Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-20
TIME. TO DECLARE

~ ENATOR SPROUL, Republican
- candidate for governor, having
expressed the hope that the
Republican State Committee Will
declare for the national prohibition
amendment" and having added that
no matter whether 1t does or not.
his personal declarations In favor of
that measure will stand unchanged.
It Is time for those who will have
charge of the framing of the Re-
publican platform to seriously con-
slider the temperance plank, Sem
ator Sproul Is so distinctly dry"
candidate that Judge Bonniwell, the
wet Democratic Nominee, Is at
work on a plan by which he hopes
to organize a wet" party in Penn
sylvania in order to attract to his
standard all voters who do not favor
the prohibition amendment In
other words, Judge Bonniwell pro-
poses to make capital out of his
"booze" platform If he can, and the
Republican party should accept the
challenge and place itself on record
as being in full harmony with the
views of its gubernatorial nominee,
meeting Bonntwell more than half
way and beating him on his own
chosen ground, The party would be
all the stronger for that, and the
Democracy of Pennsylvania thereby
would be lined up where It belongs
i'm the "wet" column.
The desperate efforts of Bonni-
well to curry favor with the brew
cries and the bar room element
may be judged by the manner in
which he is dragging even the
national administration into his cam
paign arguments, President Will
son is vested with the power to de-
clare wartime prohibition at this
hour" Ronniwell is quoted as hav-
ing said in an address Saturday,
"if in his wise Judgment 1t is neces-
sary or advisable. He has not so
acted and he has protested against
any effort prematurely to do So"
Unfortunately this is all too true,
but it does not alter the fact that
the Democratic candidate is build
ing his whole campaign on the
"booze" issue and is even using the
administration to bolster UP his
cause. 1t becomes all the more i'm
portant. therefore, that the platform
Of the Republican party and the
platform of its leading candidate
should be in full harmony upon this
important subject.
The time is ripe . for such a
declaration. 1t can no longer be
said that prohibition is not popular.
When two Harrisburg lodges of
railroad brotherhood men, who be-
,lieve thoroughly in the patriotism
of Samuel Gompers and who SUD-
port most of his policies, take ac-
ton protesting against his anti-pro-
hib1tion utterances, it can not be
said that labor is opposed to aboI-
ishing the sale of liquor in the
United States. Nor is this temper-
ance sentiment merely local. From
all parts of the country where
booze" has been barred labor
leaders testify to the benefits that
have resulted. For. example:
Ernest P. Marsh, president
Washington Federation of Labor
| says-"Organi8ation among the
hitherto unorganized tas made
great strides. The prohibition law
has aided in this desired end"
John L. ponley. president Ari-
Zona State Federation OF Labor
ARIZONA workers are certainly
better morally and financially than
before prohibition was adopted"
Otto r. Hartwig. president Ore
gon state Federation of Labor-"I
have always opposed adoption of
prohibition because I felt 1t was
| an infringement on my personal
rights. But since ii has become a
law here the benefits derived have
been so great that I am a cham
pion of prohibition from now on"
Prohibition sentiment is growing
| by leaps and bounds the country
over. Judge Bonniwell is on the
wrong side of the fence. The re-
turns in November will be i'm
mensely in favor of Senator Sproul
and not the least of his appeal to
the voting public is his stand in
favor of the national amendment.
| His partys platform should he in