Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1910-10-29
MORAL QUESTION ISSUE BEFORE
THE PEOPLE.
Governor Brady Delivers Vigorous
Address TO Big Crowd at Harrison
Especial Dispatch.)


north here tonight to crowded
house and his address was more
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 pVli.ics %
this state. a moral issue involving the
happiness and welfare Of our mei'
women and children and the integ-
litv and efficiency of our pollucal
system | refer TO the problem now
before us of solving the saloon anu
the liquor traffic question. nave
said that the liquor question IS prl-
marilv the moral issue. Everybody
knows il is an evil.
IT appeal to all the loyal Republi-
cans to tell me how long our party
could live if it got the reputation Oh
standing for wrong and immortality
How long could it endure as a great
institution If everybody believed II
was operated TO protect the saloon
THE strength of this party depends
upon there being fun agreement
among the party leaders on questions
fundamentally moral where the party
should stand OVerWhe lmngly for the
maintenance Of those principles of
government, which favor honesty, in
dustrv and sobriety among men and
against those influences when 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 thov continue 20 exist. Princl-
plcs 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.
IAN 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 palle
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 a party or govern
ment it is essential that moral issues
shah 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
sclf-interest of a 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
chnery of government for the pro
lection of themselves. They must
not be allowed to make an illcsiu-
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 polit-
zeal issue and fight it out before the
people.
Gives His Private Views.
"As private citizen, with the right
to his own honest opinion, l believe
that the evils Of the liquor traffic and
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 1 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.
1T is no use to have law upor
the statute books that cannot be en-
force of the law. You can't pass
law and enforce it with an indiffer
ent majority behind it and an indif
ferent minority against it, But wher
there is fierce lighting minorit.
bent on breaking the law you mus
have the support of an earnest, Wig
orOus majority whose enthusiast,
convictions will not permit it to fal
into lassitude or reaction. 1t is fo
this reason that | do not believe tina
a party leader or a chief executive
Of a state should pledge himself I,
do what cannot be done without eff
fective support. A man can MAKE
promises to catch votes and enter Of
fee.
"A man might even whip a reluct
ant legislature into passing a state
wide prohibition act, but if public
opinion were not strong enough L
close every saloon at once and keel
them closed he would set back tn
fight against the evils of the liquo
traffic a whole half century-peopl
would grow discouraged and say tn
evil was not eradicated.
Il prefer to stand on the Republi
can platform and in every wa.
strengthen, and maintain our presen
local option law and then submit thi
entire question to the people of thi
state and with their decision ever.
honest man SnoulO Dt SdllSleu. az
not believe that the liquor question
should be made partisan. but when /
is made so I believe that every MAJ
should be honest and frank enough
to let the people know where III
stands on that question.
But whatever opinion any either
may have no one can object to sub
hitting the question of constitu
tional amendment to the people an,
then it viii be settled one way or tn
other for years and this turmoil an,
strife will end and we will procee,
to develop the resources of our stat
and build a great commonwealth
without having to devote our time L
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
GOVERNOR JAMES IL. BRAD,
IN THE PRESENT CAMPAIGN.
I mil