Evening star., 1896-11-13
NATIONAL W. c. T. U.
Twenty-Thira Annual Convention in
Session.
GREATEST AryEBgDANcBIN TsHlsqoRY
Distinguished Visitors Present From
Other Lands.
PROHIBITION IN POLITICS

ST. LOUIS. November 13.---The twenty
third annual convention of the National
Woman's Christian Temperance Union
opened in Musis Hall today with the great
est attendance eyer present. AT least 800
accredited delegates were on hand, and as
many more visitors from every portion
of the country. Among them are Miss
Agnes f. Hook of England, secretary of
the Worlds w. c. T. T.; Mrs. Maud Booth
OF the American Volunteers. Miss Gvyneth
Vaughn of Wales. Miss Rehecca Kirkorian
OF Armenia and Rev. +. j. Greene, secre-
tary OF the Armenian relief committee,
New York. -.
Three sessions a day for five days will be
held during the convention.
Exercises were begun as early as 8
o'clock, prayer meeting being held In
Schuyler Memorial Home, at which Miss
Elizabeth w. Greenwood of New York.
worlds and national secretary Of the evan
gelistic department. acted as leaders.
Music Hall, IN which the convention met.
was decorated with red and white festoons
of these colors hung from the balcony. in
terspersed with the stars and stripes. over
the immense stage between two immense
United States lags hung British flag.
above which was a large sign with the
word Welcome upon it. Below these
was huge banner. bearing the words.
The star of hope of the temperance re-
form stands over the school house
1t was considerably after o'clock, the
hour scheduled for meeting. when Miss
Frances Z. Willard. national president.
called the gathering to order. Prior to this
all the women identified with the Original
crusade were called to the platform. AS
Miss Willard stepped to the front she was
received with a salute of waving handker-
chiefs. The exercises began with the read
ing. responsibility. of the Crusade Psalm.
the 146th.
Mrs. Henrietta L. Monroe, president of
the w. c. T. u. of Ohio. offered up
PRAYER. the delegates standing. After the
singing of the crusade hymn, Give to the
Winds Thy Fears" the roll of ex-officio
members for the recording secretary. Mrs.
Clara C. Hoffman of Missouri. was called.
The report Of the executive committee
was then made. 1t was in effect a report
OF what had been done at the meeting of
the committee yesterday, and related to the
work OF the convention and the National
Union. 1t was decided 10 make March 20
birthday of Gen. Neal Dow. prohibition
rally day.
Miss Wifinrd's Address.
There was some more singing, and Miss
Willard then made an address. She said
that her annual address was partly pre-
pared when the call came to work for the
Armenian refugees in Marseilles and since
that time 1t had been impossible for her to
complete her message. She therefore. gave
a familiar talk to- the delegates
Mention was made of the previous con-
Vention neld here in 1854 and Miss Villa rd
added: I'VE have marched far since then
the alignments of parties have changed, the
labor movement has taken on proportions
so vas, that no one speaks lightly OF it
any more: the people are forging their Way
to the front. misguided often, making pitt
ful paths In the wilderness. following false
lights and relhgating the fight for a clear
brain TO the spartan band of prohibiionists,
When II labor would win, it must make the
temperance reform the ark Of God, to be
borne in the very van of its swift-gather-
ing army. In 1892 some OF us sat up all
night with the committee on resolutions of
the great labor convention. with it's thou
sand delegates pleading with them to put
d prohibition and a home protection plank
in their platform. and :ney would not"
The speaker said that prohibition in poll
tics has been, is now and is to be the EN-
bodied protest of the home against the
saloon. When the white ribbon women
plighted their faith to the movement it had
polled only ten thousand votes. In 1884 the
number rose to 10000, and had gone on
slowly increasing until 25OCUO had been
gathered. but owing to the great contro-
versy concerning the free coinage of sill
yer, the party. like every other. had split
In twain in the memorable year CT 1885, and
the vote had fallen off to about 100000 out
of 100000 ballots.
Miss Willard touched On the work done
for temperance in the several states, and
then spoke of the Armenians and OF the ex-
celent work done by Mrs Stevens of
Maine, Mr. Fessenden and Miss Blackwell
of Massachusetts. in finding homes for the
refugees sent over by herself and Lady
Henry Somerset. She praised the Ar
Army for the admirable work done by
them, so that nearly 400 friendless men
had found friends and occupations. She
stated that the worlds w. C. T. T. intend
cd fn raj 10 he for tJ,o
as an important part of its endeavor; they
would probably found a colony in Cyprus
for the women and children.
This was followed by an evangelistic
hour. presided over by Rev. Alice Ruth
Palmer of Minnesota. The consideration of
miscellaneous business closed the morning
session.
Reports Submitted.
At the afternoon session Mrs. Mary Cart
land. president of the North Carolina
Union, opened the meeting with prayer.
The report of the corresponding secre-
tary, Mrs. Cathar.ne Lent Stevenson Of
Masse chusctts, showed that during the
year 1,17J new unicIs had been organized,
the gain i'll membership being 15sSS The
gain, however, had been offset by a corre-
spor ding loss. A gain in membership had
been made In New Jersey, Maryland, Mich
igan. Massachusetts, Virginia, Kentucky,
Louisiana. Colorado Missouri. Iowa, Mis-
sissippi Tennessee, New Hampshire, Tex
North Dakota, Eastern Washington, Con-
necticut Georgia. number 2. Florida. Utah,
Arkansas, Wyoming. Indian Territory, Ala
bama, Oregon. Maine and Rhode Island
the order Of the states indicating the rela-
tive gain. There were losses in Illinois,
Kansas Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Wisconsin, Southern California, Minnesota,
New York, California, Vermont, Georgia,
West Virginia, Idaho. New Mexico. Okla
hcma. Arizona. Indiana. western Wash
ington. Delaware, Montana. North and
The fres.surer'. Report.
The reportipf tae- treasurer, Helen M.
Baker of Illinois, Stated that the receipts,
Notwithstanding the hard times. had been
larger than for several previous years
The appropriations for all lines of work