The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1919-01-02
A Career Notable
for Charity and
Good Works

William p. Harris, entered peacefully
into that sleep that knows no waking
shortly after 10 o'clock Wednesday
night, December 25. She died at the
family home. ia Riverside avenue,
South Canon, and death came without
a sudder, like one who wraps the
drapery of his couch about him and
lies down to pleasant dreams"
Mrs. Harris was aged S5 years 8
months and % days. and the end came
without suffering, the result of physi-
cal exhaustion following a career of
more than four score years of unre-
nit ing toll and conservation to the
well-being of those about her and hu-
manity at large She was the daugh-
ter of Edmund and Ruth Merrill Free
man, and was born in Fayette county
Pa. Mrs. Harris had been resident
OF this community for about quarter
of century and came here from
Pueblo. where she made her home for
couple of years although previous
to that time she lived in Denver and
Peoria, ILL., Her parents originally
resided in Huntington county. N. j..
subsequently removing to Pennsylva-
mia. They were people of refinement
and great intellectual attainment. and
Mrs. Harris inherited from them un-
usual qualities of head and heart.
AT Peoria, where the greater part of
her married life was spent, Mrs. Har
ris was active in all of those public
movements and reforms that had to do
with the uplift of the community and
the state in which she lived. She
was a pioneer in the work of the w.
C. T. U. and other temperance organ
izations, having for their object the
abolition of the licensed saloon and
the exterminator of the rum traffic.
In this undertaking she was asso-
ciated with Miss Frances E. Willard
and other women of national reputa-
ton. She was also strong advocate
and worker for women's suffrage in
the incipiency of the movement for a
universal ballot and equal rights for
both men and women. Her endeav-
ors in behalf of these reforms are a
part of the history of the movement
for social and materal betterment. and
contributed in no small degree to the
greater achievement of later years.
In Peoria she was an intimate
friend and coworker of Mrs. Elizabeth
Grier Hibben. who succeeded Miss
Willard as state president of the w.
C. T. U. for Illinois. and whose son
is now president of Princeton Uni
versity. having been elected to take
the place of Woodrow Wilson on the
latter's elevation to the chief magis.
tracy of the United States.
While living in Peoria Mrs Harris
was instrumental in drafting and cir.
culating a petition in Illinois asking
the Legislature to grant to the women
Of the state the right to vote on all
temperance measures submitted to the
people for their determination. The
memorial was laid before the Gen
eral Assembly at Springfield in due
time and was defeated by two votes
on being called up for consideration
This was one of the first efforts made
by the women of the country to secure
the franchise and undertake to throt.
tie at the polls the liquor interests
which they believed to be so destruc.
tive of morality and good chitizenship.
About 30 years ago Mr.. and Mrs.
Harris removed from Peoria to Denver
to make their home. Mr. Harris died
there shortly afterwards and his
widow and family went to Pueblo to
live. subsequently coming to Canon
City. Mrs. Harris did not relax her
fight on the whisky business on com.
ing to Colorado. and vigorously antag.
onized its hateful traffice in Denver,
Pueblo and Canon City When she
came to Canon City there were 13 Ii.
censed saloons in the community. and
she took up the cudgel against them in
cooperation with the local W. C. T.tU.,
and was for many years tireless in
her endeavors to bring about their
suppression as the enemies of law
and good order. She lived to see
them driven from the community and
prohibition become a statuatory re-
quirement in nearly half the states of
the Union. 1t was cheering to her in
the last years of her life to note the
progress of prohibition throughout
the world. and she was encouraged
wieh the hope and belief that King
Alcohol who has slaine his millions,
would be destroned in all the nations
OF the earth before another decade
has passed.
Mrs. Harris leaves sister residing
in Chicago who is hale and hearty,
although in the ninety-second year OF
her age. She is the sole survivor OF
family of eight children. most of the
others having passed to their reward
many years ago.
Mrs. Harris WAS a member of the
Baptist church and WAS a Woman OF