Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1888-03-03
w. c. T. U. COLUMN.
Edited and Compiled by the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union.
Neither Dead nor Sleeping.
BY MRS. Il. p. HOLMAN.


Nashville(by the National w. G. T.
U. Convention) declaring the w. c.
L. U.a woman suffrage institution,
has killed this powerful factor for
good deader in the Southern States
than the mummies of Egypt"
The above item was clipped from
an exchange that l had always consid-
cred one of the best friends Of the w.
G. T. u, and one which certainly
did good service for the amendment
in the recent campaign. Now, as
there is certainly misunderstanding
in the mind of that good friend in re-
gard to the matter, and not only in
his mind but in the minds of many
other good editors in our State, !
thought I would write a few words
of explanation to THE ISSUE, hoping
that all who are laboring under
mistake in regard to this matter, and
have thus been unwittingly the cause
Of doing the w. G. T. U. in our
State great injury, would take &C.
casion to correct it. In my position
as State Superintendent of the Press
Department for the w. c. T. u, /
have had frequent occasion to COM
municate with the editors of the va
rious papers in our State, and have
met from them nothing but uniform
courtesy, and that makes me hope
they will listen to and treat with fair
ness this communication to them and
toother readers of THE ISSUE who
misunderstood our position. Why,
many of the dear sisters themselves,
through not being posted, have been
grieving because they think the
cause has been "set back"
Now if the adoption of a suffrage
resolution was the death of the w. G.
I. u, they have been dead exactly
six years. For in 1881 when the w.
G. It. U. met in National Convention
at Washington, they adopted a de-
partment of franchise. And yet q
peep into one of the busy meetings of
the National Convention at Nash
vile would have convinced the most
skeptical that there never was civ
er" body of women, and certainly no
National w. G. T.. q. convention
ever had such representation of
Southern women.
There has never been any secret
made of the matter that the w. G. T.
Union had "resoluted" time and
again in favor of woman suffrage.
The matter stands thus: The W.. G.
T. u. grew out of the crusade move
ment of '73 and IA whose first object
was to lessen intemperance by moral
suasion only, finally crystalized into
the organized body known as the
Woman's Christian Temperance I'm
ion, whose primary object is total alb
stinence for the individual, and total
prohibition for the State. These two
ideas are the foundation principles o.
every w. G. T. U. that has been or
ganized in the state or nation. Tt
assist in carrying out this work, there
have been added different depart
ments of work from time to time
until now there are more than forty
different departments of work, all, a.
they think, helping on the great work
ofthe temperance reform. A large
number of the brightest mindsamont
both men and women at the Nortl
believe that woman suffrage is no
only right and just, but necessary t,
secure the passage and enforcement
ofprohibition laws. Therefore tn
women of the w. G. T. U. in tn,
Northern states desired to add de
partment of franchise to the w. G. r
U. The question came up for dis
cussion, first at Washington in 1881
At this convention, nine Southern
States were represented But the,
declined to take part in the discus
sion or vote, leaving the Northern
women to follow their conscience Il
regard to the matter, while rese,viSa
TO Themselves the right 10 do the sam,
Outside of the prime objects Of tots
abstinence and total prohibition, tn
resolutions of the National Union ar
1dvisory and not mandatory on tn
different State Unions. No Souther
State has yet added a department {
franchise to its work. Therefore n
Southern State is in any way boun
by and suffrage resolution adobte
by the National w. C. T. o., and til
matter stands exactly where it di
this time last year.
Suppose the Southern endo ~