Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-05-15
W. G. T. I. SELECTIONS.
CONDUCTED BY EMELINE STEWART.
LegislatiOn and Enforcement Q

Legisiation and Enforcement OF
Law.
This department OF the w. c. +. U.
should aim to carry out the plan set
from the beginning, viz: Love
worketh no i'll to his neighbor
hence our desire to secure good and
righteous laws and the enactment Of
those that shall make it "easy to do
right and hard to do wrong"
First, comes the rallying cry that
brought us into being, the prohibition
OF the liquor traffic. We started with
this end in view when we declared for
total abstinence for the individual,
constitutional prohibition for State
and nation" Here we set up our
standard; it has never swerved! For
this We must work, agitate, educate.
God is holding controversy with
the Christian men OF this nation to-
day, as never before; many are al
most persuaded" and we, if faithful to
our trust, will by Gods grace, help the
cause greatly this year by prayerful,
judicious, persistent agitation. All
States have some good laws upon their
statute books, against open saloons
and liquor selling on the Lords day,
relating to habitual drunkards or
minors, and against keeping disorderly
and disreputable houses. Law should
be enforced; but we have been met
with the assertion, again and again,
when urging the enforcement of these
laws upon those to whom we should
60 in all such matters, that it was an
utter impossibility to enforce them,
but the grand example given the world,
of the Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, of
New York city, in closing the eight
thousand saloons in that city on Sun
day during the past few months, is
one that cannot be gainsaid. OF
course you must secure evidence; get
your facts; have one witness, at least,
more if possible; then go before a
justice of the peace and make your
complaint. Mrs. NJ. E. Metzgsr, Mo-
line, ILL.,, has an excellent leaflet on
Enforcement Of Law" that will be
helpful in making the way plain.
We must labor to have women ap-
pointed as factory inspectors; women
as physicians in hospitals and insane
asylums; women as trustees in all
State institutions; police matrons in
cities of two thousand inhabitants and
upwards; the enactment of purity
laws, for the protection OF women and
girls; the prevention of the circula-
ton OF immoral literature, of sale of
tobacco to minors, etc. Last winter
some OF the States kept a woman
representative OF the w. e. T. U. at
the legislature during the passage of
all bills presented by them, with ex.
cellent results.
Where an organization, whether it
be State, county or city, outside Of the
W. c. T. u, is laboring for any legis-
lation to curtail the liquor traffic, be-
lieve it wise to unite in aiding them
in every possible way.
Miss Willard is very DESTROYS that
we shall have as complete q record as
possible OF all legislation attempted or
secured through the w. c. T. U. in the
past twenty-one years. This will ne
cessitate the searching Of annual
records for all these years for such
information. Will you kindly give
this matter your prompt and earnest
attention. sending all data to me,
that we may have at our next Ma
tional Convention as complete a his
tory as possible OF all such work in
your State?
Trusting that this year we may
bring the department Of legislation
and enforcement of law" to a broader
plane. am yours in the work,
MRS. MARGARET B. ELLIS,
Natl Supt.
East Orange, N. J., SO Steuben
street.