The Portland daily press., 1882-08-11

The long period of petition, argument and
plea was over. Iowa had passed through four
years Of pros and cons in the great legislative
struggle for constitutional prohibition, and to-
morrow 1--WE, the people," were to decide.
The campaign of the prohibitionists had been
marked throughout by moderation and good
temper, the constant appeal of the temperance
press and platform being: "Come let us rea-
son together On the Sabbath previous two
thousand sermons and addresses had been made
for the amendment. The church-going people
were deeply impressed with the sacredness of
the cause, and determined it should not suffer
because of indiscretions on their part.
The day dswnsd calm and pleasant, with
clouds drawn like an awning over the people
who spent its hours in the streets, except those
who were at prayel-meeting, in lunch rooms,
or inside the voting places. The pleasant
weather was an immense advantage to the
temperance side, as the farming population
had to go from one to eight miles to reach the
polls while the liquor vote was confined chiefly
TO cities and towns where the ballot-box was
easy or access. At a. m. the bells of Iowa be-
gan to ring, calling the children of ssThe Bands
of Hope" to their appointed rendezvous. 1t
told the progress of our cause that the digui-
he'd bass tones OIL Ule cOufb-nOuS6 Dolls often
rang out this summons. At the same hour
church bells chimed the call to prayer, and
women gathered to besiege the throne of Heav-
emily grace. Meanwhile the voters began to as
semble around the polls, where busy temper
ance men were ready to offer the following
ballot:
FOR THE ADOPTION OF THE AMENDMENT
amendment to the Constitution Of Io,oa.
Add as Section % to Article of said Constitu-
ton the following:
"SECTIoN 26. No person shall manufacture for
SALE or sell or keep for sale. as beverage any in
toxicating liquors whatever including ale, wine and
beer. The General Assembly shall by law prescribe
regulations for the enforcement of the prohibition
herein contained and shall thereby provide suitable
o ofHaieS '0f inc si0i"0n q Inc provisions mere
A SUI prise awaited the sovereign citizens.
For the first time in history the court-houses,
city halls, engine rooms, and other places
where the ballot box was set, had assumed
holiday attire. The Woman's Christian Tom
perancs Union was early on the alert and
wreaths of evergreen displayed their motto,
For God and Home and Native Land, circlng
above the star spangled banner. Wreaths of
flowers were around the box ltsSif or else helped
to spell out the tender plea: Brothers, Vote to
PROTECT our Homes. Washington and Lincoln,
transferred from many quiet sitting-room,
looked down benignantly upon the scene liz
tie boys and girls circulated through the room
with prettily printed ed cards OF which this is a
and daughters of Marion, Iowa, earnestly re-
quest you to cast your vote for the Prohibitory
Amendment" For, in most cases, the towns
had been districted and canvassed by the la
dies and the home vote registered on petit
ton like the foregoing.
AT Ames the polling place was fragrant as a
flower garden. Notices and pictures covered
the walls, the ladies brought their canaries
and the girls had the organ transferred from
the Congregational church and sang patriotic
i. o~cf1 l,,,No
served to all. There was no rudeness, no to-
bacco smoke; the voters seemed pleased. the
saloon men couldn't be angry with those who
actually asked them to "treat' (even il COT
fee, not beer, wss the prottered beverage), and
an eye witness said, "You would have thought
for all the world that il was ronsing old-fash-
toned church sociable.'
At Marion the young ladies succeeded in
confiscating nearly all the choice flowers in
that bower-lke village, "for the cause
These they made up into bright button-hole
bouquets which they heaped up in pretty lit
tie baskets and gave to the children of the
Band of Hope, who moved freely about among
the voters, saying please, sir, will you vote
for the amendment They gave out the la
dies petition also, offering to all who favored
"our side" one of the little bouquets.
1t was no less touching than significant to
see, as we did that day, men in checked shirts
and "overalls" wearing spray of geranium
and heliotrope- doubtless for the first line in
their lives; to see colored man with bunch
of rose-buds fastened in his shocking bad
hat" while he grinned from ear to ear with
pride at the grateful recognition of his loyalty;
to see fair-faced foreigner bending to receive
his decoration" of "forget-me-nots' from
'ssinnocent hand, while he murmur-
ed, in broken English, his courteous thanks
One rough laborer was asked by member of
cur white ribbon brigade (the W. @. T. u,
"Where is your bouquet, my friend?" He
took carefully from his big pocket dewey
bunch of verbenas, saying: II wrapped 'em up
to take home to my wife," and the tears
sprang to his eyes as the lady replied, 81 am
glad you have home, and L thank you for
helping by your vote to protect mine"
In the town of Dunlap one OF our speakers
had told story about generous-hearted
Kentuckian who had been hard drinker, but
was now reformed, whose wife had asked him,
instead of voting for license as his custom was,
to represent her and the little ones, and how,
as he dropped in his ballot, he had called out
to the rough crowd: "If / never do another
good thing in my life, by the grace OF God here
goes vote for Sallie and the children" The
temperance ladies of Dunlap sent word to their
who had told this anecdote in
her campaign address, that many man quoted
the Southron's words as he voted that da7 "for
the amendment"
What wonder with the home forces thus at
work, that the aggregate majority for prohlbi-
ton was over fifty thousand strongl Never
ioI III 10 iofSotton, tnaU tnrougnout Ine CANVASS
there was no arrsying of national prejudice,
and no anathema upon any set OF men. 1t was
q certain line of business which was assailed,
and for the reason that it was the foe of wom-
ans peace and manhood's purity. Because
Of this conciliatory spirit, the movement had
friends whore they are not usually found. Let
it be remembered that the town of Emmets-
burg was carried for the amendment by Irish
and that many priest exhorted his
flock to vote for it, after himself Stun ping his
town OR county, side by side with Protestants:
Let it be remembered that eighty per cent. Of
the Scandinavian vote was in its favor, two
Swedish ministers carrying county by their
individual efforts. Let it be remembered that
a German lady, Mrs. Henrietta Shelton, gave
seyenty-eight lectures in her own tongue to the
Fatherland voters, scattering der Bahnbrech-
er" Cher German Temperance paper) all over