| Show mm FOUNDED HALF A CENTURY AGO national prohibition party organized in chicago by delegates EARLY STANDARD BEARERS eighteenth amendment lias ilas never been favored by leaders because of odds of 10 to 1 against its passage the national prohibition party Is just fifty years old its semi centennial falling failing on september 1 1010 tt it via born in farwell hail chicago i iengo the convention numbered about persons from 19 states the formation of the party was probably first discussed in public at a pennsylvania state temperance convention in temperance leaders had failed to get much consideration from the republican and democratic parties and were feeling the need of independent a action the good tem W 4 james black clars an order of total abstainers abstain ers or in 1851 at utica N Y were also working to this end the call for the chicago convention originated may 29 1809 in the grand lodge of the good Temp lars at oswego N Y which appointed appin ted a committee to convene a national gathering gat herrng to organize a political party favorable to prohibition legislation this commit tee consisted of john russell detroit mich daniel wilkins bloomington ill J A spenor cleveland 0 joha N stearns steams nw forkl tw and ac jsmes black lancaster pa at this conven alon the party was organized a platform was adopted and a national committee was appointed with john russell chairman the first national nominating convention assembled in columbus 0 on birthday 1872 it named james black tor for president and john russell for vice president black was one of the founders of the national temperance society and publication li house an organizer of the famous ocea occa i grove N J camp sleeting meeting association arid and a prominent good templar upon his death in 1803 1893 he left his temperance library of 1200 volumes to the national temperance society russell the father of the prohibition party was a methodist minister and a leading good templar his newspaper the peninsular herald was the first 0 o advocate the formation of a separate political party for prohibition notwithstanding the worthiness of the cause and the candidates the public support nt at the election of 1872 was not enthusiastic the total of the votes received by black and russell was but in green clay smith of kentucky and gideon T stewart of ohio were the candidates they polled votes in 1880 neal dow DOV of 1 maine with 11 A thompson of 0 ohio as running mate appealed tc to the country general dow was widely known as the author of the maine prohibition hibi hibl tion law but he succeeded in getting only votes candidates and their vote the prohibition convention of 1806 split the party over woman suffrage and money the free silver minority formed a liberal party with bentley of nebraska and southgate of illinois as its standard bearers they polled about votes the feature of the prohibition campaign pal n of 1000 was a tour of the country by the candidates and a corps irps of speakers by special train la in 1912 the prohibition convention the candidates of 1808 1908 the candidates since ISSI and their vote are as follows I 1 M clinton B F fask isk new jersey and J A brooks missouri votes 1892 john badwell Bl dwell california and J 11 cranfill texas votes joshua levering maryland and hale johnson illinois votes 1900 1000 john G woolley 1111 illinois and 11 n B metcalf Met calr rhode island votes 1904 1004 S C swallow pennsylvania and george B carroll texas votes 1803 eugene W illinois and I 1 aaron S watkins votes totes 1911 1912 eugene AV chatin arizona and aaron S watkins ohio 0 votes 1910 J frank hanley anley II indiana and dr ira landrith tennessee votes the national prohibition party curiously enough has been rather opposed to prohibition by constitutional amendment in ill the last year book 1916 1016 we rend although the prohibition party may be said to be committed by platform declaration to the adoption of a national prohibition amendment nhen placed in power the program of the party has haa never contemplated agitation for a nonpartisan amendment to be enforced by administrations not favorable to prohibition the general opinion seems to favor admitting the desirability of the amendment as the end to be accomplished at the same time emphasizing its impracticability cabi lity as a method and denying its necessity as a condition precedent to securing caring se national prohibition the odds are so overwhelmingly against the ratification of an amendment that they cannot possibly be overcome through any reasonable iea expenditure pend iture ot of time money and effort so long as the liquor traffic exists to fight for its life the national prohibition party Is certainly right about the apparent odds against the adoption by congress of 01 a constitutional amendment and its ratification by the states there have been 1757 amendments to the constitution proposed and 18 of them have been passed herein lies the marvel of the ratification of the eighteenth amendment in about thirteen months it has been figured that the chances ag against ainest the passing of an amendment are 10 to 1 the case Is put thus the chances against ratification are arc 2 to 1 I in the house of representatives and 2 to 1 in the senate and therefore 4 to 1 in congress that Is should the measure pass either house by unanimous vote the one third opposition in the other house bouse would block it in congress as a whole in other words the resolution roust must be supported on the two chances in each house while it the opposition scores on its one chance in either house bouse the measure falls the chances in the state legislatures are 0 to I 1 against the resolution hence in the congress and the legislatures combined the chances are 10 to I 1 against passage in other words the measure might pass both houses of congress unanimously and be defeated as a whole by the one chance in the states it might pass either house of congress and all of the legislatures unanimously and be defeated by the one chance in the other house of congress st john makes a stir john P st john was the first prohibition hibi tion party candidate to make a real stir in the political world what he did in the campaign of 1831 1884 was long remembered remember elL st john was born in a anda jn da 4 and a the civil war was lieutenant colonel of nf the one hundred and forty third regiment getil 1111 illinois volunteers un lie ile was twice elected governor of kansas on the republican ticket and was defeated tor for reelee re elee elec tion to tills this office in 1882 by anti pro hibi tion republicans who thought him too warm a friend of the temperance cause frances E willard and a delegation of women presented an enormous petition to the republican national convention urging consideration tor for the prohibition forces the story of that time was that the petition was not only laid on the table but thrown Z I 1 A ap 14 J 6 t fl E n V john P st john on the floor where it was found the nex next t day much the worse for wear anyway miss willard took her grievance to the prohibition party the prohibition party offered tile nomination for president to st john jo h n with william daniel of maryland for vice president st john accepted the nomination lie ile was an effective speaker and campaigner and he went out after blood and especially republican blood he carried the war into new york considered a doubtful state in the exciting struggle vt that campaign between james 0 blaine and grover cleveland st john jumped the prohibition vote from votes to votes what Is more he polled enough votes in new york to defeat the plumed knight in that state and as it turned out in the nation the feeling of the time Is indicated by the tact fact that st john was burned in effigy in more than cities |
