The Monitor-register., 1897-07-16
that this holding back of the senate bill at


and SO it would if that bad been our onl y
hope; hut Friday morning, the last day
of the session, the house bill came oaok
from the senate, no longer weak AMI
poor, but made to conform to the senate
bill, aud the motion for concurrence by
the house in this action of the senate had
the right of way. Our arch enemy be
sought the members Of the bouse to
remember that the clauses they were
ask ed to restore to this bill were the
same the house just one month before
had stricken ont, but his appeal WAS all
in vain. God blessed the forts to make
these me n know the wish of the people.
With glad and thankful hearts we heard
the loud, clear 90, cas- for it from ninety
eight men. who knew the best people Of
Illinois wanted that bill passed, and only
twenty six nays. Then the gavel came
down as the vote was announced "The
bill has passed." said the speaker.
"We will get it engrossed at once; you
! ladies must go with us to the governor for
| his signature, and we want Mrs HUT to
have the pen be signs it with to put in
the National Museum, with the pens with
| which the President Of the United States
and the governors of other states have
signed similar laws" said the chairman
of the house committee on education.
AS thus arranged we went to the
governor, but came awav anxious lest the
experiences of New York in 1895 were to
be repeated, and the prolonged strain of
watching aud wOrkir g to overcome the
efforts of the enemy to defeat the measu re
in the executive chamber wnre again to
be gone through. But June 9, R,v DR..
Logan, of the Spring field First Presby-
teran Church, and R,v DR., Smith,
presiding elder of the M. E. Church. went
as suggested to ask the governor f,r a
hearing for representatives of the
Christian and temperance people of the
state in beh ,lf of his signature to this
bill. His excelIency, af er asking few
questions, called for the bill, signed it in
| their o, esence, aud sent the pen with
which he signed it, tied with a red whit
and blue ribbon, to the writer with his
compliments.
During this battle in addition to the
public address the writer for this cause
more than sixteen thousand pages OF
personal typewritten letters " ere sent out
through the mails to the people " no only
needed to krow when and where theiI
voices would help. The nights that we
| wrote till midnight and after were more
han those on " hich We did not, to get
hese messages to the ltI'e on tine
that their all POI erful voices might be
heard at the next quick coming critical
hour.
At one stage near the close of the battl {
when there was not an hour to lose, tt e
| house bill disappeared, but reappeal ef
just in time to prevent the ubiic resolu
tion that would have brought the docu
ment back to it's place.
No person not familiar with the daily
changes in the situation which made each
day a new crisis calling for new tactics
can have an idea of the intensity of thi
| battle which God has crowned with
victory.
The interest of Mrs. Brumbeck, who
| we frequently said, "would give her life
to save the BILL" the sweet and loyal
tractfulness with which Mrs. Metz gel
carried out every suggestion, as the plar
of action uufolded. the hearty 60 operation
and powerful aid of the Christian
churches of Illinois and their pastors o.
| all denominations, especially those Of
| Spring gfield, the quick response of oul
own true and tried W. c. T. Unions from
all parts of the state, the q 4ick helpfu l.
ness of eminent men from other statei
and from men from the National Con
| gress, all this should have larger place
in this story than the brief space allows
But as the years go by and the blessed
results of this education are manifest, al
of these and whoever helped in any way
With tue men who voted for and laboreC
for the passage of the bill, can truly fee
that they had part in this work, which
God has crowned with victory, and tt
Him be all the glory, without whose
blessing all human effort is as naught
| MARY 81. Hunt.