Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-07-21
OPEN NATIONAL
CONVENTION IN
BRYAN'S TOWN
Fight Not Ended, Both
Old Leaders Wet, Says
Hinshaw

hibition party opened its national
convention here today, much of the
three days session to given over to
Iubilation over the downfall of John
Barleycorn. '-A
Calling the convention to order
Virgil G. Hingshaw, chairman of the
prohibition national committee, told
the delegates they had come togeth-
er to select burial lot for John
Barleycorn." The other political
parties, he said, "out of respect to
Johns relatives have voted that he
shall lie in state for another four
years to be viewed by the American
people.
"The Democratic platform Is sill
ent,. the Republican platform is sill
ent," the prohibition national chair
man continued. Harding owns
brewery stock, he is not prohibition.
ist at heart. Cox is wet. The fu-
ture is before US, the campaign is
upon US.
I'VE want to do the wisest thing,
the best thing for the prohibition
movement and for the country. 1t
was our fervent wish that every DO
lltical party would this year fall in
line with the constitution of the
United States, with the congress of
the United States, with the Supreme
court of the United States, and re-
cognize openly and avowedly the set
tlement of this question. The other
parties have failed. What shall we
do?"
18th cession
Turning to measures other than
prohibition which the party had
championed, Chairman Hinsaw said,
Gas we assemble here for the thir-
teenth time in fifty-one years we do
SO with realization that we have
had part in more than one battle
and for the solution of more than
one problem. While we have been
party with an eye single to the
solution of one great problem we
have at the same time aimed at the
solution and reached the solution of
many problems.
"We, for example, 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
ppioned that issue and the DemocrlE-
ic party not until 1900 or twenty
eight years thereafter.
1--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 lid not
not advocate until 1904, or twenty
eight years thereafter and the Pro-
gressive party not until 1917, or
thirty-six years thereafter. We OPP
posed lotteries and gambling in 1876;
no other political party ever oppos-
ed such in platform in convention.
Other Pronouncementsa
"We 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 OPP
posed polygamy since 1876; the
Democratic party never opposed that
institution in national platform or
convention. We have opposed the
white slave traffic since 1875; no
other political party ever opposed
that issue in national pl atform or
plafrom or convention. We have ad-
vocated uniform marriage and Oh
vorce laws since 1888; no other po--
litical party has ever champloned
that isseu in national platform or
convention.
eve have stood for income tax
since 1896; the Republican party
never favored it and the Democratic
pafty 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 a matter of fact, we have
preceded every other political party
of Importance, Democratic, Progress
siye or Republican, in the champions
ship of every vital issue during our
fifty-one years of history. HavenE
we been some party? What would
the American people have done with
out US? Where would this country
be today had it not been for the ex-
istence of an organization which was
brave enough and pure enough and
strong enough to give birth to ideals
unpopular and seemingly weak IN
their incipiency but all-powerful In
their onward conquering march.
whatever else we may remember,
let us remember this-that we have
stood for national prohibition since
1869. No other political party has
ever chamspioned that issue in ma
tional platform or convention.
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