MASSACHUSETTS. 



611 



H. Dana, Jr., John M. Forbes, and Paul A. 

 ounic. I ^solutions favoring the nomi- 

 of 15. II. liriatow, and others favoring 

 t i. r.laiuo, as the candidate for President, 

 . ou-d down, and the following was unani- 

 mously adopted : 



Resolved, That this convention leaves the dele- 

 gates of Massachusetts to the Republican National 

 ition unpledged and uninstructed in respect 

 of individual candidates for President and Vice- 

 President of the United States ; but expects and re- 

 quiiv> tin in each and all to work and vote for those 

 candidates, and those only, whose character and ca- 

 reer give unquestionable assurance to the whole 

 country that they will be faithful and zealous to 

 Maintain the equal rights of all citizens under the 

 ConMitiition ; to bring about the resumption of spe- 

 cie payment at a day not later than that already fixed 

 by law, and to effect a thorough and radical reform 

 iu the civil service, to the end that the administra- 

 tion of public affairs may be characterized by effi- 

 ciency, economy, and purity. 



The delegates at large to the Democratic 

 National Convention were chosen at the regu- 

 lar State Convention in 1875. The first con- 

 vention of the year, held for the purpose of 

 making nominations for State officers, was 

 that of the Prohihitionists, which took place 

 in Boston, July 6th. The following ticket was 

 agreed upon : For Governor, John I. Baker, 

 of Beverly ; Lieutenant- Governor, D. C. Ed- 

 dy, of Boston ; Secretary of State, Henry B. 

 Peirce, of Ahington ; Treasurer, H. H. Faxon, 

 of Quincy ; Auditor, Julius L. Clarke, of New- 

 ton ; Attorney- General, Thomas L. Wakefield, 

 of Dedham. An address to the people was is- 

 sued, setting forth the familiar principles and 

 purposes of the party, and the following was 

 adopted as the platform : 



1. Rewired, That assembled as American citizens 

 for the discharge of important political obligations in 

 this month and year, so fragrant with patriotic and 

 precious memories, it becomes our first duty to rev- 

 erently acknowledge Him who is the God of nations 

 as well as of individuals, and whose help has been 

 our strength in the years that are pdst, and is our 

 hope for the years that are to come. 



2. Retained, That as obedience is the most accepta- 

 ble offering of gratitude, this Centennial year should 

 inaugurate a higher and purer political life in the 

 nation and in the State ; and that to this end Chris- 

 tian men everywhere should " vote more nearly as 

 they pray." 



8. Resolved, That the dram-shop, with all its modi- 

 fications and disguises, its training-schools and its 

 recruiting-stations, is the foe of civili/ation, periling 

 everv interest of humanity, and antagonizing every 

 uplifting agency, and can have no use or worthy 

 treatment but extermination. 



4. Retolvtd, That without disparagement of the 

 national issues presented by the two great political 

 parties, it is a mere truism to say thnt they either 

 present in matters of State policy no issues whatever, 

 or issues that are utterly trivial in oompetilUtti with 

 the momentous one of the attitude of the Common- 

 wealth toward the dram-shop. 



5. Resolved, That although Governor Rice in his 

 inaugural declared hi reference to the present license 

 law that " after somewhat diligent inquiry " he had 

 " not been able to obtain full and reliable information 

 respecting its operation and probable effectiveness," 

 and did not apparently obtain, as the session of the 

 Legislature advanced, that " further information 

 from different parts of the State " for which he was 



looking as giving him " occasion to communicate 



again with the Legislature on thin subject," yet the 

 ( ommonweiilth cannot safely await the low | 

 of his Kxeeilency'h enlightenment on thin nubjeot, 

 t-'mee the history of license is a record of more than 

 two hundred years of continuous and i-oiile.-^ed tuil- 

 ure, and because, as Judge bprague declared with 

 reference to the liquor-traffic, more than thirty yean 

 ago, " The morality of no people can be maintained 

 above the morality of their lawn," it ha- added to 

 this failure the disgrace and disaster of debasing the 

 public sentiment and deadening the public conscience. 



6. Resolved, That in the Hon. John I. Baker, our 

 candidate for Governor, we present a long-tried 

 friend of our cause, at once a man of the people and 

 a public servant of varied experience and marked 

 ability. Of his colleagues it is enough to say that 

 they are all faithful and true, and worthy to stand by 

 his side. 



7. Resolved, That while we give to the heroic men 

 who are striving to throw off the chain of intemper- 

 ance our tenderest sympathy, we owe them what is 

 better, the Christian duty of removing temptation 

 from their path. 



8. Resolved, That we call on the good people of 

 our Cominonwealthj disdaining the idle banners of 

 mere party names in face of a peril so great and a 

 disgrace so deep as a license law inflicts upon us } to 

 protest against its longer tolerance by withholding 

 their votes from those who support it. Words are 

 weak, but votes are strong. Kine thousand inde- 

 pendent votes last year startled the politician. Nine- 

 teen thousand this year will reverse the policy of the 

 State. 



9. Resolved, That the Prohibitionists of Massachu- 

 setts are now organized not for a campaign merely, 

 but for the war, and we do not purpose to quit the 

 field until we win, or some other party inscribes our 

 principles upon its banner, and gives it into the 

 hands of trustworthy men for support. 



10. Resolved. That as intemperance is the enemy of 

 the home, it deals its heaviest blows at the heart of 

 woman ; that we therefore invite her earnest prayers 

 and efficient work in behalf of our cause, and we 

 look forward with eager hope for that day to usher in 

 which we pledge all the power we possess whin sex 

 shall be no longer one of the conditions of suffrage, 

 and she may be permitted to use the ballot, as she 

 surely will, for her own protection and for the pro- 

 tection of society against the cruel wrongs of the 

 liquor-traffic. 



Messrs. Peirce, Clarke, Faxon, and Wake- 

 field declined the nominations tendered to 

 them, because they were opposed to dhiding 

 the strength of the Republican party, to which 

 they belonged. The vacancies on the ticket 

 were filled by the Executive Committee, D. B. 

 Gurney, of South Abington, accepting the nomi- 

 nation for Secretary ot State; D. N. Skillings, 

 of Manchester, that of Treasurer; J. II. Orne, 

 of Marblehead, that of Auditor; and Orrin T. 

 Gray, of Boston, that of Attorney-General. 



The Republican State Convention was held 

 at Worcester, on the 5th of September. Alex- 

 ander H. Rice was renominated for Governor ; 

 tor I.ietitennnt-Governor, H. (J. Knight; Sec- 

 rotary of State, Henry B. Peirce; Auditor, 

 .Julius L. Clarke; Treasurer, Charles Endicott ; 

 Attorney-General, Charles R. Train. All tin- 

 candidates were the incumbents of the offices 

 for which they were named. The platform 

 adopted was as follows: 



The Republican party of Massachusetts ratifies the 

 action of the National'Convention at Cincinnati, and 

 pledges ita united and earnest support to Rutherford 



