The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1889-07-13
Reorganization Of the Ketchum y,
G. 7. y.

The ketchum Woman's Chris
tian Temperance Union held thei
annual meeting OH Saturday, Jul,
6, at the Methodist Church. i
large majority of the members wer
present, and spirit of harmon,
and interest pervaded the entir
meeting. The reports of the differ
ent superintendent of departments
also that of the secretary and treas
urer were submitted to the society
and approved. After the busines.
was concluded, the honored presi
dent, Mrs. W. H. Brodhead, made
the following earnest address to the
Union, which was listened to with
profound attention:
My DEAR Co-LABoRERs: You
have listened to the reports of the
officers and superintendents of our
organization, which has presented
a brief history of our work during
the past year that we have been
banded together as a branch of the
Woman's Christian Temperance
Union, and there is no need for me
to recapitulate. There is an un-
written history of our struggles and
troubles, with which you all are as
we'll acquainted as myself. There
is no need for me to rehearse that
either. But l want you all to bear
them both i'll mind during the time
of our meeting to-day, as they
have an important bearing upon
the matter which we will soon
consider. l want to thank you for
the very kind and considerate man
ner in which l have been treated as
president ofyour Union, by a very
large majority of the members, and
while | appreciate the kindness that
has prompted so many of you to
express the wish that I may con-
tinue to hold the office of president
for another year, l am absolutely
compelled to decline the honor, on
account of i'll health and the mul-
tiplicity of home duties. But it
may be that there will be no neces-
sity at present of electing new off,
GERS. In talking over the needs and
condition of our society, and their
relation to the needs and condition
Of the community, and planning
for another years work, with
of different members, it has
been suggested by each one sepa-
rately, without collusion or con-
sultation with each other, that our
society under its present organiza-
ion had reached its limit of good,
md only under a new constitution
md without the cumbersome and
auxiliaryship to the Wo-
mans Christian Temperance Union
an we hope to accomplish any
hing more. We have done good,
am thoroughly convinced, whether
n due proportion to the time and
money expended. we cannot per-
laps tell now. But the time has
ome when l believe We can do
more in a different way. If we
withdraw our allegiance to the W.
:. L. o. it will relieve us of having
0 send away any part of the means
which we feel that we can devote
o philanthropic work; it will re-
ieye us Of the burden of paying
he expenses of workers who may
e land will be) sent from time to
ime without our having any voice
n determining whether We desire
hem to come or not, or feel that
re need their services. The spirit
t the organization of the W. c. I.
J. seems to be an arbitrary one
throughout. I am far from dispar-
ging it or it's officers and methods, !
nd know that it numbers noble |
'omen in it's ranks, and has done,
nd is still doing, q noble work in
ghting the Trinity Of Evil" but
does not seem to be flexible and
nipple enough for our needs here.
he situation here in this depressed
tile mining camp in the wilds
f the Rocky Mountains, is in
lany respects, unique, and meth
de- that work admirably in older
ommunities, where q larger pro.
ortion of men and women are
lterested in temperance and relig-
'us work, will not do at all where
lere are comparatively so few to
ear the burdens. And the rules
the w. C. T. U. have not seemed
,e proper ones for US to work un-
pr. l have been accused by some,
nd perhaps more silently con-
emned by others, for being too
.bitrary in many Of my acts as
resident of this society. On the
her hand, l have been censurcd
Y my superior, the territorial pres
ent, for not having been arbitrary
Id strict enough, and there is,
that spirit of inharmo-
Y between our feelings and the
ethods of the parent society. 1t
'ems to me that what We need is
wider and more flexible
! it's aims, and more local in its
ork. We have sent money away
+ territorial fees, expenses of evan