The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-02-20
IN THE RIGHT FEW.

IN THE RIGHT PEW.
John G.. Wooley. once a candidate for the
presidential nomination on the Prohibition
ticket, has at last seen the faliscy in An honest
course and Is now a speaker for and declared
adherent of the Antisaloon League.
In the course Of an address delivered at De-
troit on Sunday evening he said:
Is.h.ve given mos, Of my nfs for the Prohi-
the liquor interests ever wased has been vased
by that party But we were never able TO get
the hard headed business men, intoz our party.
We could; win many Of the ministers most
of the Intelligent women, and many Of the
more sympathetic men, and We did win them
uat'i We had probably a quarter Of q million
We talked to the Democrat and tried to bring
him into our party. We told him that il he
was Christian he was bound to share our
views But YOU know no Democrat can be
Prohibitionist And We had the sarnc trouble
with the Republicans. No. man he a Re
Publican and Prohibitioni:t. too.
And then tho Arfti-safoon League came along
with the same idea As ours. This was good
news to the Republican and the Democrat; he
could be a Christian and stiii .be true to the
party he was born in. Then the, conservative
churches, which had stesred clear Of our party,
opened wide their doors to the Anti Saloon
League And ! rejoice with all my heart that
they have found way where We couldn't.
Mr. Nooley il right. The Anti-saioon League
has found the way which the Incorporate pro-
hibitionist wAs unable to ind No reproach can
reasonably be cast upon that staiw~rt body OF
devoted men and women who, in the days when
there was still at every branch, brandy
mandatory adjacent to every orchard. had
the bravery and the nerve to risk contumely
and ridicule for the sake Of principle
Through all the records OF the white-ribbon
campaigns. the total abstinence societies. the
frequently farcicai temperance lectures ran tho
FIRE Of conviction, the passionate. IT, misdi-
rected. hatred of vice. The zProhibitionists
were blinded. as any one Is apt to be blinded
who passionately sees ono thing, and only one
Their consolation at their failure should con
sist in the fact that they did not really fall
that they lighted q spark which, better tended.
is destined to become conhasration.
The error of the old prohibition propaganda
was, OF course, that 1t sought to revolutionizs
politics. Such feat can only be accomplished
a. the aftermath to a national spasm. And ma
tional spasms are not to be manufactured out
Of reason They are creatures OF passion. They
are the children Of fame. Notwithstanding the
fact that the liquor problem makes = great
issue which, soon or late. this country and sail
other countries must srapple with. liquor ID .
slow poison. 1t destroys In detail and not In
mass. Those who argue rightly 4 national de-
straction from an individual collapse deceive
themselves II they think that with the isolated
example they can convinee the :msss:
What the Anti-saloon League saw-and what
Mr.. Wooley now sees--is that prohibition has
no place in politics. II Is principle to ele-
vate tho parties that are, rather than to tear
down the, parties that Be. 1t works within
party lines. arrogating to itself nothing OF ON
impotence. no claim to political domination. A
1 result, where the Prohibition party vgot no
where beyond . more or less 6accid orGaniza-
tion. the Anti-saloon League has been winning
its victories In all sections. Parties are not
moro than ordinarily bad. The way to bettef
them ID. by becoming responsible and Interested
members Of their examinations. not by hghttng
them ~. the devils. they may or may not be:
Tho two great parties IN the UnitAt states
stand for the real cleavage OF sentiment that
hAs been making Tor more than hundred
years No, one issue could corrupt either Of
thesa parties Tho work. 40 Mr. woolsy has
so wiscly concluded. 10 TO be done within. and
not without their folds. %-~ .g--