Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-12-03
Annual Meeting of the National
Anti-Saloon League.
ORGANIZATION OF THE CONVENTION
Reports From General Superin-
tendent and His Assistants.
LIST OF THOSE RESENT

100 advocates of total abstinence represent
ing every section of the country and every
temperance organization of national impor-
tance. The gathering thus convened Is the
sixth annual convention of the American
Anti-Saloon League. Its sessions will
tinue through Thursday evening and will
provide a program for the cooperation of
temperance advocates throughout the
United States during the ensuing year, will
include the election of new roster of ma
tional officers, and will comprise the DELHI
eratiOns of noted advocates of prohibitory
temperance on every phase of the drink
problem.
The delegates came together informally
last night at Wesley Memorial Methodist
Episcopal Chapel. Today's meetings in
clude the organization of the convention,
the consideration of brief reports from vari-
GUS state superintendent and field work.
ers, a memorial hour in recognIuon of
the services Of the late Hiram Price, and
public meeting at which Rev. Luther B.
Wilson, DID,, will deliver the annual adj
dress of the president.
Many of those enrolled as delegates are
clergymen, but a considerable number are
prominent laymen who have entered active
ly on the political campaign required to OBJ
municipal and state offices acceptable to
anti-saloon interests and the enactment of
laws in conformity with their principles.
About ten women are enrolled
The reports of these delegates cover a
correspondingly wide range-the clergy
speaking on behalf of the temperance So
cieties allied with and subordinate to the
several church organizations; the lay dele
gates representing various associations for
municipal reform and law and order
leagues" and the woman delegates speak
Ing in the name Of the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union and kindred bodies.
DIR. l.. b. Wilson Presides
Hiram Price, well known In Washington
as g former member of the House of Rep
resentatives. resident of the national cap
ital and an enthusiastic partisan of the
temperance movement, was chosen pres
ident of the league at it's last annual SEES
sion, but died within the year of his serv-
ice.
His post as presiding officer was assumed
accordingly by the first vice president Rev
Luther B. Wilson, DID,, former presid-
ing elder of the Methodist Episcopal
Church for the District of Columbia The
other officers present when the delegates
assembled were: Bishop Benjamin W. Ar
nett, DID,, of the A. NJ. E. Zion Church,
fourth vice president Rev. Howard w.
Russell, ID, LID, general superintend-
ent; Rev. Edwin C. Dinwiddie, NJ, leg
islative superintendent; S. E. Nicholson, re-
cOlding secretary; Rev. ]. NJ. Barker Phi.
D., treasurer and the following state SUI
perintendents: Arkansas, Rev E. A. Tabor
superintendent state a. S. L.; California,
z. s. Chapman, DID, superintendent A S.
L. of southern California; Colorado, Rev.
W. H. Talmage, superintendent state A 8.
L.; Connecticut, Rev. Joseph II. James,
secretary Connecticut Temperance Union;
District of Columbia. James l.. Ewin,
president A. S. L. of District of Columbia;
Hawaiian Islands, Rev. l.. NJ Hartley, SUI
perintendent A. S. l.. of Hawaiian Islands;
Indiana, r. V. Hunter, DID, superintendent
state A s. L.; Maryland, Mr.. S. E. Nichol-
sen, superintendent state A. S. l.; Massa-
chusetts. Rev Alfred Noon, secretary Mas
sachusetts Total Abstinence Society; Min
nesOta, Rev. R. H Battey, Superintendent
state A. S. l.: Missouri, Rev. E. E. Bar
clay. MD, Ph-D., superintendent state A.
S. l.; Nebraska Rev. ]. B. earns, PhD.,
superintendent state A. S. L.; New Jersey
and Delaware, ]. r. Britain, DID, super
intendent state A. S. L.; New York, ]. O.
A Henry, DID. superintendent state A. S.
L.; Ohio, Rev. P. A Baker. superintendent
state A. s. L.; Pennsylvania, H. A. Tucker,
ID, superintendent state A. s. L.; Rhode
Island, Rev. A B. Cristy, superintendent
state A s. L.: Vermont, Rev. G. w. Nor
row. superintendent state A S. L.; Vir-
ginta Rev. c. H Crawford, superintendent
state A s. L.; Washington, Rev. ]. c.
ThomS, NJ D., superintendent state A. s. L.
Reports Received.
DIR. Russell, as general superintendent
presented the first report of the convention
''The fact that the anarchists of Chicago
Matched their conspiracy of 1886 in the
north side saloons has been forgotten" he
said. But when the nation understands
that President McKinley's assassin was the
son of a former saloon keeper; that in
room back of his fathers saloon in Cleve-
land he learned the first lesson in anarchy;
that he boarded in q saloon in Buffalo and
went therefrom to fire the fatal shot, and
that the murderer was toasted and praised
by the anarchists of Patterson and Newark
In the saloons of those cities, the patriotic
indignation of the people will have been
aroused to such degree against the saloon
the meeting place and personification
of anarchy as will hasten the fulfillment of
the prediction that within ten years the
paramount question in America will be the
abolition OF the American saloon
In this work the American Anti-Saloon
League must play great part. In eight
years time promising league has been
formed out of branches IN thirty-six of
the states and territories of the Union and
II IS manifest that like organizations can
now be formed in all the other states as
soon as they can possibly be visited by a
representative of the league" DR. Russell's
report included a review of his labors dur
ing the past year, record of the progress
made by the league and recommendations
expressed in vigorous terms for a thorough
and complete unification of all the agencies
devoted to the cause of temperance in the
United States.
He was followed by number of the
state superintendent who indicated briefly
the work done in their respective territories
Distribution of Appeals.
Over 10000 appeals on behalf of the Con-
necticut Temperance Union were sent out
during the past year, and teachers and
pupils In the states educational institu-
Rev. II. III. Spooner. In that state the en-
forcement OF temperance laws was intrust-
ed to law and order league, and the tenn
perance association was therefore free to
study the operation of existing law and
the consideration of new laws.
burst Of handclapping greeted Mr.
James l.. Erwin, who appeared to report for
the District Of Columbia. To the men and
women who began the local temperance
work before the churches undertook the
cause of practical temperance. said Mr.. Err
IN, la hor In,
the District of Columbia and the inspira-
ton which now permeates the whole con-
course or temperance advocates in the ma
tional capital. When those labors began
there were over ], 100 saloons in the CITY
of Washington-one for every 21S persons
Today there were only $40 saloons or one
to every 443 persons In those early DAYS
he said. there was an arrest on charges
OF drunkenness and disorderly conduct for
every forty-seven persons-a ratio that has
now decreased to an arrest for every sew
epiX Ilarsnns FINALLY In the uerind