Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1905-10-08
". c. 7. j. LEADER
RAPS MURPHY
STATE PRESIDENT ANSWERS
STATEMENT
Mrs. Emma Cash Urges Apostle Of
Temperance, Who Criticised Union,
to Attend National Conven-
zion and Learn

Francis Murphy doesn't know what
he is talking about when he criticises
the w. c. T. U. If he will come to our
convention the last Of this month, he
will learn a few things"
Mrs. Emma Cash, the state president
of the w. G. r. u, almost snorted when
Francis Murphy was referred to, in the
course of 81 chat with her. 1t VIII lie
remembered that Mr.. Murphy said, Il
couple of weeks ago, that the w. Z. L.
u. hasn't rescued man from the evils
of drink since it went into politics"
Mrs. Cash evidently felt the iron, not
to speak Of irony, of these remarks
enter deeply into her soul, for she sat
up very straight in her chair when the
noted temperance apostles name was
mentioned, and her eyes snapped.
L don't know why Mr.. Murphy
should have said that" she went on
He certainly doesn't know much about
the work of the W. c. T. u. and what
1t is doing. He evidently believes that
we should go back to our former meth
DDS of campaigning. He doesn't know
how we have advanced, and how broad
our work is now.
Not in Politics
"The w. C. T. U. is not in politics
We do not favor any political party"
mot even the Prohibition party?
she was asked.
mo, not as an organization. OF
course" she went on, 1--WE are for pro-
hibition and we want it in every state
hut he will support any party, Repub-
lican, Democratic or an independent
one that will give it to us, just the
same as we will any party through
which we can secure our other sought
for reforms. But we are not in poll
tics"
This was almost as consistent as Wo-
men usually are, and Mrs. Cash seemed
to think that she was perfectly con-
vncing in her effort to demonstrate
that her association was not in poll
ties
"Of course" she went on, Mr.. Muir
phy'-and every time she said that
name she sat more erect and her eyes
flashed the stronger-"Mr. Murphy may
have referred to the non-Partisan
Woman's Christian Temperance union.
That was a faction of our members that
split off and did not go into politics.
But they have about Disappeared at
least no one ever hears of their meet
ing any more"
And when one remembers the fierce
strife in the W. G. T. U. ranks that
this detection caused one must smile
a little at her diplomatic method of
handling the question, and her clever
ness in emphasizing the extinction of
the late faction whose very title was
mon partisan even though it was
declared to have been the political end
of the organization.
But how, if you are not in politics,
do you attain such reforms as must be
brought about through legislatures and
the like
Get Up Petitions
"Why, we get up petitions. We have
of hIIt draw
petitions and we get signatures of
voters, and then we flood the legtsla-
lures or congress with them. We have
our representative at the capital and
when anything comes UP that she
thinks ought to affect us she telegraphs
the state presidents and they send out
messages to the local societies and we
hasten to draw up petitions and get lots
of voters to sign them, and just fairly
smother the authorities with them'
That's howl
The worthy little president-she is
smalish woman, with near-gray hair.
dark eyes and a very positive mouth,
and when she talks she knows what
she wants to say, and if you don't care
to hear about that subject you can just
wait till she has finished with 1t, for
she doesn't take kindly to interruptions
till she is done-the worthy president
smiled, with an air of finality, as II
1t were all over.
And you don't call that being in
politics? What more could you do to
get in unless you had a vote?"
well, ah-well, we are not partisan.
We don't favor any one party, but we
work with any one that will give us
results. Well-yes; maybe that is po-
ltical, but it isn't partisan, anyhow"
May Learn at Convention
That settles it; the w. c. T. U. may
be in politics, but it isn't partisan.
And Mr. Murphy can find out "a lot"
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