Graham guardian., 1915-01-08
ARIZONA'S FIGHT
For Prohibition Began Thirty
Years Ago---A Long ST.
lent Campaign

The following story Of Ari2ona'S 5
Prohibition Amendment, was writ.
ten by former Governor l.. G.
Hughes:
The proclamation of Governor
Geo. W. P. Hunt, declaring the
adoption Of the Prohibition Amend
ment to the Constitution, by the
people of the State of Arizona, WAS
the most ,igr i6cant fact in the
building of the State 1t marks the
climax of long, well Planned and
definite campaign, having but ii
single purpose, and which called to
its aid political strategy only quaIed
by the power it had overcome-the
organ zed capital and the thought
of the liquor traffic, with all of its
ramificatiOnS, in our complex civil
ZatiOn; and especially its cruel ug-
gressivent SIS, hest known to from.
tier state builder.
A briei statement Of The birth
and devclul mrnt OF the thirty year $
silent campaign against The liquor
traffic in AIizuna, CimaXIng result
little dreamed of by the saloon
forces, may be instructive to many
of our people, as well as TO the
dwellers of states vet struggling to
be delivered from this DESTROYING
evi! of the age.
Ir 1884, Miss Frances Willard.
the world evangel of the Woman 5
Christian Temperance Union, visited
Tucson and organized the Territorial
W. c. T. U. in Arizona. The first
local union had been organized a
few months previously at Prescott,
by Mrs. Glendenning. wife of Col.
Glendenning, u S A., stationed at
Fort Whippe, near Prescott; which
had been located as the capitol
twenty years previous, when the
Territorial government was organ
lied. During the following three
years local circles were formed in
nearly all the counties.
At the third annual Territorial
convention. held in Phoenix in 1887.
definite measure were taken to ad-
vance the purpose Of the cause. A
legislative committee was appointed
to visit the legislature lthen in ses-
sion at the capitoD to urge the en-
actment of three laws:-hXing age
of consent at sixteen years; TO pro-
hibit gambling, and requiring prop
er observance Of the Sabbath The
labOrS Of this committee met with
only partial success. But the COM
mttee discovered that the ballot
was the power by which legislators
could be moved to favorable action.
This led to the organization of the
Woman's Equal Rjgh s ASS alton;
which, with the Wuman's Christian
Temperance Union, co-operated as
force for reform in Arizona.
The Equal Suffrage issue having
advanced to the firing line, Mrs.
Hughes. through MS. Susan b.
Anthony, the National President,
secured the services of Mrs Laura
Z. Johns, the State Organizer of the
State Of Kansas These together
canyassed the Territory and organ
ized local suffrage associations in all
the counties, 50 hat when the Con
stitutiOnaI Convention met at the
capitol in 1891 suffrage provision
WAS urged and came near beng
adopted, but WAS defeated by the
saloon influence.
Licensed Gambling a Strong Ally
But the saloon bad powerful allies
in the licensed gamblers, who to II
great extent, financed and looked
after their political interests through
out tn" Territory, counties and mu-
inequalities. The gambling fratrrn-
ity had its ramifcations in all de-
partments and channels Of business,
and was potential, politically, fra
ternalIy and sociaIIy-yeS, even in
our churches creating, moIding
and directing public opinion; and
destroying business and regulations