Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1906-06-14
READY FOR DELIVERY AT STATE
CONVENTION.
WILL PICK CANDIDATES
Men viii Sc Recommended for Nom.
tnation for State offices-Rousns
Meeting With Homer J. Caste OF
Plttsburg as the Chief Speaker
Party in Good Standing.
Madison, June Is.

Madison, June Is.
The prohibition state convention
opens at Las this afternoon in the as,
sembly chamber Rev. T. l.. Eaton
of this city has been chosen hy the
state committee as temporary chair
man and will deliver the usual omen.
ing address. AN who know MIR
Eaton says an enthusiast win ex.
pect a ringing address that will open
a vigorous campaign for the party in
Wisconsin. His record as a Metho
dist pastor has been one of unusual
aggressivenesS against licensing the
sale of liquors, but his well balanced
mind and sunny disposition has ever
kept him within wise and safe limits
Believing that the pulpits are far too
weak in their opposition to this great
evil, he has given up his ministerial
work and accepted the superintend
ency of the National Prohibition Min,
isterial alliance in the hope of secur
ing concerted action from all minis.
ters and a union of strength for the
one issue of saloon distinction"
The convention will select men for
the state offices simply with a view to
recommending them to the prohibition
voters of the state The same pol.
icy will be followed, they say, in rec.
ommending county officers. Sc also,
the convention will recommend a plat
form for the state candidates later to
adopt if they think best,
State Chairman ]. e. Clayton of Mil.
yankee resigned his Office in January
to take effect at this time. A new
chairman will be elected to take his
place,
Charles r. Jones of Chicago. the
national chairman, is expected to
speak to the women's council this
forenoon and to be present at the
castle meeting tonight.
Party in Good Standing.
AT no time in the history of the
prohibition party" says J. b. Smith,
have they had as much to show in
the way of the actual election of men
to Office as at the present time. In
1902 they elected one member of the
legislature in Illinois. In 1904 they
elected four Alonzo e. Wilson, who
will speak several times before the
Wisconsin convention, is one of the
four. He was corruptly counted out
but made a gallant fight in the courts
and won out on a recount. He is
Wisconsin man by birth and educa.
ton, and an earnest and eloquent
speaker.
''Mr. Wilson viii make the presen
tation speech TO the old veterans who
in 1SS4-twenty-s years ago-cast
their votes for John p. st. John Of
Kansas for president and William Dan.
lei for vice president That was the
year when the party cast its first
large vote-over 15O,000-and admit
tedly defeated James G. Blaine for
president, his popular vote being only
$4,000 less than Cleveland'e.
Perhaps never since the civil war
has partisan feeling ran higher than
1t did that year. and never were
party pronibitionists abused more Sc.
verely than then. Those were days
when it cost men far more to stand
for their prohibition principles than it
does today, when the sentiment
against the licensed saloon has so
greatly increased as to cause little sur.
prise for any man to declare himself
as a prohibitionist.
Devoted to Principle.
Perhaps no organization was ever
more consistent and answering In its
devotion 10 one great principle than
the prohibition party has been. Il.
has never consented to fuse with 9th.
er parties for temporary gain or to-
support any halfway measure Ike
high license or government control
Many Of its great early leaders have
passed away, such as John B. Finch
General Clinton p. Fisk and Frances
r. willard, but its organization, with
thousands Of younger men in the lead.
holds steadily on in the great battle
against the legalized liquor traffic, It's
one motto being The saloon must 20
In its early years It indulgeu in a
broad gauge platform, but after he
Pittsburg convention the party leaders
swung to the single plank platform
where # remained until the last pres
idential campaign. when the broad
gauge idea became dominant TIE.
state leaders predict such platform
this year in Wisconsin.
For several years there has beel
an effort to concentrate efforts In D
single or a few districts with TIE
hope Of electing one or more legiy
lators. Wisconsin has not indulgad
much IN this, but w. G. Calderwood q
II