Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-09-29

women, bar all Of ue were enrneet rnembers
Of the order. In vain we protested. We
should have protected With equAl vigo,. II
the society had been allied 10 any ofAsv
party than tAe ass eAosea, II is sAs psss-
etpis Of party ailsasss 10 seAssA Ne esi~f.
We are well aware that our paitissn
sisters eoatinue to declare that our opposi-
ton is not sincere; that we are an annex Of
the republican party and claim to be uon-
partisan, because we desire 70 serve that
party. II is mystery TO me, that women
who are conscious of their own Integrity of
purpose and singieness Of Aim. can suppose
other women of at least equal standing In
the church aud In good society. can be less
honest than they. For myself and the
women whom represent. We are sincerely
whst We claim TO be, and for the reasons
which we gives For six years the Women's
Christian Temperance tnlon has endorsed,
in its nstlonsl convention. the third party
The form Of the resolution hSs been
changed from year to year. but II has al
ways pledged the influence of the union 10
the support Of that party, calling II in sew
erai instaness by name "The Prohibition
Parry
MISS Willard. the houored president Of
the National Union. sia,ed officially thst
she had sskei the chairman OF the prohi
bition party national committee what W.
c, T. l.. women could do TO advance the
interests of the national campaign then
pending. All the prominent candidates OF
that party were present on the platform OF
the coavs ntion aud vert introduced as the
candidates of ''our party and q plea fot
esmpaisn funds was officially urged among
the local unions.
TIE imprepiiety of this partisAnship must
appear with the stating of the fact..
Moreover as time went on, we saw that this
course was weakening the moral power OF
the orps aixs,ion and working detriment 10
the very csuse in which We were enlisted,
We saw that our good men who had
fought our temperance battles and secured
our temperance laws in the past. and upon
whom We knew we could depend for tenn
persnce work 10 the future, instead Of be-
ing supported hy this Third Party. were
opposed by them, and this. too. to the ad-
vaatsge of the very men who had alsass
opposed us in our work We said; This
is not right. It is not just that We should
desert and oppose these good men who have
stood by US so nohly In the past and who
have enacted for us our laws" There wa.
a world of truth in the remark of the late
President Garfield that "psrtissnism re
gurcs thst we should stand with patriots ss
much as it does that we should denounce
tr,itors." There would have been Just th,
shadow of a reason why we should have en-
lorsed the Third Party had 1t been AT liberty
TO support good temperance men. and m.r
whom II was known v ould stand by 'ha, r,n-
ciple in whatever party IL found them. II
it had done that it would have been more
a temp rance league than political party.
But with the CONDITIONS as they were tn, re-
WIS not the vestige Of an excuse fr sny
such endorsement on the part Of toe
Womcn's Chtisiisn Temperance a. ion
We claim that the alliance of any needed
reform movement with any other party ~
association than itself is neither fsir nsr Just
We give ourselves to the temp rance union
to accomplish specific purposes While |
was with II tue society had my work m,
influence. my earnest hopes for It's succe :,
bu. IL did not have me to gre me array ~
any ether society. h re IL no test of
membership in political parties to which
moral reform action can be reduced. II
is impossible, from hs very conditions OF
things, 10 maze est in 4 political party
the same rs u tsst in moral reform .ocie
'y. The princiFle is wrong from the ver,
start It is Bringing the reform standard
dosn to "a lower level and weakening rs
power for good. Moral reform sssocis
tiors. next to the church of God, are ,be
life of the body polite, and they must mt
lesson their power by sllying ,hems Ives
with sny weakening force This heart Is
life hut this hand is only the me ans through
L. -. ~. &. T.. 4.
liberty is basel uron human rights. II IL
esseBiis ly wrong TO role asay the pnlia
cal influence Of any individual ctzcn
10 any party. When ! sit in conven ion
ard hear it declared by a msj ,rty vote
thst my itflu nee shall he given to ary
party or society feel that have been
wronged; that such qu s'ion is one alone
for my Independent d, ci.ion. When !
gave my influence 10 The Woman's Chris
tisn Tn on ! did not pive ii TO be given by
vote of the union to any other asso citation
and object TO having my influence thus
mortPaged.
Yet these of us who have dared to resca
this attempted trarsfer of our allegiance,
have been ma1e TO feel that we wsre disloy.
al. and have been ostrsc sod rs uaitsr,
One of our State societies vert 20 far a.
to sav that no member was loyal to the
Union who spoke from any platform In f.
vor Of any hut the third IA ty. What i,
wrong 10 principle is always wrorg in re-
suit. To assume power over II great body
Of Chris ism women as regards their poli,i.
cal infiuerbe, is wholly Fsrrants.
bic course of action. A Southern woman
who il Il ve,y strong democrat, wrote me,
wonds rir z bow | could be q republican
For her part, she could never be reconciled
to thst party. ill they rebuilt the homes
they burnt, TIL they called back from thcil
grave. the sons and fathers they killed. Il
sas jus. such letter as we might ex
pgcl from typical Southern wo
man shaiog deeply in the feel.
logs tngendered by war. But il
conclu.ion she said. 'tbopgh we differ &c
cidely as regirds politics we can both ~es
the white ribbon, you in the north, in The
south. and labor together in the rebuilding
Of ihst great temperance canse so dear 'c
the heat, of US both" The Iowa W. &,
r. Z. wss the only State Union that did
not run after tfis false partisanship. We
( have always had In that Union the Chris
+ ten omen tt mrersnce workers Of all par
/ tics, and VIC have them today. From 'h'
Wy fft}'r VI ~ Ff'j@Hibfut hI'b tIf ~
/ tor Of t mperance work In tia. State
/ msjofity Of the members Of that Unior
are believers in the republican party and Il
would b.. very easy III pg for them, wer'
| they dssircus Of doing 20. to pledge ihs
"a, ,ro't Of the order TO that party. Bu
! they hsve never done go. They believ.
their york should be slevsted shove all par
'isanshie, and they have never by any &C
lent their itfuence TO any political party
A. result their ranks have been united
/. nd they have been able to carry on the
gssst work in which they are engaged will
the ASSURANCE Of the temperance people in
all psrgies.
| may be pardsned here, perhaps, for re
+ feiring 10 my dsnomios;ionai preference
, I dn it simply by way Of illustration. an
" thodis,, born and bre d 80. My fathsi
~s. as tbojist preacher, and wore him
stls cot IN tie service. Ny mother, too
I grave bsr life 10 II. living in other peoples
7 toase,. moving from place TO place ., fire.
/ On. nly that the grass bad scarcely time Z,
: aros in asy one Of them. Bufdened witt
| IL e care Of large family. never having IL
eli her lie home that ste could call hei
! own I'LL so.n out In the work she laid hel
tired hody down to rest II IL no wonder
thtn. tl1xr love The Methodist church
that Ise its hearty hsllelpjah. iss love
/ feast. it, sr1ious seat, ard that I never
Z NEE, one nf il misisiers but Whist I feel ,
i Ses r, 70 ee. bold Of his hand. But. no.
vilh.sadiaz tbss, DID soyooe ever suspect
/ me cf irying 10 carry the Influence Of tbs
Womsn's Tersperaoce Christian Union fs
tbe Methodist church. Yet we could ou..
! 70 sil the rest Of you there II We desired
f.s se fIsvs large majority Ia the order
We ton.d 30; only vote the Influence Of shs