Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-06-25
THE W. c. T. U. AND STATEHOOD.

Remarks OF the President OF the
E~kingsbury County Organization Up
on the Popular Theme of the Hour.
Dc Smet, June "a, 1sS6-Special Cor
respondence-The Woman's Christian
Temperance union, of Kingsbury coun-
ty, held their annual meeting here yes
terday. At both afternoon and evening
sessions the attendance was large. Del
egates from every direction were pres
emit. Among the many matters of in
|terest considered were the recent act of
congress, requiring instruction in every
public school in avery territory and the
district of Columbia upon the effect of
alcohol and narcotics upon the human
system and the Dakota statehood ques-
tion. The president, Mrs. Maria W.
Owens, said:
What 10 our duty as an organization
and az individuals to the statehood
movement? 20 movement which ia rap.
idly taking shape in the formation OF
state leagues in the larger and Lesser
towns Of south Dakota; their object
being the division of Dakota on or near
the 18th parallel, and the admission of
the southern part to the union under
tho Sioux Falls constitution. The his
tory OF state making shows that consec-
utive constitutions are sometimes lost
before admission is gained.
Dakota hass lost one.
She is in imminent danger Of losing
the second. With II will be saved or lost
the article which forever prohibits with
IN our borders the manufacture and sale
OF intoxioants. This is the first consti.
tuition aver presented by any people
whom knocking for admission TO the
aaicn which has contained . prohibiting
elsuse. 1t has thrown strong safeguards
about the rights Of Dakota people, and
though as women, we may deem it o bit
incomplete, yet, as far as thrown up,
these constitutional entrenchmsnts we'll
secure the peoples rights.
To lose the Sioux Falls constitution
| without eur best efforts to saw it 10
folly and wIokednsss; it 10 to lose that
we may not regain fer years. We bays
need that it aids its prohibitory clause
go into effect ss soon as possible. Two
or three years with or without saloon
temptation may mean to your boy or
mine the lowest degradation, or the
noblest manhood. 1t seems this surely
to many q Dakota mothers boy. Il
means life or death to will. broken and
almost despairing ones lin our own coun-
try. 1t means life or death to many
hundreds of these in the territory.
advise resolutions expressing hearty
accord with the statehood movement
and methods and recommendation to
each member and each woman of the
country to join the league nearest her
home, thus pledging herself to do her
"~little" that our Dakota may soyn take
it's place pure and spotless in the sister.
hood of states.
In common with hundreds of others
in Dakota-in common with many of
you, my share of the loss, the lear raas
som cost, that not o star OF the old flags
constellation should be lost to it, WAS
borne; for two brothers, o cousin aid
one other of mine fought
for the old flag. One came
through the long, bitter struggle to go
through life famed and blinded and
health broken. One lived Though the
horrors of A~ndersonville, one starved to
death in Libby prison aud sleeps IN an
unknown grave under southern skies.
Dc you wonder that on that flag, their
suEferings helped to saw and to bring,
back with it's bright constellation all