Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-19
DR.. Prugh Pledges Aid
Of the Prohibitionists


DR.. B. E. p. Prugh, Prohibition
state chairman. in a statement is
sued to-day renewed pledges of en-
thusiastic support to the prohibi-
ton amendment. The chairman is
very enthusiastic over the enactment
in Congress and is going to work for
Legislature to ratify it in Penn
sylvania.
DR.. Prugh says:
1T was my privilege to be in
Washington on Monday when the
House so overwhelmingly passed the
prohibition constitutional amend
ment resolution. The question has
already arisen in some parts, What
will the prohibition party do in the
premises?'
This seems strange question to
ask concerning party that for
nearly fifty years has been battling
for prohibition. While we are a 10.
Htical party we have been such only
because the supreme issue before
the country could not in our judg-
ment be met in any other way. Over
and over again sections of our party
have endorsed good temperance
men of the old license parties, fool
ishly as many of us believe, but
from the motive of cooperation for
the accomplishment of the thing
than party.
During the fight for the suomis-
sion of the amendment that has just
been submitted by Congress, I my
self was in Washington laboring for
it and l found there leaders from
all over the country, our national
chairman and state chairmen and
others of statewide and even ma
tion-wide fame. 1t goes without
saying that what we labored TO Sc
cure from Congress we will also
work to obtain in our various
states.
In anticipation, 1T would seem,
the state prohibition committee at
its annual meeting in Harrisburg on
May 81, 1917, took the following &C.
ton:
Resolved, That We, as a party,
cooperate with the Pennsylvania
Dry Federation for the purpose of
securing prohibition legislation; and
recommend the placing on our ticket
of the names of the candidates ad-
vocated by the federation, provided,
such candidates previously, public
ly, and unequivocally declare them
selves in favor of prohibition Of the
liquor traffic without compromise,
and pledge themselves to prohibition
legislation
This language is explicit. We
have not stood for anything less than
prohibition for many years; no step
has caught our eyes. The words
without compromise were meant to
exclude the endorsement of the good
temperance men that before election
were for anything against the liquor
traffic when that anything meant
high license or local option or any
other compromise. And we were
against any man that was not in the
open in his opposition to the liquor
traffic.
The adoption of this national
prohibition amendment will be the
enactment of supreme prohibition
legislation, and hence I doubt not
that all over our state the Prohibi-
tionists will be found aligning them
selves for the election of members
to the next Legislature that openly
and emphatically declare for the
ratification of this amendment by
our state. Pennsylvania is not half
so black as she is sometimes paint
ed. and 1 scarcely doubt that if a
determined and united effort shall
be urged, subordinating other lesser
policies to this supreme issue at The
coming election, that Pennsylvania
will elect a Legislature that will
satify the amendment"