Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-06-17

lion could Be elected who would listen &c
tbe voice of the people. Such spectacle a.
that furnished by the last Legislature, IN
] refusing to permit the PEG
pie to express their sentiments
on< the liquor question, was rarely seen pa
| any county. The whisky men haa tns
! king of the lobbyist on their side, and
stranger still. they had women working in
| their Interests, and it was only by such
means that we were then beaten. He didn
want to criticise the Legislature; but ne
wanted men elected which would be true
| to themselves and TO the people, and which
would aid in wiping out this great evil:
Judge Brown said that like his friend
Ferguson, he had had considerable ex-
perience and was in favor OF using IN the
platform the clearest and plainest English.
He wouId sooner be right than polite. He
then described the active work OF the
late legislature and the reasons for
the defeat of the amendment which
he attributed to the action OF the PRESIDENT
of ''these dirty little drug stores" House
Bill No. 274 received special attention, and
was treated in the Judges usual sarcastic
way. The late meeting. OF the State Phar.
maceuticut Association received share OF
his attention, and in fact his speech, whlch
was both long and elaborate, covered pretty
much the whole ground.
After some further discussion, the motion
was voted down, and the resolutions as re-
ported, were adopted, and the convention
'00A Z" Afternoon Session.
Immediately after dinner a long talk on
the Freeman ensued and many subscrip-
tions were made for its support
Mr.. Dave D. Johnson made the annual re-
port of the State Executive Committee as
follows:
To the State Temperance Conrention Assembled
at Rarelsu00d, June IA, 1882: ..
The State Temperance Executive Com.
mitteee beg leave TO submit their annual
report as follows: ..s.
we hail with delight and joyous hope
the rising tide Of prohibition throughout
the country. With the principles OF tenn
perance and moral suasion firmly and for
ever fixed in the hearts OF the people they
are moving onward beyond these with
their banners inscribed Prohibition"
Indeed the advocates of the liquor traffic are
now preaching temperance so-called, and
they would have us back from our
advanced position quite willing that we
should advocate temperance, so long as we
ask not for legal prohibition. The great
National Beer Congress has lately discover
ed and so resolved, congratulating its pat
rons, that "beer" is the great instrumen-
reform throughout the land. Albeit, they
are lust little uneasy about the progress
OF the reform in Kansas and Iowa. We
mark the same rising tide OF public opin.
ion on this question in West Virginia, and
confidently believe that no rest will be
given, no backward step taken until the
people have secured the right to meet and
conquer the liquor traffic at
the polls. The Convention held at Wheel.
ing, last June, saw fit to leave it to the dis.
cretion of this committee to fix the time
and place of holding another State Conven-
ton, as the exigencies Of the case might re-
quire.
In our Judgment we have deemed it i'm
portant to call this Convention together at
this time. We are on the eve of another
election, when Legislature will he chosen
that will be again called npon To submit to
a vote of the people prohibition amend
ment. Whether such an amendment shall
be submitted or not must be settled at the
polls in October next. Hence etheimportance
Of defining our position and standing to-
gether for the fight. II the united tenn
perance vote can be thrown where it will
do the most good the next Legislature will
pass a sufficient amendment. We believe
that if public sentiment in West Virginia
were now TO demand it, it could secure at
once the object which we seeks if the ef-
forts OF prohibitionists could only be con-
concentrated and properly directed.
In pursuance OF the general plan adopted
by the State Convention last June, your
committee at once seek.ta.Se cornmltfSc
in each county in the State, men were
selected as best we could from such per-
sonal knowledge we had, and from IN
formation obtained by inquiry and cor
respondence. In many instances these
committees responded promptly, reported
to us at once, district committeeman ana
a kind of county organization was affected,
through which we could read the people,
partly. From some counties, however, little
or no response could be had and but little
was accomplished.
We recommend that this convention
seriously consider this matter OF more
thorough organization of counties. Chan
nels of easy communication can be estab-
be made more thoroughly acquainted
with the object to be reached and
the plansl to be pursued. Success
will be more speedily obtained. We sub
nit Herewith q plan for local organiza'
tions.
The lack of such means of communica-
ton with active and Jealous workers was
severely felt in our effort to canvass the
State with petitions to the Legislature last
fall .
We sent out six thousand blank petitions
asking that the prohibition amendment be
submitted to a vote, sending them into
every county and nearly every magisterial
district, but for want of personal effort on
the part of those entrusted with the circu-
lation of the petitions, and from other rea'
| sons in some instance, partial success was
| accomplished in this direction. In some
moral communities the names OF nearly
every voter were secured to the petitions
| But il was where some one was found who
| would and did canvass his entire
school district. And had such a
canvass been made throught the Slate
| four.fifths of the voters would have signed
| these petitions. How to secure an active,
Jealous friend in every school district is
matter of the utmost importance for your
consideration.
The fate of the proposed amendment TO
the Constitution is familiar to all We
cannot too highly commend those mem
| bers of the Legislature who bravely advo-
Gated its adoption, and secured Tor 1t al
most the required two-thirds majority, but
| the stern fact is only made the more mani
| fest that it is within the power OF the OPP
position to defeat our purpose at any time
BY securing either the opposing votes or
| the absence of only twenty-three members
| OIL In6 HOUSE Vi DclcSdlcs, vi hiiiV
of the Senate. The great importance OF
preventing the election of any man
who is opposed to submitting the
amendment ID a vote of the people is thus
made apparent We cannot afford for
any reason out of friendship, party con-
siderations, or otherwise to vote fer any
man unless we know that he will favor
the right of the people to be heard and to
vote upon the question OF prohibition.
Let us clearly define our position. The
general sentiment seems TO be that we need
no separate and independent party, but lei
there be such pressure OF public senti
ment brought to bear that political parties
will be compelled to put forward as candi
dates those who are publicly known to bt
in favor of submitting the prohibition queS
ton to vote of the people. If practical
plan can be devised, we recommend tha,
suitable persons be commissioner
TO work up prohibition sentiment
in the various counties and effect local or
ganizations. We have been unable to car
1 e L.. l.. tirNr