Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-10-21
WHITE RIBBONERS
Open 25th Annual W. c. I. u.
Convention at Seattle.
Address OF the President. Mrs. /. N. Stevens
OF Maine.

Seattle. Wash. oct 20.-Five hundred
White Ribboners are now in Seattle,
participating in the 25th annual con
vention Of the Womans Christian
Temperance Union and celebrating the
silver jubilee of the organization. To
days convention was formally opened
by the national president. Mrs l.. NJ.
X. Stevens. Then came reports Of Off
GERS and miscellaneous exercises.
This evening, speeches of welcome
were made by GOV. Rogers ana other
prominent persons. Probably the best
summary of the work done by the w.
G. T. L., was furnished Ivy the report
Of National President Mrs. Lillian NJ.
n. Stevens.
The President. Lillian NJ. y. stevens in
her annual address said:
This is not alone the closing year ot
the century but Of our quarter century
existence as a society. Doubtless tn
are ut the present time more total ab
stainerS in our country according u the
population than there has ever been IN
any other period of our history. The
greatest gain. however. has been made
during the last quarter Of Il century. one
Of the most potent factors in nringnS
this about is the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union with its % every
thing policy.
There were present at the first conven-
tiOn Aug. Is. 1874. in response to the catl
sent out from Chautauqud representatives
from sixteen states. IN this convention
We have the right to expect that every
state and territorial w. &. r. l.. is rep
resented by some of its officers and ny
appointed delegates. each delegate having
Il home constituency of 500 paying mem
berS. Here. too. are national supcrinttn-
dents, organizers. lecturers, cVdngrlists.
chairmen Of standing committees, W. s..
T. L. VISITORS great host aiming 10
publish the word Of God as given L. them.
Since the first convention great AN
vance has been made in The cause OF Tur-
ity. total abstinence ana prohibition.
Better laws bearing upon questions of the
purity ana sanctitN Of the home have
been enacted: among them. laws raising
the age Of protection for girls until its
average is now fourteen instead Of ten,
and in some states as high As eighteen
years. The influence of woman has been
in several instances Instrumental in le-
tiring immoral men from ONCE ana in
preventing their nomination and election
TO positions of trust and honor. and tnr
gospel Of purity from W. 6. +. =
standpoint is now being preached wnerr
twenty Y-fiVc years ago there was silence
on the topic. not because woman dtd net
then care. but she did not dare 10 speak
as now; ana in thus speaking W. dr"
not to make known "a those about as
practices OF impure living, hut tnt .li.u
ANA peaceful joy Of purity.
The consumption If alcoholic drint
IS groWintr less year after year. IN w l-
only about one half as mucn cpnsdmcl
per capita In the United states as there
was q quarter ui century ago. ms
marks us aS the most temperate ~ A.4
nations. For some years as ia" ulr 1i
distilled liquors decreased, lhtit WAS 'tl!
Increase in the us" "i ma.l Irlu RS. h1i
during the last four years there has bttu
Il steady decrease ~ the htter. WhIrh ctF-
tainly is most thCouldEIr1 Wheh ~ ''h-
slider the large influx "i !"rclSH'rS M'tl
their beer drinking pfhp'HS, -lt,.
I'VE cannot b" TOO lhdnklu I"r lht
great influence cXrrtrd by those staining
at the head "t S'inr "I tn" great lndu@
tries. in requiring t"l.u &bStinelicr "i
their employees ~ rep ~ questions S''l
ont by the United States department "i
labor, II appeared iEal among 'hn@r nm
eliminating against drink We're ~ per
cent u thr railroads. Z" p'f c'Hi n i!i'
manufacturers. IS per cent "l the ira"
ers, and Z per cent ol thr hSil-uitur't
lists, the majority ol these lorbl"rihI lnr
use Of intuAlcaHtS bN rnpihH'S WAi'
some prohibit it only while TN" employees
are on duty.
since lN,i pI"Hln't'oh h"9 ''So ~" ~"
vanced. All Of our members heiIeN" i'll
the principle Of PROHIBITION and dare "
proclaim that ii - right ana lne du'9
ton Is aSltaied h> Ih"d ptpplr N tNr.A
section OF our country. Since lNi Mallr
and Kansas have voted prohibition int,
th"lr cnnSllutHhS' an" tHe i'"N ''',9 ir'.'
Rhode Island hay PLACED i II ihrIf+;
but in Rhode Island ii was repeated
through political UickcrN. canada hi,
declared by majority vote that il " 1uid
like to outlaw the liquor traffic, ANA the
Of The world with far more seriousness
and hope than ever before.
since 1874 great progress has been
made in WOnun'S suffrage. School SUI
trlrp has been granted lin rightrch
et1fas. Louisiana mas given woman tHt
ight IA vnta IN An uup~tiunS Suhmitte
~ a. ~ t,vnIvore ana fuIl suffrage mas
in ,r.,ut.J IN trlnru,In T-tab ANA ILa
Deeh y dil''t @ - WYNN ,,.b,.r. nr.tftinn4
~. ~ h.,..,, ,,r..y,.rt.I frnu thu whit,
IIHN ~. ~ - tb ! .,rislltiIr4 III behalf III
ilpno,.e, ,,,r.rs :" mr. i1vs There arc
prtttl liit,.ti itti n III. ,,,lnit. III uur land
c0mparatlNelN rev 9ult,'H ~ h "i.t ban,
Whtrt !He WIS u TIM. fnni1n,ant,;t
neard IN duNp' Va *, ,-,1n,, i,.nnrt
principles Or q Sotir tI n I;, niIternlyth WA
mehtS Whith die li' w w. th rr.,t tritt 4.
the enuelNor ~ p"iiu uPit. uP ,t 9,"I ,nnrt
embodied III tHeSe ~ Ptlll.p c,,,,'i,I i,
than all Societies "l VIM M W t',iI,. NV,
the pan ol th' i sym 'lit'uit ii ;r ,iftt[, III,
years ago now ; eAiS. lit W. W, -T7,I,in,. ia,
ions anu pirpiII '''.1 'nrt.antinn III In,