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Show Page 63<br><br>Treasurer, Mrs. Dunshee, Salt Lake City. Our Pledge.-I hereby solemnly promise-God helping me-to abstain from all intoxicating liquors, wines and cider included, and to employ all proper means to discourage the use of the same. The grand, glorious cause of temperance, that so many years ago aroused the good women of Ohio, is still one of the wide-awake issues that confront all true Christians today. And anything for the advancement of the cause is received with; warm approbation by its earnest supporters. What are we doing in Utah? In October, 1891, a few earnest women resolved to organize a Territorial Union, and with that purpose in view, a meeting was called to be held in Salt Lake City. Of this meeting, the Tribune contained this item: "It is the first W. C. T. U. convention ever held in the Territory, and reflects credit on the women who planned and carried it through. The meetings have been characterized throughout by earnest feeling, animation, and promptness of business execution." [PHOTO: MRS. G. W. MARTIN.] Mrs. M. B. Reese, national organizer, Of Seattle, was present and was the means of effecting the Territorial organization, and Mrs. L. M. Bailey of Ogden became our first president. During the year following, good work was done along the various lines taken up at the first convention, and at the second annual convention, held in Salt Lake City, delegates were present from Ogden, Provo, Nephi and Mount Pleasant. Mrs. Reese was again present, and added much to the success of the convention. She had organized unions at Manti, American Fork, Logan and Park City, and had strengthened several weak unions. At this convention Mrs. Caroline H. Reed of Salt Lake City was chosen president, and we find the members here praising God for all his works in these words: "We, as members of the Utah Territorial Woman's Christian Temperance Union, gratefully recognize the good hand of our God in the progress made in the W. C. T. U. work in our Territory during the past year. We believe, as an organization, we [PHOTO: MRS. G. S. PEYTON.] have been called of God to carry on a great moral reform, which demands from us personal work and sacrifice, and that looking for victory, which must eventually come, we pledge ourselves to renewed efforts in the cause of total abstinence and prohibition. The third annual convention was held in Salt Lake City, October 5th and 6th, '93. At this meeting the vice-president, Mrs. G. W. Martin of Manti, presided, and this convention was remarkable for its good reports, splendid attendance and excellent papers. Delegates were present from Ogden, Nephi, Mount Pleasant, Manti, Logan, Provo and Salt Lake, and every delegate reported aggressive work, with one or two exceptions. The reports of the jail and prison work, work among the soldiers, and the Rescue Home, cheered the hearts of all present, and proved that personal work would win. This year, although the year of the panic, showed the largest financial gain, as the treasurer reported the receipts as $468.01 and expenses $406.75, and we find this resolution in the minutes: "That during the present financial difficulties, we not only place our trust in God, but urge upon our members increased self-denial, that we may be able to aid in many ways those in greater need than ourselves." At this convention Mrs. Hester Griffith of Salt Lake City was chosen president, but her removal from this city to California, soon after caused the duties of president to fall upon Mrs. G. W. Martin, who has faithfully carried on the work ever since. The fourth annual convention was also held in Salt Lake City, October llth and 12th, '94. Delegates were present from Ogden, Nephi, Manti and Salt Lake. The outlook for this convention seemed most discouraging, as the year had been a very hard one. Many unions had died, owing to their inability to continue their dues, but, trusting in God for its success, the ladies met again, and after earnest prayers and careful consideration of the work, the convention closed, and many said, "It was the best one we have ever held." The treasurer reported $64.20 as receipts and $3.60 as expenses. At this meeting Mrs. G. W. Martin was chosen president. And now, what of the past year's work? "Aggressive work" has been our motto, and we realize that already the results are to be seen. Mrs. Telford of Denver lectured throughout the Territory this fall, and organized unions at Spring City, Spanish Fork, Salina, Benjamin, American Fork and Kaysville, and everywhere aroused the people to the great need of temperance. Our worthy president, Mrs. Martin, ably assisted Mrs. Telford to her labor, and was a most helpful assistant, as she so thoroughly knew and understood the work in this Territory. At the fifth annual convention held in Ogden, October 4th and 5th, 1895, delegates were present from several of these new unions, and the convention was a good one. Mrs. Telford could not be present, but the telling influence of her work was there. Good papers, earnest discussions for the advancement of the cause, and the reports of successful work, made the convention a live and helpful one. Mrs. Martin was again unanimously chosen president, and we are sure that we have an earnest advocate of the temperance cause at the head of our Territorial [PHOTO: MRS. E. E. SHEPARD.] union, and one who is earnestly working for the success of temperance. What is the future outlook? We mean that the cause of temperance shall prevail in Utah, and we are working to that end. We shall faithfully carry on our work, and try to obtain the assistance of every Christian man and woman in this Territory, and when we stand as one strong band, king Alcohol must bow his head and submit to decapitation. We carried on Gospel meetings at Fort Douglas until Uncle Sam sent an earnest chaplain to the fort. We have visited the hospitals, asylums, poor infirmaries, jails, prisons, the poor, sick and infirm, and carried to them the Gospel-light, flowers, food, literature and clothing. We have worked for free kindergartens, knowing that the education of the young is the only prevention for the great evils of our land. We have distributed temperance literature, held parlor meetings, mothers' meeting and social-purity meetings, and yet we are firmly resolved to look |
