Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-12-10

this arrang ement. This latter AQ.'
vantage, however, does not extend:
back to the primaries, for as many
candidates may run in the primaries
as see at to file. The hope Of the
liquor people who supported the
measure win be that they may Mons
mate at the primaries two mon either
Of whom will be satisfactory to them.
The success Of the Prohibition Gle
ment will depend largely on their
ability to concentrate their energies
at the primary election upon q single
candidate for each office and deliver
their full force to him.
The important and practical ques-
ton that confronts the friends Of the
flag is that every organization shall
unite in applying an equal test to de-
termtne the acceptability Of candi.
dates. II man who stands simply
against brewery, ownership or control
of the saloon is satisfactory to some
Of the forces; il others while not sat-.
isfled with this low standard, are con-
tent with the candidate who stands
for county option, and II this turn, isS
unsatisfactory to other elements who
will demand that candidates stand for
the prohibition of the. manufacture,
importation and transportation as
well as the sale of alcoholic poison
for beverage purposes, then our de-
feat is sure. If, on the other hand, 1t
is possible for all organizations to
unite with hearty enthusiasm upon
given tests for candidates, we may
achieve victory for our cause, so far
as victory may be attained by state
law, in 1914. -. -. =. Fl.
In the past there have been two
methods urged by the "dry" element
county option and statewide pro-
hibition. All Of the elements believe
in statewide prohibition as the final
solution of the question in the state
Some believe that county option.
would be a step toward statewide
Prohibition; others believe it might
be; still others believe that, when put
to the test, it has not been such a
step. Some believe that if we secured.
it, it would be a citadel which our.
enemies would later use to- defeat
Prohibition. The only unity among
all of the organizations is that Prohi-
bition is the final legal solution.
Since we agree only on that object,
it would seem that is the only logical
effort upon. which we might unite.
The w. C. T. U. which formerly
stood. for county option now stands
by vigorous resolution for an 1mmed1-
ate campaign for Prohibition. They
are not likely to go back. Both
branches of the Good Templars for
merly stood for county option but
have since changed to demand for
immediate Prohibition. They would
not be likely to go back. Nearly all
of the churches in the recent past
| have stood for county option. Many
If not a majority have swung forward
to the demand for immediate Prohi-
bition. They are not likely to 60
back. The Finnish Temperance so.
ciety has always stood vigorously
against county option and for Prohi-
bition. They are not likely to change
that position. The Prohibition party
has stood unequivocally for county
option as against lesser units but 1t
has never stood for it enthusiastically
and has always made its test for
legislators their jealous support OF
state and national Prohibition. The
one way in which we might gel
together under the new law for the
most united effort in the history Of
the reform would be for those organ
izations that have not yet done so tC
take the step forward to the position
always occupied by some and now oc
cupied by a strong majority of all the
interesed organizations. This wouli
mean an early If not an immediate
realignment of the forces of the state
into two camps, one for and one
against the alcoholic liquor traffic
Stirred with the enthusiasm of sucl
an alignment, breathing the atmos
phere of such comradeship, f1llet
with the confidence begotten Of thu
righteousness Of our cause and thu
patriotism Of our purposes, heart
ened and emboldened by the strength
of numbers and the power of unity
victory is as certain as SUNRISE.