Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-06-20
Temperance In the West.

YPsILANTI, Michigan, June IA 1877.
Messrs Editors II am native of the old Green
Mountain state and a constant reader Of your ex-
client paper. ! see many good articles on the
subject of temperance, but nothing about what is
snown here as the red ribbon movement Yps-
lanti has about six thousand inhabitants and
being lively Western business town, has, as a
natural consequence its full quota of liquor sa-
looms. About four months ago DR. Reynolds, of
Portland Maine, came here and at his third lee
ture organized a reform club of about three hun
dred, each one wearing red ribbon in his button
hole-red there, in preference To the nose
At that time it was the banner town in the state
according to its size. Since then the club has
steadily grown aud now numbers over eleven hun
bred members. 1t has reading rooms and bill
lard and card rooms for its members, although
there is not general agreement that the two lat
ter rooms profitable to their frequenters. sun
day afternoons there is large crowd at the largest
public hall, with music by all the chors from the
churches, and an orchestra. They sing from
Sankey and Bliss. The reformed men tell their
experience and the best talent among the old war
horses in the temperance work address them; for
this has been battlefield ON this subject, and
almost every kind Of weapon has been tried
Under the prohibitory law there were the Sc
uerest prosecutions carried ON for two years with
little effect; then the crusaders About this time
the prohibitory law was repealed, as 1t was de-
clared TO be a dead letter ON the statute books,
and that no good was accomplished under it.
Yet this cannot be admitted, for now, II never
before, we are seeing the effects as many Of the
saloons are having 10 close because they cannot
pay their license, 1t is a very dry time in the
whiskey business now, for where a great many
fathers spent dollar per day for drink, now they
take the money home to make their families
happy and comfortable.
You may ask the same question that was so
often asked here at first, "Wil they hold QUIZ"
From this eleven hundred there are only rery
few come to the public knowledge who have
broken their pledge. The president admits to have
spent dollar aud half per pay for drink; the
vice-president was retailer over the har. The
secretary and, in fact, all the officers were hard
drinkers, II is quite remarkable to see how much
clearer faces and better clothes these men have
than formerly There has been state Sunday
school convention here this week, and one even
ing was occupied in discussing the Temperance
subject, drawing out large crowd, the red rib
bon men occupying the center OF the church At
the close resolution was unanimously adopted
that it was the sense of the convention that red
ribbon clubs aud white ribbons for the ladies
should be organized in every Sunday school in
the state There are over sixty thousand signers
TO this red ribbon pledge In the state now The
papers are filled with this kind of news from every
city. village and hamlet. Such temperance re-
yiyal never was witnessed In this country before
SO may IL continue To suread all over Gods foot