The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-09-19
CORRESPONDENCE.
To the Christian Temperance Women
OfVermOnt, Greetings

To the Christian Temperance Women
OfVermOnt, Greeting'
THE average third party" man or
woman, especially if the idea Of "wo-
mans suffrage is mixed up with Il Q
discussion, is the most intolersnt person
imaginable. With them il is "ReSolv-
ed, That to the saints belongs the earth /;
and further, Resolved, We are the saints, >
every time, all others are rummies,
however consistent their life. As an
example of this we print below clrcu
lar issued by Miss Park, who may hon
estly be said to be the founder OF the
w. q. 7. u, in Vermont, and who Tor
years was its state president. This
counts for nothing, however, as long, as
she is not heartily in favor Of political
prohibition, notwithstanding the unions
of Montpelier, Mortified and several
other large towns sustain the Bennington
Union and Miss Park, in her impregna-
BILE position. This lady, however, is
fully competent to defend herself, and
with the remark that the State Union,
run on the plan deprecated, has been in
session at Burlington yesterday and to-
day, we print the racy comments re-
fered to,-ED.
Dear Friends I'll did not intend to
come before you this year, but an Itlcle
in our State papers seems 10 call Tor
renewed assurance from me, that my
position as a temperance woman has re-
NAMED unchanged for the last fifteen
years.-A. G. P.
In the August issue OF Our Home
Guards, is an extract from letter OF
mine to the editor of the New York
Matt and Express.
Though not written for publication.
this Justly expresses my views on the
subject of combining partisan Tor sec
tarianl work with the W. Q. I. U. A
misprint OF one letter, however, 30
changes the meaning in sentence that
correction should be made; especially
as the editor of the Home Guards has
commented upon the apparent inconslst-
ency.
Iwrote: "Our State is in the hands Of
the minority, as is the National w. U.
7. u. but we do not intend to continue
to aid, with our money and influence,
the partisanship Of the leaders. We
claim right to our religious and politi-
cal belief OUTSIDE of the W. G. t. u,
and will work against the saloon land
Democrats y Independently, We are
non sectarian in religion, and non-partl-
San in politics-in our temperance tcork.
The Home Guards publishes this
1--WE claim right to our religious and
political belief, our side of the W. @,
T. IT," which transforms sound sense
into nonsense SMy friends generally I'M
derstand that l am. and always have
been, a Republican. They also know
that have never tried to advance the
interests Of that party through the w.
G. T. U. / am also O member OF an
Evangelical Church Qor which work
most heartily, but no one can accuse me
of trying to build up my particular
church in the w. G. T. U. And / am
sure, that as temperance organization,
our influence is greatly limited by I'M
ion with any sect or party. Mrs. Housh
says; 1--WE are all partisans, and ca n
not help it." True, but we can avoid
bringing our peculiar opinions into the
w. G. T. u, and forcing others to sane
ton them with their money and labor
or be branded as "disloyal."
My friends, are we loyal to our con-
cience and principles, il we still contrib
suite money to advance cause that we
do not approve? Are we not doing this
when we pay our dues into the State
treasury ? Let us consider these things,
carefully and act consistently.
In the North, the Republican party
contains the majority of temperance
men and women; at the South, many
of the leading Democrats are also lead
ers in the temperance reform. look
forward to the day when the better class
in both parties shall stand as a unit in
their determination to overthrow the
saloon. But this day will never come,
If one party says to the other, You
must first become Democrat" or Re
publican" "before we can together fight
our common enemy"
One more point l cannot omit. Miss
Willard says: No State Union shall De
bound by any principle espoused or plan
devised by the National w, @. T. u"
and Mrs. Housh adds "But in the Ma
tional and State Unions, the Auxiliaries
are not bound by the ret olutions OF par.
This 10 purely 'woman's
way, and not like anything else that
was ever done by any organization
Hence they are not bound by any res
solutions adopted in convention. Hence
Ln6 LueuUeT6 VI bn6 m6tHOulSJ OOulci
ence which passed the temperance reso-
luton referred to, are not bound by that
resolution. Hence either of the great
political parties may pass resolution
to extilpate the SALOONS, and then go
and do exactly as they please l cannot
endorse this "woman's way;" and am
glad that it is mot like anything else
that was ever done by any organiZationp
This grand moral principle was left to
be evolved by the Christian Temperance
Women of the nineteenth century
Hitherto, benighted statesman have
foolishly thought that il they met in
and passed resolutions, those
resolutions meant something. Even l
have fancied that what upheld in con-
vention, and before the world, l was
bound to support at home, and in all
places, or falsify myself. But under
this new Interpretation of truth, can
advocate and vote for "any principle es-
poused or plan devised" in convention,
and work and vote for it's opposite after
l get home and still be esteemed honor
able Oh, rare "woman's way ~
Yours, in Love with Faith"
ANNA G. PARK.
Bennington, VT. September, 1889.