. He gave some telling
illustrations of the way in which the traf-
fic ,disregards political lines in order to
not get the good people of the Union on
the center of the. teeter-board? We
must. Shall it be by party or nonparti-
san methods? While 1 do not deny the
possibility of union of the best ele-
ments in a nonpartisan organization, I
yet believe 1 that partisan organiza-
much more effective. If we hate the sa-
loon as much as saloonists love it, we
can win: Ours is a government of politi
pendent voter cannot be depended upon.
We may get him worked up to the idea
OF doing something brave and Independent
but at the first crisis, he will come at
you with the declaration that he belongs
to this or that party and vote accordingly
The great. majority cannot be lined up
at the polls except on party lines. Then,
party"
The speaker then gave some telling IL
In 1889 Iowa enacted constitutional pro-
hibition. Cummins, now governor, bolted
and with $4,000 other Republicans elect
cd Boise Democrat. on a license plat
form Boise was reelected two years
later by the same. sort of a combination.
temperance Democrat who voted For
Hutchinson prohibition Republican. This
shows that men cannot be persuaded to
leave these parties and support their old
political foes in order to aid the cause of
prohibition. Men can more easily be
rallied to g. party based on the prohibit
ton idea. The Prohibition party has not
grown. so rapidly as we would like. but
its principles have permeated the body
polite: When corrupt and contended"
Pennsylvania rose this fall against graft
everybody looked to Homer L. Castle. the
little giant of the Prohibition party. to
lead them in the fight and he received
nearly 100000 votes on the straight Prohi-
bition party ticket.
Size of the Prohibition Issue.
Is the Prohibition question big enough
to build a party upon? We waste ST.
9OO,OOO,O00 directly and indirectly each
year through the saloon. We pay only
$3.50, 100000 for bread. We give one dol
lar for education and eleven dollars for
drink. One dollar to extend the gospel
and thirteen dollars for drink One dol
lar to save the world and one hundred and
seven dollars for drink. In dollars and
cents this question is four times as big
as the steel trust question and twenty
six times as great as the silver issue.
How big Is this question from a moral
standpoint? The annual fruit of the sa-