West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1884-12-03
VEST VIRGINIA FREEMAN
w. c. 7. q.
women in Conventional Royal
Tribute.

snch a tribute to our Women in
National Convention, in an article
in the Witness we gladly give
space to portion of it in our col
umns.
"Let me impress a phase or Two.
From its inception, the Woman's
Temperance Union, whether local,
or State, or National, has had well
come into the foremost. Christian
tabernacles. 1t had been under
stood that this convention would
be held in the Pilgrim Congrega-
tional Church, but it was waited
upon at the eleventh hour by a
committee of masculine pilgrims"
with Blaine badges, demanding a
pledge that the good women should
not say aught in that church of
pending politics or politicians
The women declined, saying they
were not yet sufficiently developed
politicians to sell out or submit to
1.-THE machine" That was belliger-
.ance No. :; yet they prayed. Then
Bishop Bowman procured them
admission into the Union Method
list Church. Presently ex-Gover-
nor Stannard, of that society,
reached home, heard the news, and
planted his foot on the doorstep of
the church: Temperance plead
ers, you can't come near the
altar of this temple to free con-
science, unless you first forswear
allegiance to free speech as the in
strument of free conscience. "Tbey
continued free Christian women in
spite of belligerence No. 2. Repub-
lican party editors, St. Louis poll
ticians, as well as the literary nibs
above noticed, put on the air of
guardianship, and warned, coun-
selled, coaxed that magnificent
front rank of the 125,000 praying
women, not to cast their moral bal
lot for the National party that
offered National prohibition. But
under all this meddlesome weeping
and gnashing of teeth outside,
these women maintained their
high purpose, their dig 1ified COM
posture, and that charity which
suffereth long and is kind. And
an even more significant confes-
sion that Alcohol wears the politi-
cal crown, is the fact that some Of
the men who traffic largely in the
harmless commodities used in the
liquor trade dared not entertain
old friends who were eminent as
women working for prohibition !;
Whisky would boycott them! Yet
even this cruel thorn in the flesh
was borne without a twinge of
temper, for principles sake. Would
it not be good tor politics to have
such spirits even closer to the cen
ire of the camp? How $50 men
in political heat would have har-
angued and resolved in reply to
such usage on account of their OPP.
inionl
And when, at length, an United
Presbyterian pastor (Rev. John A.
Wilson, had opened his church to
the wandering women, and they
awoke to find themselves sensa-
ton, with hundred new friends
born of every hostility, they listen.
ed to no prom ptings to return evil
for evil, but held prayer-meeting,
and praised God, from whom all
blessings flow. They went right
on through the vast and import
ant business of their thirty-four
departments, and their great de-
bate was touching allegiance
to a political party, without
the least infringement, by word or
action, of the courtesies that belong
between Christian woman. They
could not be unkind one to another,
tor they had adopted as parliament
ttary rules the open Bible, and the
Invocation twice each day, with
Gospel song often, and a Bible
reading always at II a. m. On the
foremost popular issue, whether
the Union should stand by-'lend
Its Influence to"-the Prohibition
party, the general policy at stake,
and the eve Of the election, and the
full audience of visitors, and the
novelty of debate between fam