Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1908-07-17
CANDIDATES GALORE
Seventeen PrOhibltiOniStS Aspire
to the Presidency
OLD PARTIES RAKED OVER
Temporary Chairman Says Noting
Can Be Expected of Them In Be-
half OF Prohibition--Suggestion
Anent Roosevelt Policies

tiOH hutiOHot SOuN eHllOu opened at III
o'clock this morning i'll Memorial hall.
Charles f. Jones of Chicago, chairman
of the natiopal committee. called the
convention to order, and Robert IL. Pat
ton OF illinois, as temporary chairman,
delivered the keynote speech.
There will be three sessions today.
and If the present plans carry the plat
FORM VIII be adopted at the third, leav-
ing only the nomination of the ticket
Tor the session tomorrow.
With seventeen names in the LIST of
candidates, the contest for the nor,ina-
tlon Tor president takes on an interest
Ing aspect Charles Scanlon of Pitts
burg and Joseph p. Tracey of Detroit
appear to have an advantage over the
field. Other states will push a favorite
son, among the leaders being Fred w.
Wheeler of California, who also has n
following among New England dele
gates, Daniel r. Sheen of Illinois and
Alfred L. Mannierre of New York.
Temporary Chairman Patton shot
the rum demon" full of holes. merci-
lessly jumped upon the old political
parties, criticised "a public press al
most universally against us" and de-
clared that Tin spite of the fixed habits
OF appetite, greed or lust, we have. by
the help Of God and the power of the
right, conquered over all, and are met
here with the shouts of victory upon
our lips. We are face to face with the
hour that gives assurance Of complete
triumph"
Mr.. Patton put the Democratic and
Republican parties on the grill He
said the plank in the Republican ma
tional platform "reaffirming our adher-
ence to every Republican doctrine pro-
claimed since the birth of the party"
was a direct reaffirmation of plank IN
the Republican platform of 1872. which
declared against interfering with the
rights Of the people.
Mr.. Patton denounced w. II. Taft's
friendliness and cooperation with the
"brewer-boss politician of Cincinnati
Boss Cox"
The speaker decried the alliance of
the Democratic party with the saloon
element
He advised the organization of the
party on practical political lines and
declared that the time had now come
when the movement must 90 forward
or backward-there is no middle
ground.
The following is the draft of the plat
form submitted to the resolutions COM
mittee today by Wilbur F. Crafts of
the International Reform bureau, Wash
ington, and which will probably be
adopted:
I'VE appeal to the sovereign people
against the Republican congress that
has year after year refused to with
draw the federal shield of interstate
commerce from speak easies, and
against the Republican party that at
its recent convention refused to promise
this reasonable reform and against
the Democratic party because it failed
to make any clear declaration at its ma
tional convention on any moral issue.
1--WE believe the selection Of a sue
cessor by president is q dangerous
precedent, and that at most he should
have intimated that he would oppose
the nomination of any man liable to
reverse the Roosevelt policies which
we heartily endorse. We believe that
these policies. which, in their attacks
on trusts, have not prevented the rails
ing of prices, should be supplemented
by such gradual tariff reform as will
m 10 10
We favor constitutional convention
10 amend the constitution so as to pro-
vide for the election OF senators by
the people; for federal control Of mar
riage. including divorce and polygamy:
for national prohibition of the importa-
ton. manufacture or sale of intoxicat-
ing beverages.
Meanwhile we propose. as the larg-
est measure of prohibition now posi-
BILE, to dam liquor traffic at every state
line by forbidding all interstate COM
merce in intoxicating liquors. We in
vite intelligent Christian voters in Re
publican and Democratic parties. never
so numerous as now, who have been
turned down hard by the refusal Of
recognize that nations do not die of |
free trade or free silver, but of free
love; not of currency or conquest. but |
Of cancer-to join us In electing by an
issue. namely, national prohibition by |
amendment and prohibi-
ton by congress in the District of Co |
Iumbia and territories and wherever
the national government has jurisdic-
ton, including interstate commerce.
and in electing officers in sympathy |
with such legislation to enforce II.
And we make this paragraph our only |
lest of party fealty.
I'VE favor conditionary suffrage not
IN sex, but on intelligence, with com
pulsory voting or public record of rea-
sons for not voting. We favor protec-
ion of labor by immigration restric-
lions fairly corresponding to protec- |
ion of capital by tariff. We desire TO /