The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-11-26
LIQUOR NOT A
PARTY ISSUE
DECLARES TEMPERANCE IS.
SUE SHOULD BE TAKEN
OUT OF POLITICS.
Anti-Saloon League in Official Organ
Denies Charge That League Has
Become Partisan Organization.

That the. temperance esue should
he taken ont Of politics is the argu,
rncnt advanced by the Indiana Anti
Saloon league in last weeks issue of
its official organ, the American Issue.
The question is discussed in a state
ment published by tine league, in
which denial is entered of certain
charges that the league has become
partisan organization. The charges
are denounced as false and without
basis.
The statement in the Issue reviews
the temperance question as it figured
in the recent campaign, and then
says:
eve do not desire to criticise the
leaders of either OF the great politi-
cal parties because this was made a
party question by them We believe
that we owe the existence OF our
county option law today to the fact
that one of these parties declared for
its adoption, even though it took
number OF votes from the other party
to insure its passage.
"The result OF the election con-
firms our previous judgment and po-
sition that it is wise to keep TINS
question out OF party politics. While
temperance people will unite to Sc
cure the passage of law demanded
by the good citizens OF the state, it is
mistake to- make the success OF the
movement dependent upon the out
come of many other issues, such as
in the recent election, inevitably be-
| came bound up with the temperance
issue itself.
ITO the charge that the league in
Indiana has become partisan we wish
| to say that, while we Endorsed the
candidate Of one party for governor,
yet, in two congressional districts
| (and one OF these officially, and also
in number of legislative districts,
the league Endorsed the candidates of
the opposite political party"
In another editorial the officers of
the league discuss the lessons deriv-
| ed from the national election as fol-
lows:
IF the recent election results prove
anything they pSove that the anti
saloon question is not a national
party issue The vote of the national
party which made the temperance
question the main issue was so small
as to have failed to be a factor of any
material importance. The numerous
great fights, however. which were
waged in a score OF states with the
temperance question as the leading
issue, in the efforts to elect anti-sa-
loon executives and legislators be-
long ng TO various political parties,
dem )nstnate once more in a most en-
phanic way that the temperance ques-
ton is a very great national moral
issue which is receiving the attention
VI wiz
continue to be a great nonpartisan
political question until it is settled
in the right way.
'The right method of solving the
saloon problem has at last been
found men who have come to study
the question carefully, and men who
have come to observe conditions as
they are, are united in the belief that
no Church denomination which takes
UP the temperance issue to use in
fight against other churches can hope
to win 1t has also been fully DEM
onstrated that no one political party
which takes UP the temperance ques-
ton as sole Issue upon which TO
fight the temperance and moral elc-
ments of all other parties can hope to
win"