The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-06-20
Mrs. Wizards Address.

TO THE COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS.
AT the Republican National conven-
ton recently held in Chicago the W.
G. T. L. presented prohibition me-
mortal. Miss Willard. the national
president, was allowed to appear be-
fore the committee on resolutions and
urge the claims of the organization of
which she is the head. She said;
GENTLEMEN:-The temperance wo-
men of America have never before
asked for one moment of your time.
Thousands of them have worked and
prayed for your success in the heroic
days gone by, but up to this hour, they
have laid no tax on the attention of the
peoples representatives in presidential
convention assembled. But though the
position is new one, | can not count
myself other than at home in your
presence, gentlemen, as you represent
that great party, which, on the prairies
of Wisconsin, my honored father helped
to build, and whose early NOTICE
reused my girlish enthusiasm, "Free
soil, free speech, free labor, and free
hood of the women's party-the Wo-
mems Christian Temperance Union -
where may march side by side with
that brilliant southern leader, Mrs. Sal
lie F. Chaplin of South Carolina, who
in our new anti-slavery war, the fight
for free brain, is my beloved coadju-
tor.
am here in no individual character,
but as the delegated representative of
the Woman's Christian Temperance
Union of forty-eight States and terri
tories, including the District of Column
bia, to present to your thought the
memorial of the American home
against the American saloon. You will
notice that we make no account of for
eign drink customs, but speak and work
directly against an institution which
derives its authority from our own goy-
eminent. Our society is the lineal de-
scendant of that whirlwind of the Lord
known as the "Woman's Temperance
Crusade" of 1874, and stands not only
for total abstinence and prohibition,
but for no sectarianism in religion, no
sectionalism in politics, no sex in citi.
zenship. We recognize state rights as
to the adoption of these principles, but
move forward in one grand solid pha-
lanx "a society as well known in Flori-
da as it is in Oregon by the results of
the last ten years work; society that
has an open hand for the Catholic as
for the Protestant, and for the foreign
as well as the native.born.
We know that in America the great
changing mill of government, kept in
motion at enormous cost, turns out Just
one product, and that is protection for
life and limb and property. But it
seems to us women that the citadel of
purity, the palladium of liberty, the
home, our brothers have forgotten ade-
quately to protect. Therefore | am
here today to speak on behalf of mil
lions of women, good and true, but
grieved and sorrowful, TO ask that the
guarantees and safeguards of law shall
be stripped from the saloons of my
country; that their furnished gold shall
no more pollute our treasury, and that
the land we love may at once and for
ever go out of partnership with the
liquor traffic.
Gentlemen, some political party will
respond to this plea from the hearts of
women asking for protection from a
stimulant which nerves with dangerous
strength the manly arm that God
meant to be woman's shelter and pro-
lection, SO that mans cruelty becomes
the greatest toward those he loves the
best. Some party will declare that
when our hest beloved 90 forth into
life's battle they shall not have to take
chances so unequal in the fight for a
clear brain, nor run the gauntlet of sa.
looms legalized and set along our
streets. Some party will take to heart
this object lesson of "The Nations An
nual Drink Bill" shown in the chart
have had placed before your eyes to.
day, with its nine hundred millions fol-
Intoxicating liquors to five millions fol
the spread of Christ's gospel.
The greenback convention has already
received with favor this memorial