Backbone. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. ;) 1897-1906, 1905-05-01
MUST REPRESENT HIS PARTY.

State Chairman Mccartney Ohio,
writes the American Issue, National
Anti-Saloon League organ, to correct
its misunderstanding of his position
regarding Gov. Herrick whose renomi-
nation the League is trying defeat
because he insisted on the disembow-
cling of the Brannock local option
bill in order that it should receive
his signature. In correcting The Is
sue Mr.. Mccartney courteously but
plainly points out one difference be-
tween the Prohibition party and the
League. He says:
81 spoke of Governor Herrick's action
as a representative of the Republican
party, not as an individual. AS such |
think his action was consistent. You
dividual as free moral agent, so to
speak, occupying the office of Governor.
In your method of the solution of the
the individual, the good man, and ignore
the arr. In my method Of it's solution
base success Wholly upon the part party and
every man elected to office is free to
act as his conscience and intelligence
be narI for to his the
On the other hand, my opinion is that
under our representative party system of
government every man elected to office
is held by both moral and common law to
represent the policy of the party which
is responsible for. his election. To me
this is the only foundation upon which
an intelligent, suffrage can be based and
the only explanation of the origin and
existence ssstss OF parties; co, uon,,o,.,a
consistency in his action on the Bran
mock Law legislation therefore. resolves
into question of the policy of the Re
In none of it's State and. National plat
forms, in none Of its legislative acts, in
none Of the declarations Of it's leaders
with Your shibboieth, The saloon must
knowledge and declarations Of party lead
ers all unite their testimony to. the fact
that the Republican party's policy since
perpetuation of the liquor traffic for reve-
ssWould the liquor traffic have been
four large cities of Ohio or the number
of saloons materially decreased as. a re-
sui. of the passage Of the Brannock Law
intent and effect of the law Gov. Herrick
violated no pledges of the party faith
which he was elected , to represent by
upon which / based my statement that
Gov. Herrick's course was entirely con-
sistent' and that he could have gone a
great deal further and not been incon-
II may add that if the men who so
and betrayal of the peoples interest con-
tinue to support, in the future as they
have in the past, a political party whose
policy is to regulate and 1egaiize the
liquor traffic for revenue his course will
have proven itself not only. consistent
but also wise. You and other sincere
men who have heretofore supported the
Republican Party must answer that next
November at the ballot box.
IT offer this brief explanation in no
spirit of criticism upon you or your. or
ganization. I share with others the ben
eft of the work you have DONE and
stand ready to cooperate with you so
far as possible. I believe you have
sistent application of the good man theo-
ry to parties whose policy is wrong you
will ultimately drive the wedge of this
to split out the real enemies of the sa-
loon, who will then join together and
elect this issue and finally destroy the
liquor traffic.