Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1888-10-20

tho iowa Union
The fifteenth annual meeting of the
Woman's Christian Temperance union of
Iowa, in session at Des Moines, Iowa, Oc-
tober 2-5, 1SSS-To the annual meeting of
the National Woman's Christian Temper
aace union to be held in New York city,
October 1928. 1888,
With a solemn realization of the response
billty resting upon us as the only state
Woman's Christian Temperance union
thar stands protesting against the
partisan position Of the national
union, with an irresistible sense
Of duty to ourselves in our convictions of
right, and our obligation to what we deem
the best interests OF the temperance cause.
!, D. we'll as our duty to temperance workers
l. ther states who are opposed to the action
or the national union, and in recognizing
the confidence which the Christian public
has reposed in us, We pray you to recede
from the partisan political action taken in
1884 and re-affirmed each subsequent year.
This alliance is wrong in principle, I'M
Christian in method, and disastrous in re-
suits.
ITO thine own self be true" is az vital to
the integrity of an organization az to in
dividpal character.
The basic principle of the Woman's Chris
tian Temperance union is Christian unity
in promoting the principles and practice Of
total abstinence. The basic principles of
party organization is citizen unity in polit-
ical action. These differing principles are
uneQually yoked by the partisan affiiation
to the national union.
It is as true in morals as in mathematics,
that quantities must be reduced to q com.
mon denominator before they can be added
or subtracted.
To attempt to reduce the Woman's Chris
tian Temperance union to the standard OF
party action does violence to the equities
which should control all organized effort.
The partisan position of the national
union is prostitution of its original pur-
pose! It must be abandoned or the organi-
cation will cease to be an evanRel.
The influence of the National Union Gin
ts entirety" is given to political psrty-its
money is applied through the salaries Of the
national officers to the service of political
party. The moral influence of woman is
the political power which stands to her in
place Of the ballot. This moral influence is
pledged to political party. This is polit-
ical robbery and strikes at the foundation
principles of political liberty.
The spirit of liberty is further outraged
by assaults upon the right of free
speech. This is attested by the action Of the
national convention in 1886, in the adoption
Of the following bylaw, Section 1, chapter
WILL, bylaws CT the national union:
"Any resolution referring to our attitude
toward political parties shall be decided by
vote without discussion"
And further by the passage of resolu-
ton declaring that superintendent must
not antagoniZe the policy of the national
union. Not only is free speech in national
convention suppressed by statutory law,
but the right to the expression of individual
opinion by national superintendent is de-
MED by resolution.
This alliance with q political party also
makes party tealty test of loyal member
ship in the organization.
In proof of this we cite the utterances of
the official organ of the national union. In
its issue of July IL, 1888, it says of a vice.
president of the national union:
"Mrs. Foster appeared before the same
committee and was greeted with great ap-
plause. She rehearsed her deep affection for
the republican party, of which she an
nounced herself loyal daughter; dwelt
upon her services to it, and i'm
pe1snce plank plank in their ha platform.
She pleaded eloquently and closed by de-
claring and repeating it three times over,
that whether they put the plank in or not,
indeed, no matter what they did, she should
more is needed to show that in spirit if not
in name she has ceased to be w. @. L. q.
woman, than that this declaration that party
Is more to her than principle"
This has been since repeated. It has not
been repudiated by the national officers.
Thus is an officer of the national union
"read out" because she exercises her in
vinhk IN haeknxu haP pnoif-
ical preferences with the party of
her choice. The partisan arrogance judges
every Woman's Christian Temperance
union woman as true or untrue to the prin-
ciples of prohibition by her allegiance to q
political party. An editorial in the Union
Signal of July 26. 1888, on "Auxilisryship
and Loyalty" says:
"Au1iliaryehip is the letter, loyalty is the
spirit, and the latter means a cordial CO.
operation in carrying out the plans
Of state or national SO far as prac-
ticable, and certainly does not permit adverse
criticism of them, even when unadvlsable
for q union to assume" Thus disapproval
of the plans and policies of the national
union Is declared to be disloyalty.
uNcHRIsr1AN METHODS.
In support of this attempted union Of
divergent agencies, facts have been misrep-
resented, motives have been impugned,
vate and public have been misconstrued,
and our holy cause grievously wounded in
the house of its friends.
It is not strange that persons seek TO avoid
public censure by denial of these charges,
but denial is not proof, and the facts re-
main unchanged.
This violence to principles and these un-
christian methods have wrought many
disasters to our organization, to woman's
work and to the cause of temperance. The
confusion in moral standards renders
unity impossible; it lowers the
moral tone of our 0rganiza-
ton, and threateus its very life. With
hearts loyal to truth and to temperance, and
grieved BY the position We are compelled to
take, whe have stated the truth as God gives
us to see it. And We pray that by speedy
granting of our request, the rights of all
may be assured, and this organization
which God has SO signally honored may be
saved from f. rtheS compromise of tho
dignity of its Christian Womanhood. Adopt
ID October s, 1883.
An Embezzling Supervisor.
BKlLKvILLE, Ill, October IA eensS-
lion was created yesterday When the st.
THAR Ocuntv grand iuYV returned an iudict