A Good Lesson

ïliere is a remarkablv good lesson in the Khode Island election for our prohibition friemls if thcy care to learn It- and it is a good lesson whether they care to learn it or not. Tho8e who favored the prohibition amendment to the constitution of that state adopted at the recent election, kept the question entirely out of politics. The leaders there were wise ones, and they sank all pretense of u third party unovement, and sought aid from republicans and demócrata alike, neither of whom were given to understand that they transferred their allegiance to their own party in voting for the measure, but on the contrary all the temperanee organizations of that state, including the W. C. T. U., thoroughly impressed upon the voters the fact of the utter absence of partisanship in the campai6n. The victory is not a victory for the prohibitionigts as a party, and had it been fought out on that issue the amendraent would have been overwhelmingly defeated. These facts can be gleaned from any of the Rhode Island newspapers if there are any who doubt them. The attempt to ring the changes on the great victory in Rhode Island as a victory for the prohibition party as a party is mere bosh and utterly without warrant. AHOTHER ONE. The Maryland legislature recently passed a biil providing for the introduction and use of temperance text-boeks in the public schools of that State. Was this accomplished by a third party movement? Not at all. It wasaccomplished by keepingthe qiieetion entirely out of politics and appealing to the better judgment of members of both parties. Here again the ff. C. T. U., came to the front and helped largely in securing the result, doing effective work with no thought of a party to back it up. These two instances are striking proofs of what can be done by a non-partisan effort. In Michigan the prohibitionists hope to win by putting their enemles in power. In Khode Island and Marylnnd they won by the exercise of good common sense.