The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-10-24
For Prohibition.

Your issue Of Oct. 10th is before me-
1t was read with much interest, as every
number has been for many years. The
article, "Why l am Republican"
brought wildly to mind my childhood
days. l was the Oldest son of farmer
in Waldo County, and was allowed to be
with my father much of the time. He
was Free Soiler, or Abolitionist, and
joined the Republican party at it's birth,
believing, as he did, that human slavery
was a sin against God and crime
against men. And protesting to be
servant of God for the destruction of
sin, his motto was "Fear cot them who
having killed the body, have nothing
more that they can do There were
several men in town who had for many
years been leaders, holding Offices in
County and State, as we'll as town, some
of them in the same church and fnan-
cially well to do. who were strong sup
porters of the South, and l heard many
sharp discussions on the question of
State Sovereignty and the justice of the
bred Scott decision, and sometimes l
feared for my fathers safety; never
more so l think, than when he was at
work near the road one day and large,
stylishly dressed man, in nice carriage,
stopped and called to him. Soon they
were deep in argument, the big man
shaking his fists at father, who was of
medium size, and in his working clothes
looked to be slim antagonist. Finally
the big man drove away, shaking his
fists, calling back in loud voice, eff
you dare elect black Republican presi-
dent, you'll Il all have your threats cut and
I'll help cut 'em." l trembled with
fear, but father returned to his work
laughing.
Slavery, the Maine liquor law and
other questions growing out of these,
kept all lovers of country excited and at
work. We, the boys of the neighbor-
hood, marched nearly every night, cheer
ing for our favorites; all of whom were
temperance advocates as well as Repub-
licans. was not old enough to go to
war. but the week | was old enough to
pass | was admitted to temperance
society. In my beloved State Republi-
can vote then was Prohibition vote,
and while l lived in the State, all my
votes were given to that party. When
took up my residence in Massachusetts,
my confidence in my party was so great
that | thought Local Option regulation
adopted by the party was best perhaps
for this State, although l had believed
in, loved and followed, Wendall Philips,
Neal Dow and many others, with whom
must part company nationally. For
those great and wise men had foreseen
evil, which is sin, in the working of our
revenue laws. They saw the tentacles
of the Alcoholic Octopus enfolding the
Nation, and had organized the Prohibi-
ton party, which l fully believed i'll and
expected the great Republican party
would soon adopt their principles. There
were so many men in Congress elected
as Prohibitionists, or by the Republican
party, in whose integrity and ability
had perfect confidence, such result
deemed sure. But when in 1884 one Of
our greatest statesmen, who had been
kept in office by Prohibition votes, was
our candidate for President, and failed
to vote on the constitutional amendment
in my beloved State, when his vote
meant so much to the Nation as we'll as
to the State, although all my life had
hoped my native State would some time
have President, l refused to vote for
him. And l vowed from that time to the
end of my days, l would vote for no man
who was not pledged to the destruction
of the alcoholic liquor traffic for bever-
age purposes.
Then about 100000 barrels of
brewed liquors were made in our country.
Last year 63,OO0000 barrels, 100000
barrels more than ever in a year before,
and 10000 900 gallons of distilled spirits
more than in any year before, or total
of IT'S, 402, 1896 gallons. When l reduce
these quantities to pints and multiply
the result by the selling price, then add
what it costs to protect as far as it is
possible to do so from the results of it's
use, and remember that the same thing is
going on in many other counties, l no
longer wonder at the high cost of living,
but that we are able to live at all.
And now that we have the decision of
the Supreme Court, declaring alcoholic
liquors to be legitimate article of COM
merce, and our mails open for their use,
our temperance forces are greatly handi-
capped, as nearly every conceivable
method for controlling or regulating the
traffic has been tried while the two old
parties have had control and it has in
creased more than 700 per cent while the
populations increase is only about 300
per cent. And no other method ever
tried has produced as good results as
local prohibition, with the National
government opposed to it. General
prosperity must be the result if that
principle is adopted by the National