The Vidette-Messenger Centennial EditionThe 1936 special edition celebrating Porter County's centennial year . . . .
The following article has been transcribed from the August 18, 1936, issue of The Vidette-Messenger, published in Valparaiso, Indiana. This particular special edition focuses on Porter County's centennial celebration and contains a 94-page compendium of Porter County history up to that time.
Return to the index of articles from The Vidette-Messenger's Porter County Centennial special edition.
Source: The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso,
Porter County, Indiana; August 18, 1936; Volume 10, Section 4, Page 18.
Porter County W. C. T. U. Has Seen Sixty Years of Striving For Its Ideals
One of the few
social welfare agencies in Porter county that can look back over more than 60
years of service is the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.
The first period from 1826 to 1846 marked the advance from the old temperance
program to the state-wide movement, working by townships, county and state, with
activities throughout all the states.
In 1846 a Temperance League was formed in Valparaiso, with branches in four or
five other places in the county. In 1847 legislation providing for local option
for townships to decide whether licenses should be granted.
Citizens of Center, Liberty, Jackson, Porter, Morgan, Washington and Portage
refused, some by substantial majorities, to grant licenses, while in Union,
Boone, Calumet, Westchester and Pleasant the people declared for license by
small majorities.
In 1847 there was a definite launching of a woman's movement, called the
Crusade, for scientific instruction in the public schools. During these early
crusade days the women in the earnestness to stop the increase in drunkenness
and debauchery of their sons and husbands, formed bands for prayer and they
entered the saloons and prayed and pleaded with the keepers to resist selling
intoxicating liquors.
If not permitted inside the saloons they knelt in prayer and sang. Many times
they were insulted and mistreated and at times had objected hurled at them. In
one instance while kneeling in prayer before one saloon they were drenched with
hot water from an upstairs window and on another occasion dish water was dashed
upon them.
Mayor John N. Skinner alarmed at the spread of the movement issued a
proclamation warning the women that if they persisted in carrying out their
service on and about the premises it would result in officers dispersing such
assemblages.
In a few house after the appearance of the mayor's proclamation, the ladies
responded with a manifesto expressing the opinion that they had the right to
persuade men to cease from strong drink, and to plead with the liquor seller to
ceased from his traffic. They announced they would go forward in their work, and
if the hand of violence was laid upon them, they would make their humble and
confident appeal to the God they served, and to the laws of the state, whose
faithful citizens they were.
The temperance question proved to be an issue in succeeding election, but Mayor
Skinner was re-elected after a hot contest.
Signing the manifesto issued by the Crusaders to Mr. Skinner's proclamation were
Mrs. A. V. Bartholomew, Mrs. L. C. Buckles, Mrs. E. Skinner, Mrs. A. Gurney and
Mrs. E. Ball, members of the executive committee.
The earliest list of names that can be traced of the Crusaders forming a Woman's
Christian Temperance Union dates back to 1890 and is as follows: Mrs. H. M.
Cross, county treasurer; Mrs. Belle Aylesworth, county secretary, Mrs. W. B.
McCallum, S. DeLong, Mary Brown, Theron Bell, Mr. Cahouse, H. A. Campbell, H. M.
Gross, E. D. Crumpacker, Isaac Cornell, Mrs. Demsey, O. Dusharne, Christine
Deshler, E. Davis, Paul Evans, Mrs. Fillibaum, Miss Sheldon, William Freeman, A.
N. Foster, C. M. Herrick, J. E. Hall, M. J. Halton, T. H. Heard, R. A. Heritage,
J. S. Louderback, J. D. Louderback, Alva Leonard, W. F. Lederer, Mrs. J. E.
Maxwell, Lizzie McAlilly, J. A. McConahy, Mrs. Munger, C. H. Marine, Mrs.
Nichols, Becky Peirce, J. H. O. Smith, Thomas Shreve, C. J. Stevens, J. N.
Spense, Mrs. Stratton, A. Stoner, Mrs. Stockman, Mrs. J. H. Upthegrove, S. N.
Wilson, Saline White, Adaline White, Geo. Williams, Alice Windle and Minnie
Winters.
The declaration of principles adopted by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union
in part were as follows.
"We believe in the coming of His kingdom whose service is perfect freedom,
because His laws, written in our members as in nature and in grace, are perfect,
converting the soul.
"We believe in the gospel of the Golden Rule, and each man's habit of life
should be an example great and beneficent for every other man to follow.
"We believe that God created both man and woman in His own image, therefore we
believe in one standard of purity for both men and women, and in equal rights of
all to hold opinions and to express the same with equal freedom.
"We believe in a living wage; in courts of conciliation and arbitration; in
justice as opposed to greed of gain; in 'peace on each and good will to men.'
"We therefore formulate and for ourselves adopt the following pledge asking our
sisters and brothers of a common danger and a common hope, to make common cause
with us, in working its reasonable and helpful precepts of every day life:
"I hereby solemnly promise, God helping me, to abstain from all distilled,
fermented and malt liquors, including wine, beer and cider, and to employ all
proper means to discourage the use of and traffic in same.
"Top conform and enforce the national part of this pledge, we declare our
purpose to educate the young; to form a better public sentiment; to reform as
far as possible, by religious, ethical and scientific means, the drinking
classes; to seek the transformating power of Divine grace for ourselves and all
for whom we work, that they and we may willfully transcend no law of pure and
wholesome living, and finally pledge ourselves to labor and to pray for all
these principles, founded upon the Gospel of Christ, may be worked out into the
customs of society and the laws of the land."
In June, 1911, there was another concerted effort on the part of the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union to carry out these principles with pledge signing.
Various public gatherings were held and temperance speeches made with a great
awakening for the temperance cause. It was talked on the streets and in the
homes, and taught in the schools. The slogan, "A Saloonless Nation in 1920" was
the cry of all church and temperance organizations.
The first county president of record was Mrs. Capitola Dilley, of Hebron. The
Union was organized a number of times prior to Mrs. Dilley taking office. Much
hard and strenuous work had been done before the 18th amendment was written in
the Constitution. Mrs. Dilley was a faithful and ardent worker and put new life
into the Valparaiso and Hebron unions.
In 1922 Mrs. Harry Albery was president of the Union, and with untiring effort
added many new members. In 1923, Mrs. Frank B. Chester was chosen president and
held the office until she took over a government position. Mrs. Harry Albery
filled out Mrs. Chester's unexpired term.
Mrs. Mary Stiles followed Mrs. Albery, and served as president during 1925. In
1926, Mrs. Albery again served as president.
In 1926, Mrs. Medilla W. Cox was chosen leader, and for a year led in an
educational campaign in city and county schools, and then was made president of
the county.
In Valparaiso, Mrs. Ira Mummert took up the standard of temperance and held the
office for two years, and then was followed by Mrs. Pearl Barnett in 1929; Mrs.
Frank Darst in 1930 and 1931; Mrs. R. F. Ballaher in 1932; Mrs. Carl G. Steward
in 1933, Mrs. W. W. McWhitney in 1934, and Mrs. O. W. Gibbs in 1935 and 1936.
Mrs. Charles Simpson, Mrs. Jenney McMillen and Miss Bryan were the president
carrying on in Hebron, while in Wheeler, Mrs. Don Richmond and Mrs. Carl Davis
carried the temperance banner for many years. Chesterton also had many faithful
women in sympathy with the other unions. They were Mrs. Karl Simpson, Mrs. L. P.
Matson, Mrs. H. Atchison and Mrs. Fannie Neely, now president, are still
carrying on the work in an aggressive way. Miss Irma Stephens organized the
Loyal Temperance Legion of children in 1926 and some splendid work has been
accomplished.
In the same year Mrs. E. A. York started a Loyal Temperance Legion in
Valparaiso, which was a live organization for many years.
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union through the eight years of Mrs. Cox's
leadership, achieved signal success through putting on essay contests in the
public schools and oratorical contests with contestants from Hebron, Wheeler,
Chesterton and Valparaiso.
With the splendid co-operation of superintendents, the students throughout the
county gladly took part and awards were presented to the winners. Posters
illustrating the effects of intoxicating liquors showed much interest on the
part of the children. Family night was a new feature introduced in temperance
work, which included all members of the family in a yearly gathering. Sunday
schools co-operated in a fine way with the W. C. T. U. and many pledges were
signed and temperance plays and addresses given.
In 1928, Mrs. Cox, while president of the county group, permitted her name to be
put up as a candidate for sheriff of Porter county, coming out as a strict dry
on the democratic ticket, while Al Smith, democratic candidate for president was
campaigning on a wet ticket. Mrs. Cox opposed Burney Maxwell and polled over
3,000 votes.
In the wet and dry election of 1933 to elect delegates to the state convention
to decide whether Indiana was in favor or vote against repeal of the 18th
amendment, John W. Sieb and John M. Fabing the wet candidates, defeated Robert
Wise and Mrs. C. W. Boucher, the dry candidates, by a vote of 3,910 to 1,536.
After eight years as leader of the temperance hosts of Porter county, Mrs. Cox
refused re-election in 1933, and Miss Irma Stephens was elected and has held the
office since. Under Miss Stephen's leadership the banner is moving forward. With
her splendid officers and co-workers throughout the county, through education,
agitation and co-operation, the Womans' Christian Temperance Union is marching
on toward a still greater victory over legalized liquors.
Article transcribed by Steven R. Shook