1928 Prohibition Party Platform

note: The platform committee submitted a lengthy platform to the convention. However, Protestant fear of the `wet Catholic menace' was so inflamed by the nomination of Al Smith by the Democratic Party that the Prohibition delegates split over whether to nominate their own slate or to endorse Republican candidate Herbert Hoover in an attempt to guarantee the defeat of Smith. The convention finally adopted the following short platform and resolutions, providing that their own candidates would withdraw in favor of Hoover if requested to do so by the party's Executive Committee.

platform:

  The Prohibition party contemplates with gratitude and solemn joy the triumphs of the great cause, of which, in partisan matters it has been the champion for threescore years, yet for the common victory would withhold recognition due the many thousands in times past and the unnumbered millions now, though not affiliated with our party, who firmly stood and now stand ardently for national prohibition.

  We note in review that among political parties the Prohibition party is the only one in the last fifty years whose majority issue has triumphed. For half a century it was the lone sponsor of two policies now imbedded in the Constitution, viz: Prohibition and Woman Suffrage. Both are parts of our basic law and believed in by an overwhelming majority of the people. Forty-six of the forty-eight states have ratified Prohibition. The government is no longer a partner in the liquor traffic and no more takes tribute from the iniquitous trade in return for legal protection.

The Major Parties 

  We are glad to believe and declare that nullification of Federal provisions for enforcement of prohibition is not a tenet of the Democratic or Republican parties, but that all nullification is the act of liquor sympathizers whose disregard of all laws in conflict with their desires is common knowledge confirmed by heaped up precedents. Nullification was blasted by Andrew Jackson, the Democrat, in his day, and resisted to the death by Abraham Lincoln, the Republican. We deprecate the custom of political parties in their platforms charging all sins and shortcomings to each other. Oft-repeated folly does not thereby become wisdom, and falsehood frequently stated does not become the truth. We appeal to their sense of shame and intellectual pride for reform in this regard. A greater circumspection in putting officials in office will lessen the necessity of a call to turn the rascals out.

Resolutions Adopted by the Prohibition National Convention, Chicago, Illinois, July 12, 1928

First: That the supreme objective of all good citizens of America in this campaign is to annihilate the beverage liquor traffic and maintain our Constitution which objective is opposed by the wet Tammany candidate;

Second: That the activities of the Prohibition party in this campaign shall be dominated by the purpose to promote the above objective;

Third: That we carry on a vigorous and effective campaign in behalf of the principle of National Prohibition of which our party was the pioneer champion;

Fourth: That we join with the good citizens of all parties in a union of forces to prevent the threatened calamity of the election of the wet Tammany candidate;

Fifth: That no separate presidential electors be placed upon the ballot in any state where the nomination of such electors will contribute to the election of said candidate;

Sixth: That in all states where we are an official party we nominate state and local candidates and carry on an aggressive campaign;

Seventh: That the Nominees of this Convention shall withdraw on request of the Executive Committee, at any time prior to September first next, and the said Committee is authorized and empowered to substitute other candidates supporting the objective named above.