The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-21
WORKERS FOR PROHIBITION
Of the National Executive Com
mittee of the w. C. I. U.
Public Meeting Last Night-Addresses by Miss
Willard, of Illinois, Mrs, LathrOp, of
Michigan. Mrs. Wallace and Others.

The executive committee of the National Wo-
mans Christian Temperance Union held pri-
vate business meeting in this city yesterday af
ternoon. The officers present were Miss Frances
E. Willard, of Chicago, PRESIDENT Mrs. Mary
Woodbridge, of Ohio secretary Miss Mary
Allen West, of Chicago, Miss Mary T.
Lathrop, of Michigan, Miss Esther Pugh, Gin
cinnati; Mrs. Caroline Buell., New York; Mrs.
q. G. Wallace and Mrs, NJ L. Wells, city The
greater part of the meeting was devoted to the
discussion of the best methods of furthering the
cause and a resolution was passed directing that
the great petitions to Congress for the passage of
prohibitory amendment to the national con-
stitution be at once circulated throughout all
parts of the United States, and that the work of
securing signatures be industriously pushed
No business of a public nature, aside from this,
was transacted.
THE GRAND oPERA-HoUsE MEETING.
public meeting was held at the Grand
Opera-house last night in honor of the distin-
guished ladies who constitute the committee
The audience filed the lower part of the theater
Over the proscenium boxes, and attached to the
drops were several inscriptions, such as "a
schoolhou on every hillside and no saloons
in the valley" mot by might or by power, but
by my spirit saith the Lord" ''Women of the
nation VS.. the liquor traffic" eve are coming,
800, 900 strong-Ohio." On the stage were the
presiding officers, Mrs NJ L. Wells, Miss Fran
ces E. Willard, of Chicago; Mrs Mary
T. Lathrop, president of the Michigan State
W. G. T. u; Mrs. Mary Allen West, president
of the Illinois State society; Miss Pugh, of Gin
cinnati; Mrs. Buell., of New York, and Mrs. T. g.
Wallace Mrs. Josephine R. Nichols, Mrs. A. M.
Noe, Mrs. R. T. Brown, Bishop Knickerbacker,
Rev. E. A. Bradley, DR.. Brown, Rev. David
Walk and others, of this city.
The devotional exercises were the impressive
prayer service of the Episcopal Church. led by
Bishop Knickerbacker, the audience assisting.
Mrs. Wallace was. called upon by the president
to welcome the visitors and this she did in
manner that was as graceful as it was appro-
pirate, being particularly complimentary in her
allusion to Miss Willard, whom she designated
as being the Saving element, for which philoso
phers and statesmen, and lovers of humanity
had SO long looked, and whose coming had been
for the salvation of the State and society"
MRS. LATHRoP's ADDRESS.
Mrs. Lathrop, of Michigan, an intellectual
forcible speaker, was first called upon to address
the audience. She said that every one convers-
ant with current events must know that great
moral contest was going on, the second in
the history of the country. The first was the
overthrow of the evil of slavery, which had for so
many years cursed the nation, but which
was finally compelled to give way before the ad-
vance of human progress which was only an
other name for Gods work. That first great evil
of the republic was swept into a dishonored
grave from which it could never be resurrected
The second evil was sinking its roots down into
the soil of avarice, appetite and political ambi
tons. It was laying its hands on free ballot
box and degrading free civilizations but the
time was fast coming when its fate would be
written by the hand of human progress, and it.
too would be swept into dishonored grave
from which it could never arise. The
child was now born who would live to see the
closed doors of the last legalized dram-shop in
America. The time was coming when the gov
eminent would go out of the liquor business,
when the hand of empire would be withdrawn
from the glove of the liquor traffic and the ma
ton would be free to punish that which it would
no longer license. License meant the legal right
to sell intoxicants, and the State was bound to
protect the sellers, and thus it had lifted the un
hallowed traffic out of an uncertain domain and
legalize ed it, floating over it the flag of protec
ton.
All thinking people agreed that some
thing must be done to avert the pend
ing and threatened evils, but were divided in
opinion as to the best means to accomplish this.
Should it be by regulation prohibition, which
had never yet had fair, square, impartial triall
The speaker appealed to the audience to consider
what had been done by so-ealled regulation
After eighty five years of this system, the liquor
power held in its hands the pivot on which
swings the political destinies of the nation The
women had now come to speak for absolute,
unconditional prohibition The crusades had
lifted the curtain and opened the door
that the only thing to be done was to
put the rope of prohibition about its neck and
hang it until it was dead, dead. The women
had come to this conclusion quickly, and if it
was going to take the men fifty years to reason
around to it, they had better jump to it also and
thus save thousands of young men from going
to he'll. The voters were responsible for tile
legal life of the traffic, and they alone could take
it away. The time was near at hand when men
would no longer dare to vote Gods kingdom
down and the devils up 1t was question of
the saloon against the home, and question that
would eventually be settled in righteousness.
The license system had a long trial and
had been a failure because the principles in
volved in it were wrong. Gods hour had struck
fol, the Christian republic to go out of the nefa-
rious business. The liquor system was a ma
tional sin, and the only absolution was in prohi-
bition.
Miss West, of Illinois, followed in a few re-
marks in which she impressed upon the audi
ence the necessity of teaching the moral as well
as the physical effects of intemperance and the
liquor traffic. They were taught in many
cities, but she did not know whether or not in
Indianapolis, where the sceool histories didn't
extend any further than the reign of James Blu
ehanan. Laughter and applause.
After Jesus, Lover of My Soul" had been
sweetly sung by Mrs. F. H. lowering, the last
address of the evening was delivered by Miss
Frances E. Willard, president of the National
Union, and one of the most distinguished women
of the age. She spoke but briefly.
MISS wILLARD's SPEECH
1t had been great pleasure to her. she said,
to listen to the different phases of the temper
ance work so admirably discussed, and she
proposed TO consider still another. Aside from
prohibition what else did this great movement
which had almost encircled the world, signify
1t stood for no sect as such, no sectarianism
in religion, and no sex in citizenship
How grand, how broad, how comprehensive
was such q princple as that She had held