The Portland daily press., 1900-12-25
HOW THE BALLOT WOULD AFFECT
WOMEN IN PHILANTHROPY.

TO the Editor OF the ffesss
The above sentiment was the text OF q
discussion which your correspondent was
not privileged to hear, and was intro
iuced at club meeting recently held in
this city. A brief retrospective view OF
this subject may be we'll exemplified In
the history OF the work OF the largest or
zanized womaa's philanthropic work In
she world, and In its earlier stages, pre-
yentive rather than constructive, in
theory.
For more than q decade, its work has
oeen carried on, with religious zeal,
tervor and conservation that has cost I'M
firing effort, strength, self-sacrifice. and
Kin many instances life itself Worthy
women in every sphere OF life. from the
educated, cultured and wealthy, down to
The foreign citizen who earned his small
oittance by the hour, have through their
love OF humankind, forced the very por-
sais Of misery and vice with their minis
srations to, and encouragement for purer
lives and better homes.
Throughout this great republio the
white ribbon signal has dotted city, town
and village with Its message OF purity
and peace; its mission has been praoti-
ALLY TO sec ire homes for homeless child
rem, women's reformatoriss, educational
and industrial schools for boys and girls,
women places on thu school boards and
in municipal affairs where needed; better
avs, and better observance OF them;
lean eating houses reaning rooms, places
OF healthy amusement, and safety for the
Ignorant, from the destroying influence
Of the saloons, and all, with as little out
lay as practieable,-for the Woman s
Christian Temperance Union has never
been perplexed with that disposition TO
make Of Its endowments; Its money has
=. l. a f.tx..
and has heel willingly testowed The
statistics OF Its work, however, are
enormous, and its growth phenomenal,
numbering at the resent time over three
nundIei thousand women.
AS early as 1876 these women conferred
together. with new earnestness, as to
taxing forward step In their career; ;
spite OF its success, was In danger OF being
relegated to the land of unpopular ami
hopeless reform unless some way was de-
gised to widen their sphere, and make
their work more etfsctual.
They procured stat s;ics OF the causes
OF crime In every state In the Union,-
they investigated the very bedrock of
hindrances and obstacles blocking the
way, and what did they findf They found
the liquor traffic. trusts, and agencies,
growing to enormous proporaono, and
the ayowed enemies Of the work, to
WulCn LCr y6HfS bnSlF ltFos nhu uson Gun
secrated. What could be done to down
this octopus In whose grasp the people
struggled? Prayers, petitions, moral
suesion, local option, prohibition. puplit
and individual effcrt had Teen tried, and
still the monster lived and the victims
died.
Yet these rssoluts women wers not ais
hes tened; they felt that the health OF
the IN asses should be the first interest OF
the sta to. They pondersd long and earn
estly as to what the next step should be.
In 1876 1t was Whispered among them
that the ballot In the hands OF women
might quicken and serve the temperance
cause, and in 1880 Miss Frances Il. Will
lari endorsed the IDEA as the poliov OF
the Moman's Christian Temperance
Union, though not obligatory on any OF
its members.
The suggestion was well received by
the unions thro ught the states, and &C
once gave rise TO such sentiment as the
following, often rep Gated at the brswers'
and other iqror eonventions:-
Resolved, That We oppose always and
everywhere the ballot In the hands OF
women, FOR women's vote is the last hope
or the Prohibitionists.
Now the raal question at Issue seems to
be this. Setting aside the question OF
Wome n S Rights, as commonly accepted,
~ is fair ur statesmaniike, since legaiiZed
drunkard, making threatssns snarchy
10 our country, that the great temperance
organizations AMI thousands on thous-
anis or club women, not affiliated with
the Temperance movement, perhaps, bnt
deeply Interested IN municipal reform,
should be dsned the privilege through
the ballot, of defending their own Citizen
ship, ami thersby their own country.
Il. 4.