The Portland daily press., 1895-06-20
OPENING SESSION.
OF the Third Biennial Council of the
Worlds w. C. I. u.


Miss. Frances willard Delivered tho Presi-
Dental Address and Referred to Pro-
hibition in Maine
London, June i9-The third biennial
council of the World Woman's Christian
Temperance Union began in Queen's hall
this morning. The principal feature was
the presidential address by Miss Frances
E. Willard. She said in part: Probably
no single proof has been given this year
that is a better offset to the misleading
statements of the liquor men than the
fact that the legislature of the State of
Maine, where the prohibitory law has
been in operation fortv-four years, de-
cided on the test vote that the law should
be retained The vote stood as follows :
Thirteen in favor of doing away with
the law; ia in favor of retaining it
The State of Maine is one of the most
Intelligent subdivisions of the United
States; it has not had brewery or
distillery in its borders for a generation.
Its people have more money in savings
banks than those of any other state, and
while the attempt is made to prove by
juggling with figures that it has a large
percentage of prisoners, it is never stated
that under prohibitory law the whole
moral tone of the people is so much above
the average that all laws are better en-
forced
Hence more convictions are secured,
and that in Maine very many of the
prisoners are men who have been con-
demned for selling liquor which in the
State of New York is no offense.
Therefore, any comparison between the
number of prisoners in Maine, where pro-
hibition prevails, and other states Of the
same population where it does not, is
totally futile and misleading.
= Mrs Eva McLarcn. wife of. Hon.
Walter McLaren, member of Parlia-
ment and superintendent of the
suffrage department. of the world S
Women's Christian Temperance Union.
presented the franchise report, sShe said: :
"Our sisters in the United States have
the great example of Wyoming to point
to, followed quite recently by Colorado,
and in lesser degree by other States. New
Zealand has gained the most success. be-
cause she has enfranchiSed every adult
woman as well as every adult man, and
the result of her first general election un-
der the new system justified the change
Other countries in greater or less de-
gree, are advancing and the progress of
many, relative to their condition only a
few years ago, is most satisfactory.
''By all the leading British organiza-
tion of women which are free by their
constitution to express an opinion, the
demand is practically unanimous for
suffrage. The Women's Liberal Fedora
tion, at the head of which is Lady Car
lisie, comprising 400 associations of lib
eral women, has spoken out with no un-
certain sound.
ssThe Scottish Women's Liberal FEEDER
alton has taken an equally strong atti
tude, and has repeatedly declared its ad
hesion to the cause of women's suffrage,
and its determination to press the ques-
tion forward in Parliament, when the
registration bill of the government is dis
cussed. These two great organizations
of liberal women have about 100, 900 mem
bers, and are rapidly growing.
The British Women's Temperance
Association, of which Lady Henry Som
erset is president, numbering also about
100, 900 women, which is in no sense a
party organization, but which is devoted
to the advocacy of every means likely
to promote temperance, has also declared
for the enfranchisement of women.
~" Another organization of a remarkable
character, though for a temporary pur-
pose, has recently been formed. It is
committee of specially representative
women who occupy prominent positions
IN all the political parties and other asso-
Citations, liberal, conservative, liberal
unionist, temperance and suffrage, united
together with Mrs. Fawcett as president,
under the title of the Special Appeal
Committee, for the purpose of obtaining
the signatures of women to the special
appeal to the House of Commons in favor
of women's suffrage Over $50, 600 sigma
lures have been secured.
Anyone intimately acquainted with
NDpliSh Sociatv and ideas S0 vaarc oro
and coming again to England now, would
hardly recognize it as the same country
The women'S sphere of 30 years ago ex-
lists nc longer, the sphere that is in
which women were then confined. The
freedom which women may now enjoy is
limited only by their own good sense. -
TEMPERANCE IN NORWAY.
The report of the Norwegian Temper
ance Association traced it's own history.
Its first annual meeting was held il
Throndlyem, the ancient capital of Nor
way, where all Norwegian kings in the
old times were crowned, n the magnifi-
cent old cathedral, a custom which still
continues under the present sovereigns
In Norway beer is sold chiefly in bot
ties. In Christiana all women, as well
as men, above 25 years have now got to
vote In community whenever sam
lag is proposed, opened or wishes to re-
new the license; an ordinary plurality
makes the decision
A petition to the government, with
proposal that the use of harmaids should
he abolished, is in circulation.
There is still great opposition to temper
ance reform among the higher classes.
,wREPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
Miss Anna Gordon of Boston, presented
the report of the worlds W. G. T. U.
secretary. 1t showed that the present
membership oil Australian colonies fed
Grated is 1900; there being 290 local
unions The visit of Mrs. Elizabeth W.
Andrew and Dr. Kate Bushnell stimu-
lated many unions and increased public
interest in the purity department..
Queensland, Australia, has 35 W. G.
7. US and IS Young Women's Christian
Temperance Unions in good working Or
der, the membership being q, OOS Thir-
ty-six superintendents are in charge of
as many departments. A large number
of signatures have been secured to the
Polyglot petition and two petit ones
have been presented the Parliament of
Australia one for the hetter r,rotection