| Show W C T U leaders see tippling decrease As state liquor regulation gains ground by MILTON FORREST released by western newspaper union T PHERE HERE is less tippling JL in america today than there was a year ago the pendulum of public opinion is swinging steadily toward tempe temperance ance that is what leaders of the wom ens ns christian temperance union will tell you while they do n not ot claim that prohibition is just ar around aund the tomer romer they point out that tha support 1 I for or regulatory legislation on liquor Is continually gaining ground the white Rib boners are preparing for the most enthusiastic con bention this year since the days of prohibition three thousand of them representing hundreds of 11 thousands more of their fellow work ers throughout the united states t will rally for their sixty sixth anh nual convention in chicago august 9 to 14 i methods for intensifying the war against alcohol in the coming year will be studied by the delegates in a rallying cry to women every where mrs ida B wise smith na fc dional of the W C T U declared we again call upon americas women to enroll for true home defense to roll up their sleeves and scrub the dirty spots out of the nations social and moral fabric sociologists will tell you that the liquor problem is as old as history itself in america there always was a strong trend toward strong licensing and regulatory systems men who believed prohibition of the traffic to be the best answer sponsored such a movement in the early days by 1856 there were 13 states with prohibition laws the ebb came and by 1874 there was no state prohibition the same post civil war period saw stirrings of the feminist movement women were throwing off their bonds in 1873 praying bands of women began sporadic efforts to pray saloons out of their towns and were amazingly successful in 1874 a number of these women were at chautauqua for a religious gathering and conceived the idea of a united temperance party for women in cleveland in november of that year the W C T U was ort gani zed J protect the home their platform was protection of the american home they neglect ed no phase of that program ad 5 vo cating a single standard for the J sexes both in morals and in law io i labor reform such as the eight hour I 1 day and a living wage international j peace womans comans suffrage personal f abstinence from harmful things le they sought legal prohibition of al coholic beverages and other narcot ics acs of white slavery of gambling of obscene literature of war as a means of settling international p A dpn Y al j ail inar romr T i v rt mrs ars ida jo B wise smith national president lof of W C T U above at microphone mac ro phone broadcasts a temperance tempera nce message as national officers look on below leaders of youths temperance temperanc council count congratulatory telegrams received from scores of cities wrongs the country over they believed then and their successors still believe that the liquor traffic and liquor itself are the most insidious and powerful enemies of the american home so underlying all their social welfare activities was the struggle against liquor frances E willard their founder and her fellow workers laid down the broad strategies of this still con war in 1874 their lines of attack then and now were education and legislation mothers made up the union and their attitude was motherly first try to educate your child away from wrong thoughts and practices second if he persists stop him with a firm no with the safeguard of removing the temptation from his reach the odds against their success were overwhelming they won but it required 46 years the years of 1920 1925 marked the zenith of W C T U aspirations every legal goal had been achieved but it seemed too good to last comes repeal if 1925 was the zenith then 1933 was the nadir for that year brought an end to prohibition and most of the enforcement or regulatory laws put on the statute books during 59 years those who were at national W C T U headquarters in evanston ill the night of nov 7 1933 when utah the thirty sixth state ratified the re peal amendment say that quite a few tears were shed but the next day they began reforming their lines for a continuing struggle law enforcement had haw been the prime necessity of prohibition days now the W C T U turned to education never sensational in its methods it had never stressed the emotional side of the alcohol story now it stressed scientific research into the effects of alcohol on the human body and on the social body always adapting its tactics to the use of current modern weapons the research laboratory and medicaid medical science now furnished the ammunition for its educational campaign it added the weapons of motion pictures radio the press road signs printed material and other tools which had served its enemy so well during the repeal fight some bright spots one of the few bright spots in the 1933 picture was the fact that 47 states still had laws requiring education in temperance to be taught in public schools much of its educational cat ional program was centered in this field with such effect that now the liquor trade is pushing campaigns in many states to hamstring these laws or to put administration in the hands of state liquor control boards A five year program was begun in 1934 to strengthen the unions resources and push its educational work in the eff effects acts of alcohol and other narcotics A sum dose close to was raised and today has been spent strictly for temperance education this program culminated in internal international t ional observance during 1939 of the centenary of frances E willard seemingly routed in 1933 the forces of temperance have made such a comeback that the chicago convention in 1940 will be told that dry areas have been created by vote in 29 states since 1933 it is estimated that at least such elections have been held in individual communities with the drys winning far more than one half the new dry sections plus the prohibition areas of kansas mississippi and oklahoma represent one sixth of the nations population that an estimated one fourth of the incorporated U S communities muni ties have prohibition churches are active that the strong temperance forces of the protestant churches and of other dry groups again had become active in the fight that in the january 1940 gallup poll 34 per cent of the e electorate had committed itself as f favoring prohibition particularly significant w will 11 be the release of membership figures showing that W C T U added members in 1938 and in in 1939 enrollment periods more i important in perhaps was the addition of new W C T U units in 1939 these additions addition make a total of approximately members in more than local units there are five principal divisions of the organization that is the city county state national and worlds unions administration is strictly democratic with each group having autonomy within its area the worlds W C T U is organized in 52 nations but its work has been stopped in some nations by current conditions of world affairs |
