Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-04
LINCOLN LEGION WORK.
Topic Of Paper Read Today Before
Anti-Saloon League Conference.

The third days conference of the state
superintendents of the Anti-Saloon League
at the Bliss building today was marked by
the presentation of a comprehensive paper
on The Lincoln Legion and Its Growth
by Dr. II. II. Russell, general representa-
tive of the league.
His paper gave the inception of the Lin
coin Legion movement. He referred to
Lincolns promise to his mother few days
before her death that he would never drink
intoxicating liquors. and associated Lincoln
with every temperance society organized
where he lived.
Mr.. Russell referred to an interesting
story told him by Cleophas Breckenridge,
prosperous old farmer living sixteen miles
from Springfield. III. When about ten years
OF age, in 1916. Breckenridge had signed
the pledge in LincOlns meeting at the
SeEdy Fork school house, and Lincoln had
p&tted him on the head and remarked:
Now. sonny, you keep that pledge, and it
MIR. Russell presented interesting facts
to verify that Lincoln was not only total
abstainer. but that he was an advocate
and propagation of pledge of abstinence
which he himself had written.
In connection with the work of organic
Ing the Lincoln Legion, which Is the gen.
eral purpose of diffusion of temperance by
the Anti-Saloon League, Rev. DR.. L. A.
Banks prepared for publication in neat
volume of 2sB pages q succinct story of
Itncoln's temperance work and the great
abstinence movements of the nineteenth
century, embellished by appropriate Illus
tIstions from the pen of Arthur 1. Keller.
The Lincoln Legion was instituted at
Oberlin. Ohio. An incident of the birth of
the legion was that two of the old veterans
of the Lincoln movement of early days
Cleophas Breckenridge and Moses Martin
were present and added great interest to
the occasion 1t was Martin who, May o.
1903, repeated to Superintendent Russell
the exact words OF the pledge written by
Lincoln which he had committed to mem
CRY In 1916. and he and Mr. Breckenridge
were the first to enroll In the present Lin
coin Legion. again signing the very pledge
they had signed in Lincoln's meeting fifty
seven years ago.
The discussion which followed the read
ing of the paper was participated in by
Superintendents McCash and Hartley.
Church Federation in the League and
the 1906 conference were also discussed
during the session. Superintendent Mich
olson Anderson and Chapman contributed
interesting remarks.
Today there were accessions to the at
tendance by the presence of Rev DR.. H. E.
Frohock of Mitchell. S. D. state superin-
tendent of South Dakota; ]. c. Thoms of
Seattle. Wash, state superintendent of
Washington, and Rev. j. w West of Ro-
anoke, Va, district SUPERINTENDENT of Vir-
ginia.
At noon today a photographer took a
group picture of the leaguers on the steps
of the Bliss building
The members generally speak most graft
1ylngly or the conference and manifest
much pleasure over the public interest
taken In the meeting despite its executive
character and modest publicity.
Tomorrows session will be devoted to in
terestng discussions on Local Saloon Re-
striction and Supervision" touching upon
the best means Of getting votes against
the saloon.