Los Angeles herald., 1908-08-21
PROHIBITIONISTS
NEED MACHINE
CHAIRMAN TELLS CONVENTION
1T is COMPULSORY
One Hundred and Eighty Delegates
Meet at Temperance Temple and
Put a Full Ticket In
Nomination

Genuine, practical machine politics.
seemed to be one of the slogans of the
Prohibition party at the county conven-
ton held at Temperance temple yester-
day.
The convention was called to order
at 10 a. m. by j. H. Blanchard, chair
man of the county central committee.
Rev. Frank H. Stevens Of Santa Monica
and Alfred Siemon OF Los Angeles
were chosen temporary chairman and
secretary respectively.
A good representation of the party
was present, a large percentage being
young men. This, it Is claimed, is the
showing that generally has been made
in recent Prohibition conventions.
The chairman requested all who were
voting Prohibitionists to stand up.
Nearly all of the delegates rose in their
seats.
But when a proposition was put be-
fore them regarding their working at
the polls only about a dozen rose to
attest their efforts in that direction.
This suggested the topic for the
chairman, who said
what we need is organization. am
not here today as a member of the
church, although 1 am pastor. am
here as member of the political party
known as the Prohibitionist party.
don't believe the party can win It's
fight at the affairs of the churches.
'It must win at the ballot box.
1--WE can hold all-day prayer meet
ings as much as we please, but as long
ais the liquor men organize and get out
and work at the ballot boxes We'll
never win the fight.
There is no man in this house who
believes more than do in prayer, but
after the sun is up on election day
1t is no time for prayer. Then is the
time to be out and working at the
polls.
''The trouble is that most of us do
not know how to do politics We feel
that something should be done, but We
don't know what to do or how to do it.
| Our problem, then, is: Find out what
to do; find out how to do 1t; do it.
Ugly, but Necessary
1.-THE Prohibition party in Los An
geles county needs a machine. The
word machine doesn't sound good to
most of us. 1t sounds like something
awful. Many of us think 1t is some
thing awful. But you are going out to
fight one of the best and most con-
temptible machines there is. We must
meet every one of its precinct workers
in his own territory with a man who is
as able as he is, cleaner than he is
and who knows the political game as
well as he does, or is going to learn 1t
just as well.
when we get a good machine in this
county we'll not only get the votes, but
Wen hold them after we get them, and
that's the thing. If we had all the peo-
pie who ever voted the Prohibition
ticket in this county we'd make the
old parties sit up and take notice this
year.
1--WE haven't held our votes because
we haven't kept track of them. We
haven't known whose they were. The
country central committee should have
list of every person who votes the
| ticket or who is likely to vote 1t.
"I'm in favor of a committee made
up of one man from every precinct who
will know everything about every man
in his precinct who will vote with us
| or who is inclined toward our party.
| 'And let's stop railing at the churches
and get out and do politics"
The temporary organization was made
permanent. There were no contests in
the seating of the 1870 delegates regu-
| larly elected.
The names of three active Republic
| cans were dropped from the conven-
ton list Of delegates. The men were
Dell Sweitzer, James B. Aikey and F.
r. Moote.
| In the closing of the afternoon session
Rev. Mr.. Stevens was called away and
]. H. Blanchard took his place as chair
man.
A full ticket was nominated, as fol-
| lows
Seventh congressional district-M. w.
| Atward, Pasadena.
Thirty-ffth senatorial district-C. ].
Cook, Whittier.
Thirty-seventh senatorial district
| Ellis Yarnell, Los Angeles
| Sixty seventh assembly district-C. r.
Burton, Pasadena.
Sixty-eighth assembly district-Wil-
| liam Feeler, Whittier.
Sixty-ninth assembly district-Levi
| M. Davenport, Los Angeles.
Seventeen assembly district-James
Gillispie, Los Angeles.
Seventy first assembly district-L. r.
Roberts, Los Angeles.
Seventy-second assembly district-C
| r. Yeige, Los Angeles
Seventy-third assembly district-W.
o. Forsythe, Los Angeles.
Seventy-fourth assembly district-M
L. Wicks Los Angeles.
Seventy-fifth assembly district-C. A.,
J Siemon, Los Angeles.