The Washington herald., 1916-06-16
Rejected by All Parties.

The one issue that has made most noise in
Washington in the last two years is not men
toned in the platforms OF any OF the political
parties which have held national conventions in
the last two weeks. This is prohibition by
amending the Federal Constitution.
The Republican convention last week heard
the advocates OF this great issue and ignored
their arguments. The Progressive convention
discussed it on the floor for several hours and
then rejected it by vote OF to I. The Demo
cratic convention at St. Louis heard but did no,
heed the admonition Of those who want the
Constitution amended so as to make the people
sober; and last, but not least, the Prohibition
convention at indianapolis denounced the plan
as not aid to temperance. The delegates to
these conventions were elected by the people in
the various Congressional districts throughout
the country, and they represented the political
aspirations of the people.
This prohibition question has been discussed
throughout the country, and it has been insisted
here in Washington that the people, regardless
OF party demanded such legislation by Con-
sress; but there command sent by the
people to their party conventions for declara-
tton in favor of national prohibition. Where
there is such unanimity in rejecting great po-
itcal issue, there must be some cause. 1t
may be found in the presentation of the issue
The men who have presented this national pro-
hibition issue have insisted that it is nonpar-
tsan and that they are not partisan in their
politics. They have said to Republicans, Demo-
Gratis and Progressives: We are with you we
will help you to election if you will help us.
They have denied all political convictions save
this issue, and they have assumed that
other as devoid of convictions as
they professed to be. 1t was the old rule of
all things to all men, which in religion and
politics has stood for hypocrisy
1t is a tribute to American politics and
American politicians that this plan of promot-
ing one political issue has so signally failed.
A Democrat Republican who would sacri-
fce all the promises of his party to receive
the support of the prohibitionists would be a
very poor patriot and could not last Political
parties are made by political issues, and forty
years ago the prohibition issue made the Pro-
hibition party, just as the opposition to slavery
and protection to free labor made the Republi-
can party. The Prohibition party has had its
place in American politics since the DAYS of
Neal Dow, and it has been respected even
though it never even held the balance of power
in national election. That party will have
it's ticket in the field this year and will make
its campaign for prohibition by administration,
not by changing the Constitution.
The noise we have had in Washington over
this issue has been made by those who pro-
tessed to be above the strife of party 2c...tics
They have posed as nonpartisan advocates of
morality which rose above partsanship. They
have treated all politics as mess of pottage
to be divided up among those who cooked it.
In other words, this prohibition issue as pre-
sented TO Congress, on no higher plane
than that of the lobbyist who is ever the friend
OF every man whose vote he seeks. 1t is Just
as well that the issue has been presented to the
national conventions of the various political
parties where political issues are carefully