The Prohibition Party
Emily Ballou
“If you are a reform-minded conservative and a non-drinker, the Prohibition party wants you!” Alcohol is America’s primary narcotic drug problem. It only creates trouble and more problems. This is why the Prohibition Party is still an active political party today, even though it is not very popular. The Prohibition Party was organized in 1869 by Michigan Reverend John Russell. Their chief aim is to abolish liquor traffic and all alcoholic beverages. The genesis of the political party was prompted by several factors: among them the negligent dereliction of public officials to enforce existing local prohibition laws in several states, failure to gain active support from the major political parties, and the
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Their platform has not changed much over the years. Just as there are conservative and liberal sides of the Democratic and Republican parties, there are also different wings of the Prohibition Party: narrow gauge and broad gauge. “Narrow gauge” Prohibitionists restrict their interest to alcoholic beverages and, occasionally, a few other moral issues, while “broad gauge” Prohibitionists are interested in the entire range of social and political concerns. Most party platforms have reflected the broad gauge viewpoint; the platforms of 1896 and 1928 are remarkable for being especially strict and narrow …show more content…
To most politicians, prohibition is a tough issue that can bring unfavorable results, no matter the stand taken. As such, neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party held a stand about banning alcohol, forcing those who advocated for it to find another party to run under, thus the Prohibition Party was created fill this void.
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Hesseltine, William Best. The Rise and Fall of Third Parties: From Anti-Masonry to Wallace. Public Affairs Press, 1948. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.
Nash, Howard P. 1900-. Third Parties in American Politics. Washington: Public Affairs Press, 1959. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.
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