The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-12-23
NOn.Partisan Prohibition.

by the n0n-pOttttcdt ladies of the National
Woman's Christian Temperance Union con-
vention in Philadelphia, who signed pro-
test against committing that Christian or
ganization to the aid and support of any
political party, and their reasons for consid-
ering such measure unwise and ine1pedient,
we make brief extracts from the report of
the committee on resolutions and the dis
cussion that followed, as given in the Union
Signdps report of the convention:
Mrs s. r.. WOODS of Iowa then pre-
sented the following as the minority report,
signed by herself, Miss NJ. p. Moore of Ver-
mont, and Miss T.. Fowler of West Virginia.
=, R,esolged, That we are unreservedy and unater-
ably committed to securing and maintaining prohi-
bition, both constitutional and statutory, in both
ResoIred, That in order to preserve harmony
among our members and to secure the cooperation
Ing such measures as will advance the tempeTsnee
WE S anWe to pledge The aid and in
ance Union to any political party.
Mrs. FOSTER of Iowa moved that this mi
nority report be substituted for the report
of the committee in so far as the report of
the committee relates to the subject treated
of in the minority report.
Mrs. ALDRICH of Iowa: am in favor of
the minority report because it states the
very reason for which we desire that this
National Union shall not pledge its influence
to any political party-in order to preserve
the harmony of our unions. | am in favor
of unbiased legislation We have got to
ask the the cooperation of men in different
political parties, and this we cannot do If we
antagonize them unnecessarily by pledging
ourselves to lend our aid and influence to
one party. For this reason especially / am
in favor of the adoption of the minority re-
port. And | am in favor of it for another
reason: think this union, composed as it
is of women from different religious denomi-
nations, should remain unsectarian; and
of all associations, we should remain nom
partisan am opposed to the report of the
committee because / do not think it is right
for us to have such test of partisanship as to
ally ourselves with any organization. We
would have in this partisanship those who do
not believe in total abstinence and in pro-
hibition, and therefore | sincerely hope
that the minority report may be adopted.
Mrs. SEAvER of Montpelier: The question
is asked if the departments gained their
success by working through any particular
parties in the Legislature. Will Mrs. Hunt
| answer?
| Mrs HUNT of Massachusetts,: / can only
answer from my department standpoint. I
can say most emphatically worked
! through all parties in the state of Pennsyl-
vania.. l remember very well the leader of
thee democratic party making a strong
! speech for our bill and a representative of
! the republican party likewise advocating it.
| remember some men who came here, and
they said, You had better go to your own
party" /" Oh" said az thought / had
the democratic party, think" No."
said. But you passed a resolution "Oh,
no." " But you did, out West" And, ladies,
not one inch could get until had been
able to make him understand, as well as
others, that we worked upon non-partisan
basis, and then at that time all men rallied
to the question on its merits. 1t is my ex-
perience in Massachusetts. The question
was again and again asked me, DO you be-
lieve in this political party?" And I would
say, 4" came here asking for this in the in
terests of the children" How are we to
secure prohibition and the complete Danish
ment of the liquor traffic? How can we do
it? We are not men, we cannot vote, and
all we can do is to create this sentiment,
| and the question is, How can we best do so?
Can we best do it by allying ourselves with
political parties? When l went to the legis-
| lature, last winter, said to one, " Will you
please use your influence with Mr.. So
and-so?" and he said, " 1t is no use to do
anything with him; he is democrat and L
am republican" They look through po-
ltical lenses. 1t is blindness, 1 know you
say, but such is the fact. We must work
together in the temperance lines, and if
we differed in our UNCONVENTIONAL views,
| the blood of my ancestors would have been
up for some of my Episcopal sisters about
the apostolic succession; but we must not
| allow these things to interfere. Now here
are these democrats-it is all right. | am a
republican, brought up in that view: it is in
my heart and convictions, and | am edu-
Gated that way. Now there are women here
who are democrats. We are all prohibitions
lists. All right. Then there are women here
who are greenbacllers. All right Now what
we want is to work together, and not to an
tagonize either party.
81, - ~.
resolution adopted by the Vermont Woman's
Christian Temperance Union at the annual
meeting in Brattleboro:
Resolred, That while we tendery love our national
desire to keep the Vermont womans Christian Tenn.
perance Union free from the trammels of any
among ourselves and to secure the full co operation
of every temperance man in the state.
The following is an extract from Miss
Frances f. Wizards annual address de-
livered before the National Womans Chris
tian Temperance Union convention at
Philadelphia: Pass such resolutions as
you think best in the states, and if, in your
| Judgment it is wise to be non-committal
upon this mighty issue, declare that judg-
ment, but let us march onward side by side.
If | thought the non-partisan view to be the
best, would stand by it, though | stood all
alone"
Recently, Mrs. w. C. Sibley, president of
the Woman's Christian Temperance Union
| Oh GEORGIA, puDISneu III Une Augusta NeWS
an attack upon Mrs. Ellen Foster. This is
answered by Mr.. E. c. Foster lin the alb
sence of Mrs. Foster, who is on lecturing
tour in a lengthy letter in the same paper.
He shows that Mrs. Foster has never en-
gagged in political work, as charged; but on
the contrary, she has invariably advised
women against pledgng political affiliations
with any party, and she has steadily made
her protest against such action. 1t appears
| that while Mrs. Foster was speaking, in the
late convention in Philadelphia, against the
proposition to lend the support of the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union to
the prohibition party movement, she was
Kissed by some of the delegates. Mrs. Sib-
ley states that the kissing came from only
one person; but others assert most emphat-
ically that the kissing was vehement and
prolonged This leads Mr.. Foster TO re-
mark that " Christian women, when EN-
barked on political craft, will do precisely
the same things, and in the same way that
men do to carry out and enforce their po-
ltical convictions" In regard to Mrs. Sib-
ley's statement-that as to the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union entering poll
tics, the thing is impossible under existing
circumstances-Mr Foster shows that al
ready the Womans Christian Temperance
Union not only has promised to aid and
support a political party, but has been
faithful in the performance of the promise.
We have the solemn utterances of the
national body itself that it will continue its
political affiliations, and in some states the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union has
elected delegates to state political conven-