n conscience to do their utmost to give early
success to the movement for the legal suppression of the drinking
saloon, which they rightly regard as the fountain of intemperance.
Some of them are rich and some of them are poor. Some of them are
conservative and some of them of radical tendency as to questions
concerning wealth. They belong to the industrious, intelligent, moral,
and patriotic reserves of the country. With them in sympathy is the
motherhood of America. I think it is only fair to say, and that all
social reformers should see, that the radical prohibition
constituency--dispersed now in several political parties--is larger
than the following commanded by any other single reform idea, and it
is distinguished by exceptional persistency. There is also a large and
increasing body of American citizens absorbed in what is called the
labor question. Some of them are rich and some of them are poor. Some
of them are also on the side of prohibition and some of them are
hostile or indifferent.

The labor question is the question of social justice, and no question
can be higher than that. Stated in other terms, the labor question is
the question of how to approximate more nearly to an equal
distribution of wealth, not so much of the wealth already amassed by
society as of the wealth that is to be produced by labor in the
future. Now, while there are very few people who think that entire
equality of fortune in this world is either possible or desirable;
every free democracy will wish to work towards equality of social
condition, looking forward to a glorious time when uninvited poverty
shall be outgrown, when manhood shall be of more social weight than
wealth.

There is as much high moral sentiment put into the labor question
to-day, as ever was put into any crusade against any form of
oppression or evil.

If, however, only the radicals with fixed convictions and unflagging
zeal were counted, neither of these humane causes would have a
majority of American voters. Deeply interested in both, I frankly
confess that I do not believe either prohibition or labor can win
alone. As we study our political history, we find that political
issues are not carried except in combination, and as part of the
policy of a political party to the cohesion and the power of which
many issues and many forces contribute. We are not under the Swiss
referendum; we are a representative republic, with two legislative
chambers, each constitute