Show Leaders See Tippling rippling Decrease As State Liquor Regulation Gains Ground I I By MILTON FORREST FO Released by Western Newspaper Union is less tippling J. J in America today than there was a year ago The pendulum of public opinion opinion opinion ion is swinging g eing steadily toward temperance That is what leaders of the Wom Worn Women's Women's ens en's Christian Temperance Union Avill tell you While they do not claim that prohibition Is just around the corner comer they point out that support for regulatory legislation on liquor is continually gaining ground The White are preparing preparIng ing lne for the most enthusiastic lastic con con- this year since the inc uJ days ui 01 prohibition Three thousand of them representing hundreds of thousands more of their fellow work work- workers workers workers ers throughout the United States will rally for their sixty sixth th an nn- annual annual nual convention in Chicago August 9 to 14 r Methods for Intensifying the war against alcohol in the coming year will be studied by the delegates In a rallying cry to women every- every everywhere where here Mrs Ida B. B Wise Smith na na- national national na- na national president of the W W. C. C T. T U. U declared We again call upon Americas America's women to enroll for true home de- de defense to tense to roll up their sleeves and scrub the dirty spots out of the na na- nations nation's nations nations tion's social and moral fabric LL LO u U u Wilt na a lun aw you va Ula u i we liquor problem liquor problem is as old as history itself In America there always was wasa wast t a strong trend toward strong licens licens- licensing licensing licensing ing and regulatory systems Men who believed prohibition of the traffic traffic traffic fic 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 move move- movement ment Women were throwing off their bonds In 1873 praying bands of women began sporadic efforts to pray saloons out of their towns towns- townsand townsand townsand and were amazingly successful In 1874 a number of these women were at Chautauqua for a religious gathering and conceived the idea of ofa a united temperance party for wom wom- en In Cleveland in November of that year the W. W C. C T. T U. U was or or- Protect the Home Their platform was protection of the American home They neglect neglect- neglected ed no phase of that program ad ad- advocating advocating advocating a single standard for the sexes both in morals and in law f c labor reform such as the he the hour eight day and a living wage international peace womans woman's suffrage personal abstinence from harmful things They sought legal prohibition of al al- alcoholic alcoholic al- al alcoholic coholic beverages and other narcot narcot- narcotics narcotics ics fc of white slavery of gambling I of obscene literature of war as a means of settling international a f A rf 4 q In y t k SL Mrs Ida D. D B Wise ilise Smith national president of W. W C. C C T. T U. U above at microphone broadcasts a temperance message as national officers look laok on Below leaders of Youths Youth's Temperance council counci count telegrams received from scores of cities wrongs the country over They believed then and their successors suc suc- successors successors still believe believe- that the liquor liquor liquor traffic and liquor itself are the most insidious and powerful enemies of the American 1 home So under under- underlying underlying underlying lying all their social welfare activities activities activities ties was the struggle against liquor Frances E. E E Willard their founder under f 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 tion and legislation Mothers others made up the Union and their attitude was motherly First try to educate your child away from wrong thoughts and practices sec sec- second second second ond if he persists stop him with witha 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 1925 1920 marked the zenith of W. W C. C T. T U. U aspirations Every legal goal had been achieved But it seemed too good to last Comes Repeal If 1925 was the zenith zenith then 1933 1933 was vas the nadir adir For F r that thai year yer ye r 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. W C. C T. T U. U headquarters in Evanston Ill III the night of Nov 7 7 1933 when Utah the thirty sixth th state ratified the re re- re- re peal amendment say that quite a afew afew few tears were shed But the next nex day they began reforming their lines line for a continuing struggle Law enforcement had been the th e prime necessity of prohibition days Now the W. W C. C T. T U. U turned to edu edu- 1 cation Never sensational in its It s methods it had never stressed the tin emotional side of the alcohol story I Now it stressed scientific research b into the effects of alcohol on the tin e human body body and and on the social body Always adapting its tactics to the th use of current modern weapons the th research laboratory and medical science science ence now furnished the ammunition for its educational campaign I It added the weapons of motion pic pie pictures tures radio the press road signs sign printed material and other tools tool which had served It so we well during the repeal fight Some Bright Spots One of the th the few bright spots i in inthe the 1933 picture was the fact that 4 47 7 states still had laws requiring edu education ed cation in temperance to be taught taugh in public schools Much of its edu- edu educational ed program was centered in inthis inV i n this field with V i such rs effect that not J r the the- liquor r trade i s pus hing i ca in many states to hamstring g these laws or to put administration n in the hands of state liquor control of boards A year five-year program was begun in II 1934 to strengthen the Unions Union's re re- resources resources r e sources and push its educational education al work in the effects of alcohol and an another ald d other narcotics A sum close to t o was raised and today toda Y has been spelt sp r t strictly for to Yr r temperance education This pro pro- program program pr o gram culminated in international ob ob- observance observance o b servance during 1939 of the cente cent centenary centenary nary of Frances E. E Willard Seemingly routed in 1933 the th forces of temperance have made mad such a comeback that the Chicago Chicag convention In 1940 1930 will be told that Dry areas have been created by b y vote in fn 29 states since 1933 It is estimated ted that at least such sue elections have been held in individual u al communities with the drys wi win win- winning winning ning Wing far more than one The new dry sections plus tha th 0 prohibition areas of Kansas Mississippi Mississippi S. S sippi and Oklahoma represent one one- on sixth of the nations nation's population That an estimated one-fourth one of the Incorporated U. U S. S S com com- communities communities co m have prohibition Churches Are Arc 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 19 Gallup poll 34 per cent of the electorate had committed itself as favoring prohibition Particularly significant will be the release of membership figures showing that W. W C. C T. T T U. U added 32 32 members members' in 1938 and in 1939 enrollment periods More im im- important important im- im important perhaps was the addition of new W. W C. C T. T U. U units In 1939 These additions ns make a total of approximately members In more than local units units- There are arc five principal divisions of the file organization that is the city county state national and worlds world's Unions Administration is strictly democratic with each group having autonomy within its area The Worlds World's W. W C. C T T. U. U Is organized in 52 nations but its work has been stopped in some nations by current conditions of ot world affairs The national leaders are arc women long active in church and social welfare wel wel- welfare welfare fare work The national officers arc are Mrs Ida B. B B Wise Smith Des Moines Iowa president Mrs D. D Leigh Colvin Col- Col Colvin Colvin vin New York city vice president Mrs Anna Marden San Fran Fran- Francisco Francisco Francisco cisco Calif corresponding secreta secreta- secretary ry Mrs Nelle G. G Burger Spring field Mo recording secretary and Mrs Margaret C. C Munn Munns Seattle Wash treasurer Headquarters are in Evanston Ill at the rear of the former home of Miss Willard now maintained as a shrine ih 1 S. S 1 1 |