Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1913-09-05
WET AND DRY ISSUE

For narrow bigotry one does not |
need to go back to the dark ages. He |
can find plenty of it right here In |
Idaho. In the selection of public of. |
ficials during the past four years this
quality has been brought TO the fore
over and-over again. Extreme prohi-
bitionists have arrogated to them.
selves the right to say who shall and
who shall not serve the people in a
public capacity and the only qualifica.
ton they have required of those
whom they chose to support has been
that they should be dry. General
intelligence, honesty and fitness have
been brushed aside IL any man under
consideration had not been vocifer.
GUS in his advocacy of prohibition
or county option. 1t mattered not
how good a citizen he had proved
himself. He might have been one
who contributed to every good work
in his community; he might have
been eminently just in all his dealings
with his fellowmen; he might have
been absolutely temperate in his
habits, but If he had doubts as to
his right to prescribe by law the exact
mode of life for his neighbor, he at
once became Q target for the zealots
and any blatant blatherskite could de-
feat him at the primaries. Knowing
this to be true no strong man, not
wholly in sympathy with the prohibi-
tionists would make any attempt to
hold public Office and the result has
been the election of such a legislature
as we had last winter which as a
whole was the weakest and most inef-
ficient ever sent to misrepresent the
people of Idaho. This is said in full
recollection of the fact that some OF
the strongest and best men in the
legislature were uncompromisine
temperance men as they had a per.
feet right to be, but they were not
fanatics. They recognized that they
had duty to perform for the peo.
pie of Idaho and did not seek TIC
introduce the wet and dry issue into
every transaction, and thereby de-
stroy their usefulness to the people.
On the whole, however, it must be
admitted that the extremists have
mad large voice in public affairs.
They have been numerous and have
not been slow to demand of political
parties the adoption of their views
with threat of political ruin to such
as refused to bend the knee, and it
must be said for them that In that
respect they have kept their word.
No man not in accord with them has
escaped political wreck in those coun-
Ties where they have had the power
Political success has increased their
arrogance and they are more and
more saying just who may run for
Office in Idaho.
A young attorney of Boise, who Is
acting as attorney for the Anti-Saloon
league, In recent newspaper inter
view among many things of similar
import, said:
Our leaders are wide awake to
the possibility for victory. They
know that thorough organization
and concerted action is all that
is essential for victory and they
are determined to perfect a
thorough county organization
In each and every county in Ida
no before the next primary cleo
tlon and to give their support
only to such men as are known
temperance men and have re-
CORDS OF having been consistent
temperance workers for years.
For man to say that he IL an
advocate of the temperance cause
will not suffice. He must have
been allied with us.
There you have it direct from head
quarters. 1t is not enough that a man
SOhpOldCc. ne can pc supported
Tor no office unless he has been "a
consistent worker for years., and
been allied with u.s." It would seem
then that prohibition being the only
issue with these people that they
should get into the prohibition party
and go squarely before the people on
their one idea and not seek to
dominate other perties.
The above article is from the Nam
pa Leader Herald, which is edited
by N. Jenness, register of the state
land board and one of the staunch
republicans of Idaho.