The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1913-10-17

AS illustration of the practical way in which the Anti
Saloon League goes into politics. let call attention to
the organization of Ward Senate District Congressional
District Chicago Advisory and Cook County Advisory
mittee of the Illinois League The unit is the Ward Com
mittee made up of member from every affiliated church
in the ward with additional members from churches of
than $50 communicates One member from every church
serves the Senate District Committee and one from every
church the Congressional District Committee. The Chi
cago Advisory Committee is made up members from
every Ward Committee and the County Committee has three
members from every Senate District Committee.
How the work of these committees is subdvided and
parceed among subcommittee an interesting point
The Captains of Ten" highly important part OF the
political machinery of the League They its its
collectors OF information and certain extent its ultimate
executives in carrying the campaigns Whenever poll
ing list OUT either for primary election, the
every ward given captains Ten
ten to captain Within day two there is
a report in the An-Sa1oon League headquarters every
in the city One OF the charts reproduced here
workers report blank shows the mnuteness with which
these madesuch details about voter
whether he has telephone has registered and is church
MEMBER his attitude county local option andthe League
regards this imporant-what newspaper he reads
This is practical politics. This kind of minute informa-
voters the
of successful political organization And while the
Illinois League is building for future far Chicago
concerned occasionally its present political
strengtas when it elected the Rev. Frank G. Smith the
legislature, independent ticket and straghou Anti
Saloon PLATFORM in Republican district against the candi
date Of the Lormer machine Three workers every pre-
cinct in the who be relied put in forty
fifty hours of work election is the ultimate aim of the
Illinois League organization.
have told somewhat in detail OF the way the League
works in Chicago because illustrates precisely the main
point of strength of the whole movementhat it works in
politics exactly experience has shown political work
be done to be successful It takes stock in enthusiasm and
does rely and haeuahs carry wards and
precincts 1t lobbes at state captols just it does
Washington It's representatives argue before committees
and buttonhoe members but they do rely argument
and persuasion legislators They that the
individual members hear from the folks at home They
organize meetings and circulate petitions in the
bers home districts They local campaigns against the
reelection of members who oppose them Mr. Baker tells
of where the League had to defeat eghy-seven
members of the legislature before the politicians began
take it seriously. In short the AntiSaloon League is in
politics all the time and is playing politics. all the time
according the we-eabished rules Of the game. And
gets what wants mainly because only thing
and does after anything else. It is trying
abolish murder, cigarettes, turkeytrong gambling
divorce the high of living 1t is after the saloon
the belief that when that there won't be many other
things needing abolition It doesn't with getting
option laws passed but goes counties townships
inequalities and organizes dry campaigns under these local
option laws. makes itself