ernor. The fight with the liquor power must begin in the political nominating conventions. It was evident that a majority of the Republican voters were in favor of prohibition and it was equally certain that a majority of the members of the Greenback party were also prohibitionists, while on the other issues they were too widely at variance to afford any hope that they could be united upon candidates in the next election.
The Democratic State Convention met at Des Moines on the 6th of June, 1883, and nominated the following candidates: for Governor, L. G. Kinne; Lieutenant-Governor, Justus Clark; Supreme Judge, W. I. Hayes; Superintendent of Public Instruction, E. B. Farr. On the subject of prohibition, which was regarded as the chief issue likely to be involved in the campaign, the following resolution was adopted:
“Resolved, That we are opposed to constitutional prohibition and in the interest of practical temperance we favor a well regulated license law, with penalty of forfeiture of license for violation thereof.”
In nomination of Judge Hayes, who had given the decision in the District Court declaring the prohibitory amendment to the Constitution to be invalid, and the resolution of the convention declaring against constitutional prohibition, the challenge was made to the prohibitionists to fight the battle out in politics. They accepted the issue and determined to carry it into the Republican State Convention and, if possible, procure an outspoken declaration for prohibition from that body. It soon became evident from the tone of the Republican press and the voice of many of the leaders of that party that the prohibitionists would be easily control the convention and that the challenge of the Democratic Convention would be accepted, making prohibition the chief issue in the approaching campaign.
The Republican State Convention convened at Des Moines on the 27th of June, 1883, and was one of the larg-
