Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-09
MISSIONARY UNION MEETS
MIDwINTER SESSION OF THE
INSTRUMENTATION BODY
Decides to Urge Congress to Make
the National Capital
"Dry" City.


Woman's Interdenominational Mission
airy Union of the District of Columbia,
held in Grace Reformed Church today,
1t was decided to appeal to Congress
to make the National capital dry" and
pass laws compelling the observance
Of the Sabbath and limiting immigra-
ton to this country. Resolutions
to the foregoing effect were pre-
sented by committee consisting of
Mrs. o. b. Brown. chairman: Miss Mary
E. Catlin and Mrs,.W. F. Crafts Rela-
tive to Sunday observance. the resolu-
tons recited that las the people of the
District of Columbia many years dgo,
when they had the right of suffrage,
through their own selected city coun-
Gil, enacted a law prohibiting Sunday
trafflc except of necessity and mercy.
which was well observed for dozen
years. until it was discovered that the
mayor at the time of it's enactment
had inadvertently failed to sign it,
which made the law invalid. and as
the people of the District in several
clerks through their labor organiza-
tons. have asked that a Sunday. rest
law should be enacted. and as the
Commissioners of the District of Co
1umbia have twice in past years ap-
proved bill now pending in Congress,
introduced by Mr.. Allen, which pro-
hibits Sunday toll or traffic, including
traffic in public amusement. we, repre-
senting the various churches of the
District and various societies of wom-
en-. appeal to the Senate and House of
Representatives to enact this bill, or
some other, that will give us adequate
and complete Sunday rest in the Dis
trict, as is accorded by the Sunday
laws that have been maintained from
the beginning in all of the states save
one"
As to immigration.
Relative to immigration the resolutions
favor proper and wise legislation, where
by foreigners shall not be deprived of the
rights and privileges of prospective citi-
zenship, at the same time shall not be
received in numbers too great for as
similation or permitted to engraft prac-
tees or principles inconsistent with our
Christian institutions. Concerning the
opium traffic the resolutions say it is
great hindrance to missions and morals,
and as several civilized governments under
the leading of President Roosevelt, are
moving together to prohibit it's production
and sale. and as a large amount of
opium Is imported into the United States,
be made in Congress to prohibit its i'm
pprtation and sale, save for medicinal pur-
poses in any territory under the jurisdic-
ton of the United States.
: Mrs. John l.. Culbertson, president of
the organization, presided. Come Thou
Fount of Every Blessing was sung at
the opening of the meeting. after which
Rev. John NJ. Schick, pastor of Grace
Church, conducted scripture reading and
delivered an address of welcome. Mrs.
NJ. z. Catlin followed with an address
on the Dissertation of the Christian Sab
bath in Washington. D. c." She urged
the passage Of a law as advocated in
the resolutions
Rev. DR.. Donald Mcleod, pastor of the
First Presbyterian Church and president
of the Anti-Saloon League, was the next
speaker. He told of the work of the
Anti-saloon League and said that the
forces Of temperance are everywhere
rnarshaling for the effort to have Con-
gress enact a law giving prohibition to
the District of Columbia.
America" was then sung. At the
close Mrs. w. D. Window spoke on the
'eWork for Foreigners in Washington
City"
!, Address by Mrs. Clinton Smith.
The closing address of the meeting
was delivered by Mrs. Clinton Smith,
president of the District w. c. T. u, on
Prohibition Prohibits When Enforce
ment Enforces."
TT is a favorite expression" she said,
"that you can't make men sober by act
Of Congress- Nobody ever tried to. and
no one shall say what 1 eat or drink.
No one wants to.
'"Prohibition says, Thou shall not SELL It
speaks to the man who sells and none
else. Whose personal liberty. does this
interfere with? The personal liberty of the
rumseller The rum drinker has the
same privilege as under the license laws.
Any one can drink as much and as often
as he desires. He may have some trouble
to get it. Fortunately people are not apt
to take that trouble. For forty years OF
lnr rNhf tDif to- md
do solemnly declare that it worked better
and was more fully and easily enforced
than the license laws Of the District OF
Columbia"
Local option is too local and too OPP
tional. Parents who desire to have liquor
removed as a temptation to their sons
want it further off than across the bridge
or the next township. Local option laws,
as ar as they reach, serve a good pur-
pose in the hands of good people, but UNI
TN the state prohibition line is reached
they do not go far enough. we nave
local option already in a shiftless sort OF
way. Should we look with reason TO
local option to close the six hundred
saloons that yawn along this city's high
WAYS? Did local option open and license
them? The Congress of the United States
opens these saloons one by one every
year. Congress deputiZed three commits
sioners to select three men who are suit
ed to the purpose. who are paid for the
service, called the excise board, who sit
in solemn conclave and deliberate upon
the worthiness of applicants. Nearly all
are deemed worthy and licenses are
granted them. Both houses of Congress
receive the reports and the license money
swells the liquor receipts of Uncle Sam.
1t is subterfuge for members of Con-
gress to recommend that we ask for local
option. They seek to divert attention
from themselves and make il appear that
the people of the District of Columbia
are responsible and have any power
Mrs. ]. G. Gilbert offered prayer. after
which Mrs. Margaret Dye Ellis made a
brief address on the advancement of the
temperance crusade in all parts of the
country, and especially irf the southland
Rev. D.. Schick closed the meeting with
prayer.
Officers of the Union.
The officers of the union are: Presi-
dent, Mrs. John n. Culbertson; vice
presidents, Mrs. Clara L. Roach, Mrs II
p Viles and Mrs. j. II. Robinson secre-
tary, Mrs. S. D. La Fetra; treasurer, Mrs
Washington Topham; in charge of litera-
ture table, Miss Cornelia Corbett; vice
presidents representing denominations
and athliating organizations, Mrs. ]. H