The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1910-10-28
MORAL QUESTION ISSUE BEFORE
THE PEOPLE.
Governor Brady Delivers Vigorous
Address To Big Crowd at Harrison.


mouse anu MS duuItSS was iNOlf
carefully prepared than any other he
has delivered. In discussing the tent
perance question, he said:
my friends. we are confronted
with a new issue in the politics of
this state, a moral issue involving the
happiness and welfare of our men.
women and children and the integ-
iity.- and efficiency of our political
system. l refer to the problem now
before us of solving the saloon and
the liquor traffic question. have
said that the liquor question is pri-
marily the moral issue. Everybody
knows it is an evil
Il appeal to all the loyal Republic
cans to tell me how long our party
could live If it got the reputation OF
standing for wrong and immortality?
How long could it endure as great
institution If everybody believed it
was operated to protect the saloon?
The strength of this party depends
upon there being full agreement
among the party leaders on questions
fundamentally moral where the party
should stand overwhe lmingly for the
maintenance of those principles OF
government, which favor honesty. in
dustry and sobriety among men and
against those influences which cor
rupt our youth, decrease the useful
ness of our men and inflict unhappi-
ness on our women. on no other
basis can parties be of service to good
government and on no other basis
can they continue to exist Primer
pies of morality should be the foun-
dation of parties and honest disagree
ments upon policy the issues upon
which they win or lose. 1t is better
for the usefulness and integrity OF
great political parties that their is
sues should be matters of policy
rather than matters of morals.
"All parties are supposed to stand
for morality. They were primarily
devised to deal with the settlement OF
honest differences of opinion as to
how desired social and moral stand
ings are to be achieved. not to BATTLE
the expressions of existing belief as
to right and wrong. But when the
forces of self-interest and immoral
ity try to force themselves INTO the
community of party or govern
ment it is essential that moral issues
shall become party issues.
To Safeguard Community.
There is no other way TO safe
guard the ideas for which the COM
munity stands. We cannot allow the
self-interest of minority to seize a
part of a government, we dare not
when that minority is a league in
favor of evil. the liquor interests
must not be allowed to usurp the ma
chinery of government for the pro-
lection of themselves. They must
not be allowed to make an illeglti-
mate use of party machinery.
"Since they have forced upon us
this struggle for the protection of our
party and our government, we must
accept the saloon question as a polt-
ical issue and fight it out before the
people.
Gives His Private Views.
"As a private citizen, with the right
to his own honest opinion, | believe
that the evils of the liquor traffic and
the power of the liquor interests can
not finally be put down without clos
ing every saloon in this state. This
is my personal judgment after study
ing the experiences of other states.
Yet if | had the power to coerce my
own party into such declaration
against the wishes of a majority of
its members, [ would not do so. If,
as governor of the state, l could
force the legislature to pass a state
wide prohibition act without being
certain that my party and majority
of the community were behind me, |
should refrain from doing so.
Must Have Support of People
at is no use to have a law upon
the statute books that cannot be en-
forced. 1t only breaks down the
force of the law. You can't pass a
law and enforce it with an indiffer-
ent majority behind it and an indif-
ferent minority against it. But when
there is a fierce lighting minority
bent on breaking the law you must
have the support of an earnest, Wig
orous majority whose enthusiastic
convictions will not permit it to fall
into lasstude or reaction. 1t is for
this reason that l do not believe that
q party leader or a chief executive
ff etc cho1ld r,1aHcya hiplcalf n
do what cannot be done without eff
fective support. A man can make
promises to catch votes and enter Of
flee.
"A man might even whip reluct-
ant legislature into passing a state
wide prohibition act, but if public
opinion were not strong enough to
close every saloon at once and keep
them closed he would set back the
fight against the evils of the liquor
traffic a whole half century-people
would grow discouraged and say the
evil was not eradicated.
81 prefer to stand on the Republi-
can platform and in every way
strengthen, and maintain our present
local option law and then submit this
entire question to the people of this
state and with their decision every
honest man should be satisfied. | dc
not believe that the liquor question
should be made partisan. but when il
is made so l believe that every man
should be honest and frank enough
to let the people know where he
stands on that question.
But whatever opinion any citizen
may have no one can object to sub
hitting the question of a constitu-
tional amendment to the people and
then it will be settled one way or the
other for years and this turmoil and
strife will end and we will proceed
to develop the resources of our state
and build a great commonwealth
without having to devote our time tC
one single issue. Let us settle thi.
matter by electing the entire Repub-
lican ticket. which has pledged itsel
to reform. Idaho Daily Statesman
EXTRACTS FROM SPEECHES OF