The San Francisco call., 1896-11-14
President. Frances E. Willard
Speaks of the Heroines in
the Rank and File.
OTHER OFFICERS MAKE REPORTS
Much Good Work Dcns in the Various
States by the Persistence Of
Organizers.

ST. LOUIS, No, Nov. 13.-tor the
twenty-third time in the history of the or
ganization the Women's Christian Tenn
perance Union met in annual convention
this morning. Nearly COCO delegates and
visitors were present when Miss Frances
E. Willard called the convention to order.
The executive com mittee recommended
that the w. c. T. .. begin an active cru
sade against the evils of gambling. The
committee on legislation was authorized
to take measures toward the abolition OF
gambling. After the usual committees
were appointed Frances E. Willard ad-
dressed the convention. She spoke of
heroines of rank and file who had
borne and labored and had had patience
when the w. c. T. U. "passed under the
rod of Nations criticism" She said:
1--WE have marched far since then, and
alignments of parties have changed. The
labor movement has taken on proportions
so vast that no one speaks lightly of it
any more.'
Continuing, Miss Willard expressed the
warmest appreciation of the white ribbon
women of st. Louis, who, undeterred by
the calamity of the cyclone, invited the
convention and had made generous and
elaborate provision for its entertainment.
In 1884 only few days previous to the
Presidential election, the W. G. T. Q. met
here and ventured on the high seas of
political contention. They had espoused
the cause of the prohibition party and
called down curses on their devoted heads.
She continued:
"The labor movement has taken on pro-
portions so vast that no one speaks lightly
of it any more; the people are forging
their way to the front, misguided often,
making pitiful paths in the wilderness;
following false lights and relegating the
fight for a clear brain to the spartan
band of prohibitionists, when, if labor
would win, it must make the temperance
reform the ark of God, to be borne in the
very van of its swift, gathering army.
''In 1892" Miss Willard continued,
"some of US sat up all night with the
committee on resolutions of the great
labor convention, with its thousand dele
gates, pleading with them to put prohi-
bition and home protection plank in
their platform and they would not"
She said that prohibition in politics has
been and is now and is to be the embodied
protest of the home against the saloon.
1t held up a torch in the gloom and il set
the keynote of divine anthem of liberty.
When the white-ribbon women plighted
their faith to the movement it had polled
only 10000 votes. In 1884 the mum Der
rose to 10000, and had gone on slowly
increasing until $50. 900 had been gathered !;
but, owing to the controversy concerning
the free coinage of silver, this party, like
every other, had split IN twain in this
memorable year of 1896 and the vote had
fallen off to about zoe, ,0G0 out OF Ii, 900, 600
of ballots.
when we were in ST. Louis twelve
years ago." she continued, 1--WE declared
for the only party that was pledged TO
prohibition and the home protection bal
lot, but as there are now two parties so
pledged we cannot in conscience declare
for either; but we are. / hope, the earnest
friends of both and shall in this conven-
tion make it plain that we will lend our
influence to any party that Incorporates
our principles into its platform. do not
mean that we shall indorse all the planks
in that platform, but only those that en-
bo1y our principles"
Miss Willard spoke of the woman's bal
lot as "the surest method of political pro-
hibition." She emphasized the declara-
ton of the California suffragists that they
were defeated by the liquor league and
rejoiced in the victory for woman's ballot
that seems to have been gained in Idaho.
She made the point that the men OF
Wyoming, after having watched the
workings of woman's suffrage for twenty
years, had incorporated il into their con-
stitution, and that if the men of Kansas,
Colorado and Utah had felt that the effect
of the enfranchisement of women had
been to make them less loyal to the home
and all that it involves. they would never
have given them the ballot.
She stated that the worlds Woman's
Christian Temperance Union intended to
take up the work for the Armenians as an
important part of its endeavor; they
would probably found colony in Cyprus
for the women and children.
She gave notice that the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union would call
societies throughout the world to set apart
March 20. the birthday of General Neal
Dow, as prohibition day."
Miss Willard closed with an affectionate
mention of Mrs. Letitia Youmans of Can.
ada, the white ribbon pioneer in that
country, and Mrs. Sallie Chapman, both O.
whom have recently died.
At the conclusion of Miss Wizards ad
dress, pretty incident occurred. Fifty.
eight young lady pupils in local semi
nary marched upon the platform, each
carrying a huge chrysanthemum, which
they presented to the president in honor
of the fifty-eieht miiestones which she ha.
passed on the journey of life.
The entire audience arose and agair
waved the Chautauqua salute.
The report of the corresponding secre
tary sums up the years work as follows
Total number of new unions organized
1175; total number of new member.
gained, 1888. That the gains as showr
by the treasurer's books are not larger by
no means lnvalidates this record. In toe
many instances the gain has been offse
by corresponding loss; in others 'harc
times" has been potent factor, prevent
ing the payment of dues; in still Others
many members joined in the last half o.
the year and paid for six months only
thus m aking it necessary to count two a:
xU;thor,f IoT1hf the rasr,Ife of fhi.