The Pulaskian., 1919-01-24
POLITICAL ISSUE
 FOR FIFTY YEARS
PROHIBITION PARTY PERSISTED IN WHAT SEEMED LIKE
 HOPELESS BATTLE.
Women Have Been Prominent in Movement Through w. c. T. U.- Frances Willard Won World
 Wide Fame.

Nationwide prohibition has been a political issue in the United States for the last fifty years because of the activities of the Prohibition party Other organizations, including the Anti-Saloon league, the Women s Christian Temperance union and oth- CTS, which passed out of existence after careers extending over various periods of time, have fought for state and national prohibition, but the Pro- hibition party has continued in exist ence for a longer period of time than any other antilfquor organization, and 1t has continued in the face of diseour- aging defeats.
 The Prohibition party will celebrate its fftieth birthday next September. It was formally organized at con- vention held in Farwell hall, Chicago, in September. 1869, when 19 states were represented by 800 delegates.
 For several years the formation of such party had been discussed be- cause the leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties had virtually ignored the advocates of prohibition. The Good Templars, organized in 1851 as a society of total abstainers, urged such action, and other leaders believed 1t necessary. At a state temperance convention held in Pennsylvania in 1867 the plan was first publicly broach- ed, and two years later on May 29, 1869, the call for the Chicago conven- tion was put out by the grand lodge of the Good Templars in session at Os- wego, N. Y. 4 committee to formulate the plans was named, comprising John Russell, Detroit; J. A. Spencer, Gleye- land, O.; James Black, Lancaster, Pa; John N. Stearns, New York, and Dan- iel Wilkins, Bloomington, Ill. The con- vention called by this committee or ganized the party on September 1, adopted a platform and appointed a national committee of which John Rus sell was chairman.
 First National Ticket.
 Nearly three years later, on Wash ington's birthday, 1872, the new party met in convention in Columbus. O., to place a national ticket in the field. James Black was nominated for presi- dent and John Russell for vice presi- dent. MT. Black was prominent Good Templar and also was one of the founders of the National Temperance Society and Publication house and of the Camp Meeting association at Ocean Grove, N. J. Mir. Russell, also a leader of the Good Templars and Methodist minister, was known as the father of the Prohibition party, for he published a newspaper, the Peninsular Herald, which led the way in adVoeat- ing the organization of the party for political action.
 With all their devotion to the cause, the Prohibition leaders had no hope of success in the election of 1872, and they were not disappointed. Their ticket received only SCOT votes. This did not discourage them, and four years later they put Green Clay Smith of Kentucky and Gideon T. Stewart on the ticket. These gentlemen re- ceived 9,737 votes. General Neal Dow of Maine, who had gained fame as the author of the Maine Prohibition law, was the next presidential candidate, in 1880, with H. A. Thompson in sec ond place on the ticket. They polled only 10,366 votes.
 St. Johns Hot Campaign.
 When the plans were being laid for the campaign of 1884, Frances E. Will lard and her fellow workers of the w c. T. U. entered the field. They sent to the Republican convention a great petition asking that consideration be given the pleas of the temperance ad- voeates, but it was ignored and even thrown Into the dirt on the floor, and Miss Willard promptly turned to the Prohibition party. Her help was vel comed and John P. St. John of Kan sas was put at the head of the cold water ticket. Already he was nota- ble figure, for he had fought in the Civil war as lieutenant colonel of the 143d regiment of Illinois volunteers and later served two terms as goyer- nor of Kansas. He was Republican, but his party thought him too warm friend of the prohibitionists and he was defeated for reelection in 1882. Accepting the Prohibition nomination, he went into the campaign with all his vigor and delivered stirring speeches all over the country, espe- cially paying attention to New York state, where the fight between James c. Blaine and Grover Cleveland had made things very warm. St. John was out to beat the Republicans, and he succeeded, for the Prohibition vote was large enough to let Cleveland win New York state and, in consequence, the nation. The Prohibitionists boiled the surprisingly large vote of 150,626
 The Prohibition convention of 1896 split the party over woman suffrage and money. The free silver" minor ity formed Liberal party, with Bent