The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-02-18
WAS PROTOTYPE OF
MRS. CARRIE NATION
CChicago ChronicIe0

(Chicago ChTOnicle)
tt is not So many years ago that the |
womens saloon riots. having been in
stituted in a small eastern town. swept
straight across the country, leaving i
coating of temperance pledges in their
wake Men. city governments and states
Capituated before the onslaught of the
army of purposeful women and for a
time total abstinence stared the nation in
the face
II was in Ohio that this movement,
which was known as the crusade be
gan and ii was through the persistence
and energy of one woman, known later as
Mother" Stewart, that it was carried
through. Mrs. Stewart lived at Spring
field, o, at the close Of the war and it
was there and then that the crusade was
brewing. In Ohio il 1870 the law of 1854.
known as the Adalr law. was so amended
to give the wife or mother of drunk
ard the right to bring suit in her own
name against a saloonkeeper for selling
to her husband or son. In the winter of
1871 the town of Springfield was some
what agitated by temperance move
ment which was then in fermentation.
Mother Stewart said in after years of
this time: We had our seasons of spas
modic agitation in a very mild form, not
calculated to hurt anybody's business or
feelings. This agitation was of little
more value than were those that had
gone before. In the winter of 1872 Mrs
Stewart decided she might as well start
the bail forward, since she knew no one
would be forthcoming. On Jan. p she de
I =
knew would attract attention, because 1t
was the first of the kind TO be given by a
woman in Springfield.
She had undertaken to fight the saloon
on the subject Of Sunday closing and she
went about her work in the bold and SEN
sational way now used by Mrs. -,atiOn.
She fought the Adair law cases, pleaded
before justice court juTies, which was
shocking for woman OF her day; she
I overstepDed etiquette by visiting the city
/ fathers at session and asking them TO
! enforce the Sunday closing law. She went
/ into nefghbOring towns and counties, and
/ at Osborne. small Ohio town, there was
/ organized through her effort the first
B temperance union. The establishment Of
/ temperance unions Throughout the country
J was the result of the crusade at Spring
| field She sat in house next the largest
/ church in town and watched the men
/ going in and out of a saloon across the
/ street during Sunday services. OF this
she wrote to a friend:
"A walk well laid of tanbark led into
l the saloon. and if 1t had not been Tor the
I stained windows Of the church the
preacher could have seen the thrOnS pass
ing as he stood In his pulpit. W e cnuT ,,l
cannot look out and the Saloonmeh STAN
theirs so that we cannot look in, and SO
the work goes on by Il sort of taclt agree
ment.'
After watching the business of the al
ley for more than an hour Mrs. Stewart
determined she would go to the saloor
| and procure evidence for q prosecution
For a woman who had fought the saIoor
! for many years and who had never. seer
more than the outside of one the Sun
day morning experience was novel Mrs
/ Stewards description of the incident /:
charming in its VdiVcte. She wrote:
At the end of an hour ! said, If
had "A disguise / would go in there, anC
/ asked the lady of the house If she coulC
furnish me one, She thought momen
I and then said, Yes, / can, and brough
"A waterproof circular and a black ano
! white checked SunbOnnet coming WEI
/ over the face, and with deep cape.
Z tfefa1- off my q
and dOnned my outfit l have Away
hattered myself | made a very respect
able old irish woman. crossing the allie.
entered the saloon, but mad TO e.
, through three doors before reaching tn
room where the drinking was going on
There l found some young men drlnkinl
: at the bar and some older men sattinl
~ had Intended IF I saw anyone with
glass that 7 could be sure held liquor {
: quietly take the glass and walk out. Blu
: | I did not feel sure that what the yOun
men were drinking was t9uor, SO | say
, / would have To call for something my
I self but was greatly puzzled IL to Wha
5 ! to call for. / desired to make two case
at the same time-One for selling hquO
? an sunday under the Sunday ordinance
f and for selling by the drink. under tn
state law I afraid to ask for wins
1 ky left they should suspect me !, there
fore asked the bartender to give m
I something 10 drink and he asked what
! wanted.
S / / did not know one wine from anothe
/ but / ventured on sherry. and he set
" | bottle and two small glasses before m'
/, / ono having little water in it / did NJ
! ! understand what the water meant, bl
z presumed he thought / was woman an
y would not care TO take mine straight. a
e gentlemen do. / picked up the bottle an
y | started TO pour out the vine but / di
not know just how much would be Gale
= q drink. and as / wanted to implical
: him as far possible and found my nerN
force giving way quite OPPORTUNITY. I r.
; quested him to pour it out fOr me. r.
y marking that I felt rather bad. aske
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