The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-03-01
THE TEMPERANCE ALLIANCE.

THE TEMPERANCE ALLIANCE.
The annual proceedings Of the Oregon
State Temperance Alliance have again
passed into history, leaving much seed
in the minds of many hitherto unwill-
ing listeners in favor Of giving the bal
lot to woman, that she may be enabled,
by its power in her own hands, to de-
fend herself from the ravages Of drunk
enness in her own home. With the ex-
ceptiOn Of a few self-opinionated Rever-
ends, who see their only show for con-
tinuation Of uubridled personal power
in the continued subjugation Of woman,
there was no opposition TO this princi-
pie, aud even this unholy selfishness
was overbOrne by other clergymen who
are willing and aGxious to obey Jesus
rather than Paul. But mans rights
doctrine dies as hard in the mind of the
temperance or religious bigot as in the
brain Of the whisky guzzler. Extremes
are always meeting. The effect of the
extremes Of heat and cold is always the
same; and so the effect of the extremes
of self-righteousness and self-pollution
is in the end identical. The man who
drinks liquorin a vain attempt to qUench
a burning thirst, does not more deeply
need Savior than does the boiled-dOwn
bigot who plainly shows by his opposi-
tion to woman's enfranchisement, that
he prefers drunkenness in the land to
his own mothers political emancipa-
tion. If it be argued in response, that
those delegates from the outer edges Of
the COW counties who oppose Woman
Suffrage are not convinced that her bal
lot would, in time, become a panaeea
for the devastation now reigning in the
drunkard's home, we have only to say
that it is as plainly proven to them as
two and two make four, and it is not
possible to more clearly demonstrate a
self-evident truth. But the opposition
Of bigots is as pOwerless to stay the
march Of progress now as it was in the
days Of Galileo or Servetus.
One old minister in the Alliance who
had had his say-a most ridiculous one
upon hesuffrsge question, which showed
up both his bigotry and ignorance con-
cerning that Of which he considered
himself commissioned to be sole arbiter,
moved to adjourn sine die, before nine
o'clock on the last evening, in order to
cut Off the speech of a delegate whom be
knew to be working for the ballot foI
woman as her God-given and man-with-
holden armor for the fight in the tenn
peTance field. Failing to secure a sec.
ond, he rose, when the speaker had the
floor, and insisted upon his motion
which the speaker herself seconded, tC
test the will Of the people. But the
motion was lost and the work went on
as she knew it would.
Motions to lay on the table, to indefi.
nitely postpone, to cut Off debate by the
previous question, aud to adjourn are
all relics Of a dying despotism. They
constitute a species Of parliamentary
fillibCstering which means nothing but
gag law, and which the people repudi-
ate always, in one way, if not in an
other, as soon as they understand it.
Aside from exceptions like the above
which invariably resulted in confusion
to the opponents Of liberty, the Alliance
was a most harmonious one throughout.
There was a large delegation in attend
ance, principally from Linn county,
where the various organizations were
fully represented.
Hon. Jacob Conser was elected Presi-
dent; Mrs. Mckinney, Mrs. Foster, and
Mrs. Duniway Vice-Presidents Mr..
Whitney, Recording Secretary; Mr.
Cam, n,CorrespOndingS Secretary, and Mrs
Reed, Treasurer.
The President appointed a committee
Of five, with Mr.. Dunbar as chairman,
to do certain political work, looking
toward local option and dotherlegislation,
in favor Of temperance. Albany was
declared the next place Of meeting, and
the Alliance adjourned on Friday morn
ing, sine die.