The Connecticut labor press. (New Haven, Conn.) 191?-1921, 1919-10-25
PRACTICAL, POLITICS PROVEN
TO Be LABORS BEST WEAPON

sumed in Strengthening its influence.
But as the years rolled on, it became
evident that in this country, with the
ideals of liberty and political indepen-
dence which influenced the average
voter, the chances of "a Prohibition par
ty becoming the dominant one were Mill.
The effort to secure the legislation de-
sired through the existence of politi-
cal party was finally dropped as inef-
fective and as placing many of the
churches IN a position which they did
not desire to occupy; one reason being
that among the church members there
! were many who would not consent to
have their votes thrown away and who
were determined to vote for the candi-
dates of other political parties whose
election theiy believed to be essential to
the public welfare.
Finding that the method of maintain
ing political party to secure special
took leaf out of the trade-union polti-
cal policy and began to pledge candi-
dates. They applied the policy of re-
warding their friends and defeating
their enemies.
1t was not long before they discov-
cred that, while they were in the minor
ity in almost every district, they did
hold a balance of power when it came
to selecting candidates, and so, regard
less of whether it was candidate on
the republican or the democratic ticket,
they were satisfied to secure his pledge
In many instances, men who believed
in the use of alcoholic drinks pledged
themselves to vote for the prohibition
measure in order that they might Sc
cure their election through the addi-
hibitionists.
1t is needless to call attention to, the
ultimate results of this policy of re-
warding their friends and defeating
their enemies. It is notorious that,
when congress adopted the amendment
to the Constitution, many of those who
voted in favor of the amendment were
personally opposed to prohibition and
were known to imbibe much more than
was necessary to feel convivia1 when
ever the desire came to them.
1t was not the personal viewpoint of
congressman and senators that deter
mined the issue; it was the fact that an
active organized group who were de-
handing prohibition had secured bal
ance of power, had acquired the abil-
ity of defeating their opponents and of
electing their friends regardless of their
party affiliations.
They had tried the method of politi-
cal party and had met with disastrous
failure; they then tried the same policy
which had been the program of the
American trade-union movement and
met with success which astonished the
American people and the world also,
We listened to the reverend bishops
description of methods with intense in
terest, and we felt that the. substance
of that description contained such a |
object lesson to the trade |
union movement at this time that it was
we'll, worthy of being related, for the
prohibitionists, without the power to
acquire majority in any legislative
body through the existence of a politi-
al party, Rad through other methods
rade-union nethods-wie1ded an influ-
ence which astounded them III the re-
suits they had secured.
Is the trade-union movement to aban-
lon a method which saves it from the
oi a political party Of
is own and which at the same time |
:arries the greatest political power |
which can be exercised3