's take it now,
God only knows how dry I am!'"

"That's a good thing to reaffirm--I don't mean the song they're singing
in that room across there! It's a good thing to pledge ourselves to
promote temperance," said the General, "but that isn't the point at
issue. I have another plank that I've written for our platform."

He drew a second paper from his pocket.

"Gentlemen, some politicians, more than half a century ago, simply to
use a temperance movement for bait in a political campaign, dragged into
our party a moral, social, and economic question that belongs to the
whole people--not merely to us as a party. Let the people, when the
right time comes and they decide the matter differently, make a law that
the majority desires and will stand behind. Just now we have in our
constitution a law that forbids the manufacture and sale of intoxicating
liquors in this State. There is no option in the matter. Just so long as
our party, the dominant political power, uses that option, it is in
disgrace with all decent men. I--"

There was a knock at the door--the private door.

Harlan started up, but his grandfather pulled him back into his chair.

"Go on, General," he said.

"I have drawn a resolution. Here it is: 'As a party, we deplore the fact
that temperance, through the so-called prohibitory law, has become a
matter of politics, its football to the extent that holders of public
office, sworn to enforce the laws, turn from that enforcement in order
to cater to public opinion which otherwise might deprive them of office.
We declare against this intolerable system of protection of lawbreakers.
Until the people shall repeal the law, we, the dominant party of the
State and in control of enforcement, do pledge ourselves to faithfully
enforce it, employing such law as we now have and invoking new powers
through the legislature to assist us, so long as the prohibitory law
shall remain in our constitution.'"

It was now Chairman Presson's turn to look uncomfortable.

"Look here, Vard," exploded Thornton, "I've been pretty patient while
you've been amputating a few fingers and toes of the Republican party of
this State, but I'll be damned if I propose to see you cut its throat."

There was fresh knocking at the door, but the group within the parlor
had enough to think about just then without entertaining callers.

"Now you're talking simply about yourselves and your office-holders and
your dirty profits. You're calling tha