Sword and shield. (Clinton, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1885-09-26
their puny efforts to secure local op-
ton for few counties.

ton tor few c0uhtles.
Among the faithful women who
have aided Miss Willard in this lee
ture and platform work must be men
toned Mrs. Chaplin, Of Charleston,
s. G., the superintendent of the w.
G. L. U, Southern work, Mrs. Buel,
Of Connecticut, Mrs. Mary T. Shields,
Mrs. Wells and hundreds of others.
These ladies have visited almost
every town of any Importance in the
United States and have organized
and thoroughly equipped Unions in
every State and every congressional
district of those States. Besides
their efforts in the United States
they have organized Unions in Eng
land under the management of Jno.
Bright's sister and Mrs. Parker, and
in Canada under that Of Mrs. Letitia
Youmany.
In 1884 Mrs. Leavitt set sail from
San Francisco with the brave deter
mlnation of dotting the entire world
with the snowy banners Of the w.
G. L. I. She is at present in Aus
tralia and goes thence to China and
Japan. She has been received ey-
erywhere with uniform courtesy and
had most efficient aid from the mis-
sionaries of all Christian denomina-
tions. AS rewards for their heroic
work their organization numbers
over two hundred thousand mem
bers and has done more for the tenn
perance cause, say the leaders OF
temperance, than the combined et-
forts of all other movements. The
efforts of the w. G. Z. L. were first
directed to procuring Of monster pc
titlons to the State legislatures and
National Congress, requesting that
woman's name on a counter whis-
ky-petition should count as much as
mans. These petitions, it is hardly
worth while to say, were refused by
whisky-dominated and prejudice
hampered legislators. The most i'm
posing of them were the petition Of
100000 names presented to the Hi
nois legislature III 1879, and that
presented to the Ohio Legislature
about the same time. This latter
had 100000 signatures and was
mainly the work Of Mrs. Mary A.
Woodbridge.
At the Republican presidential
nominating convention Miss Will
lard, at the head of large commit
tee, sought entrance to plead for the
insertion of a plank into that party
platform, denouncing the liquor
traffic. 1t is needless to say that re
fusal met them here once more. See.
ing that the old parties would have
none Of them, Miss Willard attended
-unoficialIy, belieye-the Prohi
bition party convention at Pittsburg
and did much by her telling and ef
fectiye speech to secure the nomina-
ton Of the peerless St. John.
In the st. Louis National W. G
T. U. Convention Of the same year
the organization determined, after ;
long and fiery debate, to lend theil
influence to the support Of st. JOIN
and Daniel. In consequence, Mrs
j. Ellen Foster, the superintendent
of the legal department of the ". G
Z. I. withdrew, and together viii
the Rev. DR.. Daniel Dorchester
formed that weakling concern called
the non-partisan temperance league
Each State Union is free, however
to pursue its own course in the sup
porting of parties and party-candi
dates. The Ohio Union is lending
to day very efficient aid to DIR. Leon
ards and Prof. Frost's brilliant cam
paign, while the latest dispatche
say that the New York w. G. Il. U
will support IL. Clay Bascom and TIL
rest Of the New York Prohibition
ticket. So the matter stands tha
each State Union will throw its in
tuence. for the party from whom
they can best expect the promotiol
Of the objects to which they ar
pledged. The Mississippi w. c. I
U. IS, | believe, staunchly Demo
cratic. How long it remains so, de
pends entirely upon the party, o
rather upon the party bosses, for tn
people generally and the party a
large have but little influence il
such matters. a
The thing most observable in tn
w. G, T. U. is the personnel Of tn
members. The members are at one
remarkable for their intellect, thel
womanliness and their quiet deter
mination. They look like they hay
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