Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-11-17

WlI1}A ~
MISS FRANCIS e. WILLARD.
delegates were Miss Agnes Slack, Of
England, secretary of the worlds W. C.
7. u; Mrs. Maud Booth of the American
Volunteers; Miss Rebecca Krikorian, OF
Armenia; Rev. F. D. Greene, secretary
Of the Armenian relief committee, New
York; DIR. Mary Wood Allen, of De-
troit; Mother" Ransom, of Los
Angeles, Cal.
The Convention Opened.
When Miss Willard appeared on the
platform, the audience rendered the
Chautauqua salute. The proceedings
began with the reading of the Crusade
Psalm, after which Mrs. Henrietta l..
Monroe, president of the w. C. T. U. of
Ohio, delivered the opening prayer.
The convention then joined in sing
Ing the Crusade hymn, "Give to the
Winds Thy Fears"
The report of the executive commit
tee recommended that the w. C. T. U.
begin an active crusade against the evils
Of gambling, and the commit on leg
islation was authorized to take meas
ures towards the abolition of gambling.
After the usual committees were ap-
pointed President Willard addressed
the convention.
Miss Wizards Informal Address.
Miss Willard said that her annual adj
dress was partly prepared when the call
came to work for the refugees in Mar
settles and since that time it had been
Impossible for her to complete her
message, and she therefore gave IA
miliar talk to the delegates, Of which
the following is an outline:
She 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 ella borate provision for
its entertainment. In 1884, only few days
previous to the presidential election. the
W. C. T. u. 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 de-
voted heads.
She spoke of the heroines of the rank and
patience when the w. c. T. u "passod
under the rod Of nations criticism"
We have marched far since then and
the alignments of parties have changed
The labor movement has taken on pro-
portions so vast that no one speaks lightly
Of 1t any more. The people are forging
their way to the front, misguided often.
making pitiful paths in the wilderness, fol-
lowing false lights and RELOCATING the
fight for a clear brain to the Spartan band
OF prohibitionists. when il labor would win
1t must make the temperance reform the
Grk OF God to be borne in tho very van of
its swift gathering army.
I'm 1892" Miss Willard continued "some
tee on resolutions of the great labor con-
vention. with Its thousand delegates,
pleading with them to put prohibition
and home protection plank In their plat
form, and they would not" She said that
prohibition In politics has been and is
of the home against the saloon; 1t held
up torch in the gloom, and 1t set the key
note OF divine anthem of liberty. When
the White Ribbon women pighted their
faith to the movement It had polled only
10000 votes. In 1854 the number rose to
10000, and had gone on slowly increasing
until 100000 had been gathered, but owing
to the great controversy concerning the
free coinage of silver this party, like every
other, had split In twain in this mem ora ble
year Of '96 and the vote had fallen off to
about 100000 ont of Il, 100000 ballots
Position of the ". z. C. u. Politically.
"Whon we were In ST. Louis - years ago
We declared for the only party that was
pledged to prohibition and the home pro-
lection ballot, but as there are now two
parties 80 pledged, we cannot In con-
science declare for either, but we are,
hone, the earnest friends of hoth and shall
In this convention make it plain that we
will lend our influence to any party that
Incorporates our principles into Its plat
form. do not mean that we shall indorse
all the planks in that platform, but only
those that embody our principles"
Woman's Suffrage.
Miss Willard then spoke of the woman s
ballot as 1.-The surest method of political
prohibition" She emphasized the declara-
ton of the California suffragists that they
were defeated by the Liquor league and
retoiced in the victory of woman's bal
? lot 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 20 years,
had incorporated 1t into their constitu-
zion. and that II the men OF Kansas. Col
orado 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 1t involves, they would never
have given them the ballot It was sig
nihcant that the states that had en-
Sranchised women were all in one group,
fact that ought to be conclusive in favor
Of woman's ballot. to any reasonable man.
She then spoke OF the Armenlans and the
excellent work done by Mrs Stevens O
Maine: Mrs. Fessenden and Mis-
Blackwell. OF Massachusetts,, in fndiut
homes for the refugees SEM over by her
self and Lady Henry Somerset. and praised
the Armenian relief committee and the Sal
walton Army for the admirable work don,
ny them that nearly 400 friendless m"i
had found friends and occupation Sh,
stated tina. the worlds w. C. T. u. intend
ed to take up work for the Armenians a.
an important part of its endeavor. the,
would probably found colony in Cypru.
for the women and children II had beer
stated by those who ought to know tina,
among all the societies not one had sem
II. SO much for the Armenians as the w G.
7. U. She spoke of the proposition to
form new department to be called 1.-The
department OF Work Against the Gam.