West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1886-04-28
WEST VIRGINIA FREEMAN
The Field at Large.
VIEWING RHODE ISLAND AT
A DISTANCE.
The Size of the Victory and How
1t was Won.
Prof. A. 4. Hopkins Letter.

ROCHESTER,, N. Y.
Home again, for a brief tarry by
the sick bed, let me refer to Rhode
Island yet once more, and the mar
velous victory gained there.
feel justified, at this distance,
in appl ying strong adjectives. That
was a marvellous victory. Beside
it the capture of Atlanta grows
dim. Be it remembered that the
Georgia fight was tor local option
only, with possible expiration at
the end Of two years. Be it furth-
er remem bered that Atlanta, with
only $4,000 inhabitants, did not
quite carry local option by even
bare majority, but depended on the
county outside to secure it. Who're
as Providence, with population
twice as large, not only gave Con-
stitutional Prohibition a decided
majority, but came within less
than two hundred of the requisite
three-ffths. Here was State cap
ital, a commercial center and liq-
uor focus, all EN- bodied in one, and
strongly carried for the most radi-
cal form of Prohibitory law, in face
of the most immovable conserva-
tism known to America. You can
nowhere find so conservative
State as Rhode Island. 1t clings
with genuine colonial grip to the
traditions of the fathers. 1t does
things-a good many things-to-
day, just and only because they
were done in the same fashion one
hundred years ago. 1t rings the
curfew bell Gin Providence) that
people may retire by it or not, as
did their ancestors. 1t might have
been expected to hold fast by Ii
cense merely because other genera
tions had believed in it and upheld
it.
Yet slow, small, solemn Rhode
Island, with its one city of much
size dominated by drink, with it's
political conscience largely for
long time in the keeping of poll
ticians, with two or three Prohi-
bition experiences not wholly sat-
isfying in its past, and with
ring of whisky men controlling its
present politics, dare and did de-
clare license no longer the wise
State policy, and dare and did put
Prohibition into her organic law to
stay! All honor to 1.-The State of
Rhode Island and Providence Plan
tations!' as still in conservative
phrase she legally calls herself. All
honor to the smallest Common
wealth, which on April 7th won
the largest victory yet achieved
"for God and Home and Native
Land"
How was this result achieved?
Well, hard work had much to do
with it, and an aroused public con-
science, and consecrated woman
hood. Work stirred the Conscience
(begin conscience with a capital
G, Mr.. Printer, for it is a capital
thingD and largely womanhood
did the work. The State w. c. T.
Union, with Mrs. E. S. Burlingame
at its head, and the Providence W.
G. 7. u, with Mrs. G. F. Martin as
President, did efficient service.
Whether they had much money or
little do not know, but they sent
out piles of literature; they lavish
ly distributed ballots; they placar-
ded the street cars; they labored
with and in the churches; they ar
ranged children's meetings; and in
many other ways they moved pop
ular sentiment. One bright Wo-
mans thought was to quote this
from Lowell and to print it on neat
slip, under the black headline;
APRIL 7, 1886:
'Once to every man and nation comes the
moment to decide,
In the strife of Truth. with Falsehood, for
the good or evil side
Some great cause, Gods new Messiah, offer
ing each the bloom or blight,
Parts the goats upon the left hand, and the
sheep upon the right,
And the choice goes by forever 'twixt that
dark ness and that light"
And this apt quotation, accom-
panied by an Amendment ballot