The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1920-07-21
Virgil G. Hinshaw, Chr,
| Calls The Meeting
To Order
kELECT BURIAL OF
John BARLEYCORN
Declares Both Cox And
Harding Are Against
Prohibition.
Associated Press

LINCOLN, Neb., July 21-Call-
be the thirteenth quadrennial con-
sention of the Prohibition Party to
sB prder here this morning, Virgil G.
aInshaw, chairman of the Prohibition
National committee, told the dele
yates they had come together to "se-
1ect burial lot for John Barleycorn."
Ihe other political parties, he said,
8 out of respect to Johns relatives
have voted that he shall lie in state
another four years to be viewed
by the American people.
8| "The Democratic platform is ST.
lent, the Republican platform is 81
\ lent" the Prohibition national chair
imam continued Harding owns
brewery stock, he is not a prohibi-
tionist at heart. Cox is wet, The
n future is before us, the campaign is
SS#npon US.
Z eve want to do the wisest thing,
Il the best thing for the prohibition
movement and for the country. 1t
was our fervent wish that every po-
N litical party would this year fall in
Zinc with the Constitution of the u
nited States, with the Congress Of
h the United States, with the Supreme
kCourt of the United States ,and re-
cognized openly and avowedly the
settlement of this question. The 9th
er parties have failed. What shall
we do?"
@ Turning to measures other than
u prohibition which. the party had
Ii championed, Chairman Hinshaw said,
n "As we assemble here for the thir-
d teenth time in fifty-one years we do
so with a realization that we have
# had part in more than one battle and
u for the solution of more than one
n problem. While we have been par
Il ty with an eye single to the solution
Il of one great problem we have at the
h same time aimed at the solution and
n reached the solution of maay prob
lens.
"For example, we stood for wo-
man suffrage in 1872, which was
forty years before the progressive
party was born and forty years be-
fore any other party assumed the
same position. We advocated civil
service reform the same year and
thus preceded the Democrats by four
years and the Republicans by twelve
years. We championed the direct
election of U. S. Senators in 1872.
The Republican Party never cham
pioned that issue and the Democrat
ic Party not until 1900 or twenty
eight years thereafter.
"We favored two-cent letter post
age in 1872 and thus beat every 9TH
er political party to that proposition
by the space Of sixteen years We
stood for international arbitration IN
1876; the Republican party did not
advocate it until 1904, or twenty
eight years thereafter and the Pro-
gressive Party not until 1912, or thir-
ty-six years thereafter. We opposed
lotteries and gambling in 187....; no
other political party ever opposed
such in platform or in convention
eve went after the land grabbers
and spectators in 1876 and thus beat
the Republican Party to it by eight
years and the Progressive Party by
thirty-eight years. We have oppos-
ed polygamy since 1876; the Demo-
cratic Party never opposed that IN
stitution in national platform or con-
vention. We have opposed the white
slave traffic since 1876; no other po-
litical party ever opposed that insti-
tuition in either national platform or
convention. We have advocated un-
form marriage and divorce laws SIN
ce 1888; no other political party has
ever championed that issue in nation
al platform or convention.
eve have stood for income tax |
since 1896; the Republican Party new
or favored it and the Democratic I
Party not until 1908 or twelve years
thereafter. We opposed child labor
in 1908 and thus beat the Progress
sives to it by period Of four years
We favored the conservation of nat
ural resources in 1908 and thus beat
the Democratic and Progressives by
four years.
"As matter of fact, we have pre-
ceded every other political party OF
Importance. Democratic, Progressive
or Republican, in the championship
of every vital issue during our fifty
one years of history. Haven't we
been some party? What would the
American people hage done without
us? Where would this country be
today had 1t not been for the exist