Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-15

meetings, reviewing the work Of the past year
and laying their plans and making their prepa-
rations for the year to come. The District
union is holding its sessions az the Metropoh-
tan ME. Church, having commenced
their first meeting there this morning
at $50 o'clock. The meetings will continue
through tomorrow evening, The church was
prettily decorated when the delegates TO the
annual convention began to gather this morn
ing. On top of the high reading desk was a
beautiful bunch of white flowers and on either
side Of tho chancel were some stately
potted palms. Draped from the desk
in either direction was an American flag on
which was pinned q picture of the handsome
building that Is being erected in Chicago as
the national headquarters Of the union. At
one end Of the chancel was q picture OF Mrs.
HAYES and at the other one OF Gen. Clinton -
Fisk.
The decorations were very ornamental, but
tho meeting had business-like air about il
from the moment that Mrs. s. ID. La Fetra, the
president of the W.CTU. for tho District.
called il to order. There were many delegates
present, each Of them wearing the white ribbon
badge of the union with the initials prettily
printed upon them.
THE MORNING. SESSION
was opened with prayer by Mrs G. L. Clark
The suggestion was made and heartily received
that the National W.C.T.U. be invited TO hold
it's next convention in this city year from
this Notember. This year the convention is to
be held in Atlanta Ga, and a resolution in
viting the union to this city was passed without
a suspicion OF a dissenting voice.
APPOINTMENTS
committee on credentials for this conven-
ton was appointed, consisting OF Miss Lizzie
Kessler Mrs. Maggie Plat and Mrs. T. A.
Williams. Mrs. T. A. Williams and Mrs. Emma
Shelton were appointed on the finance commit
tee and Mrs. Shelton and Mrs. Fannie
Pratt on the committee on courtcsies.
Mrs. Wood, Mrs. Bughee and Mr. Arthur Shell
ton were appointed pages. Miss kesser was
made the chairman of the committee on
resolutions and given authority to
complete the committee by appointing
auxiliaries. Mrs V. G. Davis was chosen
the assistant recording secretary. The other
officers who were present were Mrs. =. ID. La
Fetra, the president; Miss Lizzie Kessler, cor
responding secretary; Mrs. NJ. E. Cohen. re-
cording secretary; Mrs. Teresa +. Williams,
treasurer; Mrs. Emma T. Shelton, anditor, and
Mrs. Maggie d. Plat, organizer.
suPERISTENpENrs OF SPECIAL DEPARTMENTS
of the work were appointed as follows: Heredity
and hygiene, Mrs Annie Bovee; Juvenile and
Sunday school work, Mrs. Alfred Wood; tenn
perance literature, Miss Louise Weight
man; social purity and hope and help
mission, Mrs. II. X. Perley; legislative
and petitions, Mrs. NJ. A. Weaver; prison and
Jail. Mrs. II. II. Hendrickson; unfermented
wine, Mrs. Z. X. Knowles; young woman's
work, Mrs. II. X. Moulton: departmental score
tary, Miss Louise Stroebel; flower mission,
Mrs. Sallie Denham; work among foreigners,
Mrs. H. Crosby; scientific temperance instruc-
| tion Mrs. Sophy Smith.
AT THE AFTERNOON SESSION
Mrs. La Fetra, the president, read her annual
report.
MRS. La PETRAs ANNUAL ADDRESS.
In beginning her report Mrs. La Fetra ex-
pressed gratitude for the prosperity of the
year. She deplored the fact that some of our
churches are apparently further away from the
drinking and degraded classes than ever before
and asked whether the church was in position
to do much for the drunkard when a majority
of its rich members vote for legaliZing the
dram shop.
woMAS's BALLOT.
at is said of US, )" Mrs. La Fetra said with evi.
dent desire to cast stigma upon us and injurt
our infuence-that we are female suffra
gists' As though belief in the power of WON
ans ballot to break the power of the legalizet
saloon would be adequate to condemn us and
dissipato all the good We might otherwise do
True some OF us took equal suffrage in bomeo-
pathic doses at first, for we were slow to see
beyond our prejudices to the law OF equal JUS
tice due every human being"
ut is not true" she said, "that a majority Of
the women who believe i'll equal suffrage are
infidels and atheists. but il il were should we
let them see the law of justice sooner than our
selves who claim to sit at the feet OF the
Master to be taught of Hmm"
Mrs. La Fetra commended highly the work
OF the social purity department and the efforts
of the Hope and Help Mission, where l5(
women and girls have been sheltered since the
last annual report was made.
THE CIGARETTE QUESTION.
"Our executive committee" Mrs La Fetrs
said, ''passed a resolution which has today beer
adopted by this convention urging that a spe.
cialty be made OF the department Of narcotics
the coming year and that we endeavor to Sc.
| cure law prohibiting the sale of cigarettes
and tobacco i'll any form to minors under six.
| teen years of age. We have reason TO believe
that wo will be strongly supported in this effort
by the superintendents, sub-princlpai:
and teachers of the public schools
Thousands of our children are being injured
| by the use of cigarettes and other narcotics
| and none see this more clearly and decidedly
| than the intelligent men and women who looh
| from cause to effect. and realize the detri.
mental influence of tobacco on the health OF
| the scholars placed under their care. Delay il
dangerous and persistent effort should be put
so stirred that a law to protect the children
| from these vices would be demanded of Con.
| gress the coming year."
After referring in terms OF commentator tc
| the work of various departments of the union
| Mrs. La Fetra spoke of
THE WASHINGTON SALOONS.
ave recall with painful regret" she said
"the hearty welcome accorded the National
Brewers Congress by two of our city Commits
sioners and their public commentator of the
beer which they said they had tasted for them.
selves. This same brewers congress was as
sured by our commissioner of internal revenue
John W. Mason. that their interests would be
| carefully guarded What more could saloon
men ask OF the administration
THE sHoREHAa BAR.
at is q source Of sincere congratulation to
US that Vice President Morton has prohibited
the sale of liquors by the drinks at his magnif.
cent hotel, the Shoreham. True it has been,
perhaps maliciously, stated by some New
York papers that this was done
simply for political purposes. Whether
the latter be true or not we would rejoice
if the sale of liquors at retail could be prohib-
tied throughout the nation. even for political
purposes We sincerely hope that the sale OF
LIQUORS by the bottle will also soon be prohib-
tied by the Vice President, for the authority TO
prohibit the sale at retail carries also the power
to prevent selling by the bottle.
Twelve hundred and twcnty-one saloons
have been licensed here the past year-whole-
sale and retail-though our Commissioners
have confessed in their printed regulations that