Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-27
Mrs. Margaret Plat to Head the
District W. G. T. u.
SECOND DAYS CONVENTION SESSION
The credenti&!t Committees Report
and the Election.
THE UTURE PROGRAM

| OF Columbia began at 9:3O o'clock this
morning in Foundry NJ. Z. Church. The
| exercises Of the morning were opened with
| devotional service of prayer and song
| conducted by Mrs. NJ. E. Har.sock, who
is the superintendent Of the department of
| evangelistc work.
At the hour set for beginning the second
mornings work Of. the convention there
were only twenty-five members of the
union in attendance, but they kept drop
| ping in, few at time. so that by the
| time the business of the morning was I'M
der full .adway the gathering was of most
encouraging proportions.
| The principal business on the program
| was the election of officers to serve for the
ensuing year and of delegates to the con-
| vention of the National w. c. r. IT, which
| is to be held in Baltimore next month. Mrs
| M. E. Griffith, who has made such an eff
| cient president of the District union, an
| nounced at the morning session yesterday
| that her plans for the future Involved her
| removal from Washington as her home, so
that she was out of the lists for reelection
| In addition to the regular delegates to the
national convention a considerable number
of other members of the District union have
Signified their intention Of attending the
| sessions in Baltimore.
At the conclusion of the reading of the
| minutes by the recording secretary, Mrs
| Emma F. Shelton, the report of the Gre
| dentials committee was in order, but, owing
| to the delay of the delegates in handing in
their papers, the report was not in proper
shape to be read. The result was that the
election of officers had to be postponed
| The Flower Mission.
| The report of the flower mission was read
by Mrs. F. G. Jones, and gave a detailed
account of the visits made to the jail, aims
| house and hospitals, and of the gifts of
| flowers. fruits and other luxuries that had
| hoe pfa5t RI tba
| giving them a pleasure and a taste of hap
| pinesS that they would not otherwise have
| had.
| The report of the treasurer, Mrs. S. NJ.
| Wescott, showed that the total receipts of
| the District union nave been $2,479S9, while
! the expenditures have amounted to 81 394 9S.
| The report also included the record of the
| receipts and expenditures from all the
! unions and the US" that constitute the
District union.
| Miss Lizzie kessier. the auditor, reported
that she had carefully examined the treas
| urers accounts anu had found them abso-
At meeting Of the executive xeeu committee
held this morning Yrs. Margaret b. Platt
was elected a delegate from the w. C. T.
I. to the first annual convention of the
National GospelnAIission Union to be held
in this city October I5-17 next.
Credentials Conn tees Report.
At the conclusion of Miss Kessler's re-
port Mrs. II. A. Williams, chairman of
the credentials Committee. read her report,
and as the names Of the officers and dele
gates from the various unions and Y's were
read the ladies rose to their feet. showing
that three-fourths tbr more of those who
ware entitled to- seats i'll the convention
Just about one-haT of the body of the
church, and the work of the union was
transacted in business-Iike manner that
would compare more than favorably with
the average convention of men.
The report of the committee was adopted,
and the convention then devoted itself to
| the annual election of officers, which was
conducted by ballot. There were one nun
dred and twenty-five delegates present and
entitled TO vote.
The president appointed as tellers of the
election Mrs. r. r. West. Mrs. L. ID. Mer-
| rick, Mrs. Minnie Murch and Mrs. Annie
Bovee. Before the ballotng began Mrs.
NJ. E. Hartsock, the evangelistic superin-
tendent. asked an earnest prayer for a
blessing upon the convention in its i'm
portant work OF choosing officers to guide
it during the coming year.
A double ballot was cast for each office
An informal or nominating ballot was first
held, the two ladies who received the high
est number OF votes being pronounced the
official nominees of the convention. These
two names were then voted upon and the
one of these who got the majority was de-
clared elected.
On the first ballot Mrs. Margaret 3. Plat
received Is votes. Mrs. La Fetra %, Mrs.
Clinton Smith % for the office Of president
Ten votes We're scattering.
Mrs. Plat Elected President.
On the formal ballot 12l votes were cast.
Mrs. Platt received II and was declared
elected. The announcement was received
with loud applause, for Mrs. Platt has
been a Woodworking and enthusiastic
member of the union for just seven years.
In that time she has endeared herself to
har iaf oil of uyh he1i hat
the work will go on with renewed energy
under her leadership. She has been for
some time past the president OF the North
Capitol Union, as well as press superin-
tendent in the District Union. She is
an active church worker and woman of
very considerable executive ability.
When the result of the election was made
known Mrs. Platt was escorted to the front
of the church and was received with the
"Chautauqua salute" The exchange of
courtesies between the retiring president,
Mrs Griffith, and the new incumbent was
OF the most pleasant character.
Ladies', said Mrs. Griffith lit gives me
great pleasure to introduce to you our new
president, Mrs Plat. l can only ask that
you will give to her, as you have always
given to me. your earnest support and
tender sympathy"
In accepting the responsibilities of her
new office. Mrs. Platt made particularly
happy little speech, saying that the posi-
ton to which she had been elected was
rot an etsy one to fill. She would prob
ably make mistakes, but they would be of
the head and not of the heart. With Gods
help. though. she would promise to do the
very best she could. She asked her asso-
ciates that they would always remember
her m their prayers. and that they would
all join then and there in an earnest
prayer for blessing upon her in her new
work. At her request, Mrs. Cohen led,
after which was sung the hymn, "Blest Be
the Tie That Binds"
Other Ofiecrs Elected.
Then came the election of vice presi-
dent at large, 'but'it was almost a fore
gone conclusion" that Mrs. Cohen, who has
filled the position Sd satisfactorily in years
past, would be her own successor. On me
informal ballot Mrs. Cohen received rs out
Of III votes. MRS. Clinton Smith, who
came next with a213 votes, thereupon with
drew her name and moved that the re-
cording secretary be instructed to cast the
vote of the convention for Mrs. Cohen.
This was carried unanimously.
The results of the election for the other
offices were as follows: Corresponding
secretary, Miss L. S. Weightman, re-
elected; recording secretary, Mrs. Emma
F. Shelton, reelected; treasurer. Mrs. S.
NJ. Wescott reelected
The morning session adjourned with
prayer shortly before 1 O'Clock.
Afternoon Program.
The program for the sessions this after