Mercer County, Illinois - Chapter 13: Temperance, 1914

The people of Mercer County were generally temperate, but there was no great temperance movement in the early settlement of the county. There was a temperance organization in New Boston in the early '50s, William Drury and Elmore J. Dennison, two prominent merchants, being members thereof, and in the latter part of 1852 or 1853, I. N. Bassett became a member of that organization. There was also an organization in Keithsburg, "The Sons of Temperance," of the "Good Templars," and among the members in that organization was John S. Thompson. No doubt there were other organizations in the county. There was no saloon selling whisky or intoxicants in New Boston in 1852, but doubtless the drug stores were selling it, but in 1853 ar,d 1854 William Becket opened a saloon in New Boston and continued the same for several years in violation of the law. Hewas an aggressive saloon man and defied the public opinion and sold liquors to evervbodv that he could entice into his saloon to buv. When suit was commenced against him, he would contest the same energeticallv and would pav his fines, his profits being sufficient to enable him to pav several fines during the year and still make money in his business. Finally however the prosecutions were so vigorous that he surrendered and left the place. New Boston would have saloons however from time to time, after it was incorporated under the laws of the state until about eight or ten years ago when it succeeded in getting an anti-license council, but some two years later a license board was elected and thereupon granted licenses to three persons, and they each erected a cement building in the city and opened a saloon. About two years later there was an anti-license board elected and the saloons closed, and New Boston has been a dry town ever since, and the buildings have been sold and each are occupied for other purposes.

Keithsburg in the earlv vears had open saloons. Dan Keith was among those who sold liquors in violation of the law in the early '50s, and there was no term of court for quite a number of years but there were two or three indictments against Dan Keith. He was doing such a thriving business that he could afford to pay a considerable number of fines and the expense of litigation, but his death finally put an end to the saloon business. Patrick T. Hughes also about 1855 or 1856 opened a saloon in Keithsburg and continued selling in violation of law for a number of years. He was indicted also at several terms of court for selling whisky and fined. However the saloon men were frequently victorious in their suits. The witnesses often had bad memories and juries were not so ready in those days to find a verdict against a liquor seller as they are now. The temperance movement in the county was active in very many other places and especially so in Aledo. In 1856 and 1857 when Aledo was first settled it was strongly temperance and has continued to be strong as will be shown hereafter. In the fall of 1857 at ^e first term of the Circuit Court held in Aledo after the removal of the county seat from Keithsburg, Dan Keith came to Aledo and put up a large tent and with a large supply of liquors commenced the sale of the same. His tent disappeared the first night and Mother Earth drank up all his liquors. Keith bundled up his effects that were left and returned to Keithsburg. The temperance movement continued for the most of the time in many places of the county for a number of years.

The Civil war coming on checked the movement, but immediately thereafter temperance workers appeared and the Good Templars' organizations became more active at all the principal centers of population in Mercer County. On May 16, 1867, trie Good Templars of Mercer and adjoining counties met in convention at Aledo and called to the chair A. Y. Green, grand worthy marshal. The following lodges were represented: Aledo, No. 849; General Sherman, No. 848; General Grant, No. 946; Viola, No. 914; Friendship, No. 862; Beulah, No. 9^0; and Everett, number unknown. Among the delegates were L. L. Troy, A. Shaw, Mary McCandless, Mrs. S. A. Hasbrook, Rev. J. J. Fleharty, J. A. Forsythe, Jennie Garrett, Kate Ward, Mrs. A. McBride, Libbie Gould, Mrs. E. Welliver, and Mr. Allen. Many questions of importance to the order were discussed. A permanent county organization was determined upon and a charter from the grand lodge was ordered. It was determined to hold the next meeting at Berlin, where there was a strong organization of the order. The officers elected for the ensuing year were: Rev. J. S. Poage, W. C. T. ; Miss Libbie Gould, W. V. T.; Lewis L. troy, W. R. S.; A. Shaw, W. F. S.; Mrs. Samantha Harriott, W. T. ; J. A. Forsythe, W. M.; Rev. J. J. Fleharty, W. C; J. H. Southwell, W. A. S. ; Miss Lou A. Spicer, W. D. M.; Miss Emma Girton, W. I. G.; Mrs. S. A. Hasbrook, R. H.

A big temperance meeting was held at Viola, May 30, 1867, to consider ways and means to promote the cause in that place. J. S. Cooper served as chairman and W. N. Harriott, as secretary. W. Patterson, Leander Tidball and J. A. Forsythe were appointed committee on resolutions. James M. Walker, N. H. Pond, William Patterson, Mrs. Dora Southwell and Miss Julia Perkins were appointed to prepare a pledge for the association that was to be formed. Several spirited speeches were made and the organization was effected. The name adopted was Viola Total Abstinence Society and Anti-Whisky League; the object was to promote total abstinence and suppress the sale of intoxicants. The pledge adopted was strong, covering all alcoholic, spirituous or malt liquors, wine or cider as a beverage; but it was provided that nothing in the pledge should be so construed as to conflict with an\- duty as citizens or Christians. The latter was evidently meant to cover the use of wine at the Lord's Supper.

It was at this time that the villages began to divide on the question of license or no license. At Keithsburg, New Boston, Aledo, Millersburg, Viola and perhaps elsewhere, the temperance question began to cut an important figure. At Aledo the temperance people were determined to root out the few saloons here and accordingly placed in the field a temperance ticket. At this time, in i86g, there were two saloons in the village conducted bv Messrs. Bamer and Summers. The object was to suppress the sale of liquor in the town. The saloon under the Button House was conducted by Mr. Summers, who repeatedly violated the existing law, whereupon the town constable, Underwood, was sent to his place of business with a warrant to effect his arrest. Mr. Summers resisted, drew his revolver on the officer and a scuffle ensued, during which several other persons interfered and prevented anything serious. Mr. Summers was arrested and bound over to court in the sum of $500. He was also arrested on a warrant from Underwood on the charge of assault with intent to kill. This event occurred in Tanuarv, 1870.

The temperance ticket managed to win but probably by the slenderest majority in the historv of the county. The following was the vote of the temperance ticket: J. S. Pinkerton, 68; R. Mentzer, 69; H. R. Morrison, 69; A. J. Holmes, 68; I. N. Dunlap, 69. License ticket: Jacob Cool, 67; S. W. McCoy, 67; Joseph Haney, 68; S. Button, 68; T. Irvin, 69. Thus three out of the four trustees elected were opposed to license. There was a toss up between the others as to who should be elected. In the end the temperance ticket won. At the same time a similar contest was held in New Boston, Keithsburg, Viola and perhaps elsewhere in the county.

Again in 1871 the question at Aledo was license or no license. The temperance people had during the previous two or three years controlled the sale of liquor through the election of no license trustees. Previous to that time the village indebtedness was about four hundred dollars, but during that period the no license board had managed to pay off all the debt except thirty-two dollars, notwithstanding the obliteration of the income from licensed liquor shops. Not only that, but the village board had improved the sidewalks and streets and had advanced the village in temperance ideas to an unusual degree. In 1871 Rufus Mentzer, Nicholas Edwards, Thomas Maddux, Hugh L. Thompson and John Geiger were the trustees. They had been elected on the no license ticket. The majority in their favor, however, averaged only about ten or fifteen, showing that the liquor element was strong in Aledo. It was successful in Keithsburg and undoubtedly was in New Boston. During these few years it was noted that almost every vote in the village was polled either for or against the temperance movement.

In the spring of 1872 the Legislature passed a new temperance law, which went into effect on July 1st of that year. Ratification meetings were held in various parts of the countv as soon as this law was signed by the governor. The meeting in Aledo was held in Professor Henderson's schoolroom and was attended by all the temperance people of the village. This law made liquor sellers responsible for the damage done by reason of their sales. Many suits resulted as will be seen in the following pages. In the summer of 1872 Reverend Doctor Ross held temperance meetings in five or six of the leading villages of the county - Aledo, Viola, New Boston and at several of the country schoolhouses. The ratification meeting in Aledo was held April 2, 1872, N. Edwards, chairman; H. Bigelow, secretary. The committee on resolutions were Reverends Warner, Poage and Spurlock. Resolutions strongly in favor of prohibition were passed by this meeting. The senators and representatives were ready to oppose to the bitter end the repeal of the existing and recently passed temperance law. The liquor element was making a strenuous attempt to kill this law. In the end the repeal measure in the house was laid on the table by the decisive vote of 98 to 30.

"Whereas, We have noted with alarm the increase of intemperance during the past few years among the people of this state coming in upon us like a flood with its baneful influence, corrupting the youth, despoiling the fair fame of the gifted and noble, destroying homes that were otherwise happy, robbing a host of innocent victims, not only of the comforts of life, and causing immeasurable suffering, sorrow and woe; therefore, it is by us the citizens of Aledo in mass convention assembled

"Resolved, That we hail with satisfaction as the dawning of better days, the effort of our Legislature to check this cruel tide and hereby declare our hearty approval of the temperance law by them enacted, as a measure of expediency, justice and humanity.

"Resolved, That, abating nothing from the drunkard's criminality in his voluntarv drinking to drunkenness, we regard the principle made central in this law, that the vendor of ardent spirits, like any other man engaged in an occupation attended with danger to the community, should be held responsible for the damages caused by his traffic, as eminently just

"Resolved, That the giving to the hitherto defenseless, whom both the drunkard and the drunkard maker have trampled upon with impunity, the power of self-defense as does this law, is approved by every sense of what is right, chivalrous and humane.

"Resolved, That ceasing not our efforts at reform by moral suasion and recognizing ever the fact that a state of virtue cannot be brought about by legislation alone, we will stand by the law so long as it stands and as far as belongs to us will seek its due enforcement.

Remarks on the resolutions were made bv Rev. M. Spurlock, Rev. P. F. Warner, Rev. J. D. Taylor, N. Edwards and John Geiger. They were then passed without a dissenting voice.

It was in March, 1872, that there was passed by the Legislature the bill "to secure all persons freedom in the selection of an occupation, profession or emplovment." This measure was directly signed by the governor and gave women the right to occupy any office in the state.

In 1873 tne liquor question again came prominently before the villages of this county. B. F. Brock, state's attorney, made repeated investigations, but the liquor sellers were so sly and adroit that it was difficult for him to secure sufficient evidence to convict. It was declared at Aledo that a compact existed between the village board and the one saloonkeeper who still held forth. Mr. Brock asked the village authorities to repeal the local liquor ordinance in order to enable him to conduct prosecutions under the state law. The board chosen seem to have complied with his request. Five cases against M. R. Good were decided against him, whereupon he appealed, but in the end the cases were dismissed at his costs. Two cases from New Boston were appealed to the Circuit Court in 1873. One was the state vs. Ferguson, who was fined $170 for selling liquor to an habitual drunkard. The other was the case of Olive Dobbins vs. Ferguson, the latter being fined $130 for damages resulting from the sale of liquor to her father. These cases were decided in the Circuit Court against the liquor seller.

A large temperance meeting was held in Collegiate Hall, Aledo, in August, 1873. It was called by a score of ladies who began another movement for the suppression of drunkenness in the village. It was at this time, 1873, that another temperance reform movement swept the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific. An immense convention in New York started the wave. Among the ladies in the temperance movement and in the movement for woman's suffrage were Louisa M. Alcott, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, Lydia Maria Childs, Julia Ward Howe, Lucy Stone and other prominent suffrage and temperance workers. This was probably the most aggressive and successful temperance wave that swept the United States. The wave reached Aledo in the latter part of 1873, Dut did not take effective form until the spring of 1874. Temporary meetings had been held, but late in March the women of the county were prepared to take aggressive and unusual steps. The women of Aledo met at the Methodist Episcopal Church in the afternoon, organized and proceeded in a body, forty-six of them, to the saloon of Mr. Berrisford, on Seventh Street, and drew up before his door. He cordially invited them in and then turned the key in order to prevent interruption from outsiders. The ladies appealed to him to forsake the liquor traffic, but he politely refused. They then asked permission to sing and pray in the saloon, which request he granted, whereupon they spent a half hour there singing and praying. Upon their departure he invited them to call again, which they promised they would do. They then went to the saloon of Mr. Severin. He had anticipated their coming and had fitted up a large sign in front of his place of business with the words: "Prayer meeting at 2:30." Though not quite on time they held the meeting just the same and were invited inside the saloon. They appealed to him to forsake the sale, but he also refused and showed more opposition or spirit than had been manifested by Mr. Berrisford. He told them lie had been raised to think his business right and proper, that he paid his taxes, was permitted by the authorities to sell, had done much for the improvement of Aledo and did not care to suffer the loss which the closing of the business would entail. He stated to the ladies that many of his permanent customers were members of the churches which the ladies attended. He said, "Reform my customers and you reform me." Upon their departure the ladies reassembled at the Methodist Church and prepared for further movements to prevent the sale of liquor in this village. On the following Saturday they again visited the saloons, held their services and were courteously treated. It was evident that the ladies had made a strong impression on the saloonkeepers, because there was less opposition and a spirit of submission was manifested. This whole community was awakened as never before. On Sunday all the churches took up the question and many praying and singing temperance services were held and pledges were circulated and signed by over five hundred persons to abstain further from the use of spirituous or malt liquors as a beverage. On Sunday afternoon a temperance massmeeting was held at the Presbyterian Church, on which occasion the following resolution was passed :

"Resolved, That we, the citizens of Aledo and vicinity, do hereby pledge ourselves that if Mr. Severin and Mr. Berrisford will give up their present business of selling intoxicating liquors, we will to the extent of our influence assist them to enter upon any lawful business they may wish to engage in."

The next day the ladies again visited the saloons, but without definite results. During the entire week they kept up the visits in the churches and in the saloons. On Thursday both saloonkeepers appeared with their families at the Methodist Church. Being called upon for remarks, Mr. Severin stated that his building had cost much to fit up as a saloon and that if they would pay him $400, the cost of his equipment, he would quit the business. This put the subject squarely before the meeting, whereupon a committee was appointed to value his fixtures and reach a definite conclusion. The next week began with meetings even stronger than those that had gone before. Frequentlv as high as 600 people were present at these temperance massmeetings. Mrs. I. N. Dunlap was president of the ladies' temperance society at this time. She presided at an immense massmeeting held on Thursday this week. Mr. Severin appeared, as did the committee, with their report. Being called upon he said that he had decided to quit the business forever. This caused an outburst of applause that made the welkin ring. The meeting raised $300 by subscription to reimburse the old board of trustees, who had been fined for making false imprisonment of one of the saloonkeepers. There had yet to be raised $100 more to cover the costs. The ladies visited the Severin saloon and were told bv the proprietor that on the following morning he would turn over the stock to them to do with as they pleased. Accordingly they gathered at the saloon, the stock was rolled out in kegs and barrels and all was emptied into the street. On this occasion upwards of one hundred in number gathered in front of the building, formed a circle and themselves destroyed seventeen kegs of beer and many bottles of stronger drink. At the same time the church bells of the city rang, the whistles of the flour mill were blown and cheers resounded through the streets. Immediately thereafter the furniture and fixtures were sold at public auction, there being realized about fifty dollars. Many of the visitors paid fancy prices for the various articles. This event was pronounced at the time to have been the most important that ever occurred in the village.

Mr. Berrisford continued to hold out against the movement, whereupon the meetings at his place of business were continued. At first he absented himself and finally refused them admittance, whereupon they held services on the street in front of his saloon. At the end of a few days he promised he would quit the business at the end of the month. This was the best that could be accomplished, but the societv continued its organization and kept up its active work. It occurred that both men continued the business after the election of the license trustees in April. Thus the village authorities in a measure counteracted the good work which had been accomplished bv the ladies. The contest for the success of the no license trustees was exciting in the extreme. Both factions were determined, aggressive and outspoken. The friends of the liquor movement formed clubs and thus in a measure evaded the law. They had a large membership and plenty of money and did everything in their power to win success and in a measure succeeded. In order to circumvent the law one of the saloonkeepers began selling clothing and the other opened a grocery in connection with their sales of liquor, but the fight continued, and in the end the temperance movement won, so that bv the spring of 1875 Aledo was free from saloons for the first time in manv vears. The only sales of liquor were bv druggists. During the previous term of the village board there were sold in this place recording to close estimates, q,ooo gallons of beer, which cost the consumers $6,000. In addition large quantities of whisky and other intoxicants were sold. During these years New Boston, Keithsburg and Viola had similar experiences. The temperance movement by desperate efforts would manage to elect a temperance board, then a license board would succeed and would pass a license ordinance or repeal a no-license ordinance. Thus the villages of the county for several years were first under the influence of temperance and then under the influence of the liquor element.

Viola had a fight almost as severe as that in Aledo. In 1875 that village decided in favor of the license system and elected as trustees A. Elliott, Charles J. Andrew, W. K. Garwood, W. H. Hall, John Gilbert and C. Kallenberger. By the following year the village elected a no-license ticket.

In the fall of 1874 Mr. Severin at Aledo was indicted for keeping a nuisance. He was found guilty and fined $200, but appealed the case, which was tried by Judge Pleasants, who sustained the fine, with costs. Pepper and Wilson appeared for the trustees. Other suits against Severin and Berrisford were instituted at this time and carried up to the higher courts, but were invariably decided against the liquor sellers.

In March, 1875, Francis Murphy, the famous temperance lecturer, came here and held a series of meetings. He appeared under the auspices of the Ladies Temperance League of Aledo. His lectures were of great power and often moved his audience to tears. His descriptions of drunkards' homes were dramatic in the extreme. He held meetings during the days and evenings for three successive days, ending on Sabbath with the largest audience that ever assembled under one roof in the county, it was alleged. Over three hundred signed the pledge on this occasion.

In 1875 there was a feeling in this community that the temperance movement was becoming one of persecution and there was a relaxation in the temperance efforts, with the result that the liquor element again made progress and opened various saloons in different parts of the county. The question of license or no license was submitted in everv village of the county and in some instances favored and in others opposed the reform movement. In Aledo the votewas against license, 95; for license, 92. After this the temperance movement was quiet until 1878, when new organizations were formed and a new movement commenced. The Home Temperance Society of New Boston did most effective work at this time. The blue ribbon movement was the name given to this latest temperance crusade. The movement may be said to have been inaugurated by the visit of Clifford W. Phillips, who lectured in Aledo in April, 1878. At the first meeting over two hundred and fifty-two people signed the pledge. At New Boston Susan B. Anthony lectured and there was formed in that village an organization which did effective work against the liquor traffic. At Aledo the Blue Ribbon Temperance Club was organized, with J. R. Wylie as president. Noble and Driver, two great temperance workers, the former an orator and the latter a singer, held a series of meetings in the leading villages of this county in June and July, 1878. During the previous ten months they had secured, it was stated, in the newspapers, 100,000 signers to the temperance pledge. J. B. Hill, of Streator, a member of the Supreme Lodge of Good Templars, lectured with great effect at New Boston, Keithsburg, Aledo, Viola, Reynolds and elsewhere in this county. In July and August, 1879, Rice and Mack, of Chicago, prominent temperance revivalists and workers, held open-air meetings throughout the county and secured hundreds of names to the pledge. In October, 1879, Francis J. Adams and wife, gospel temperance workers, held meetings in New Windsor and organized there a branch of the W. C. T. U., with over two hundred members. T. B. Mayo was president of the union. It was at that time that Frances E. Willard added her wonderful influence to the practical operations of temperance work in this field.

The result of these various meetings was the formation of the Mercer County Temperance Alliance in December, 1879, of which J. C. Pepper was made president, and thereafter was kept constantly at work for several years in the cause. A temperance convention was held in Aledo on January 13, 1880, to organize a Mercer Township temperance club. John W. Edwards was chosen chairman. W. L. Campbell addressed the meeting for nearly an hour. A constitution and by-laws were prepared and adopted and the organization was duly set in motion. J. T. Thomson was elected first president of the club. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union at New Boston was reorganized in January, 1880, with a membership of fifty. So great was the influence of the temperance movement at that time that the Aledo Record established a temperance department under the editorship of L. B. Doughty. This department from week to week was filled with communications from temperance workers in all parts of the county. Never before had the temperance movement been so thoroughly organized and made so efficient. Branches of the alliance were established in every considerable community in the county. At New Boston the movement continued with unabated vigor and success. In January, 1878, two saloons there were in full operation, but by September both were closed and the licenses were annulled. The trustees there passed what was called the iron-clad ordinance, which completely prevented the sale except under very restricted measures.

At Viola the Woman's Christian Temperance Union was in full working order by March, 1880, with Miss Mary J. Aitken as president. The village board of Keithsburg in the spring of 1880 passed an ordinance to carry out the provisions of the local home protective petition, which provided for an annual election of the license or no license questions. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union in that city became a power, at this time numbering over forty active and determined women workers. They prepared to make a desperate fight to close up every saloon in that place, and in the end succeeded.

In Richland Grove an alliance was formed at Swedona by F. J. Adams, the agent of the County Temperance Alliance; 2^0 persons became members. Dr. J. Ainsley was president. Mr. Adams organized another alliance in Preemption, which had 161 members, with R. H. Whitsitt as president. He organized another in Abington Township with 141 members, also one at Millersburg, with 7; members. This organization became one of the strongest in the county and did effective work in educating people along temperance lines. Thev held an immense quarterly meeting of the alliance in this village, on which occasion declamations, music, tabeleaux and other performances and amusements were enjoyed. In time the New Boston alliance numbered nearly three hundred persons.

In Ohio Grove the alliance was presided over bv Rev. D. Ayres and was strong and effective in its work. The branch at Aledo was presided over by Mrs. C. S. Richey. Mrs. Morgan was vice president; Miss Debbie Cummins, recording secretary; Miss A. E. Frazier, corresponding secretary; and Mrs. I. N. Dunlap, treasurer.

The North Henderson Red Ribbon Club was at one time the largest in the county. At one time it numbered 343 members. It was three years old in the spring of 1880, thus being perhaps one of the oldest, if not the oldest, in the county. Its president was Adam Bruner; vice president, Newton Holmes; secretary, George A. Blue; treasurer, Mrs. G. A. Blue. This organization was not a member of the W. C. T. U., but was a branch of the Red Ribbon Club and a member of the County Temperance Alliance. Mr. Adams in time established over fifty branch organizations under the control of the County Temperance Alliance.

women were permitted to vote, but were required to cast their ballots at a separate window and in a separate box. Their votes were not legal, but were taken as an expression of the opinion of the women. The influences of the river were in favor of the sale of liquor. Accordingly they had a greater fight than had other towns, except New Boston. In fact, Keithsburg had a harder task before it to prevent drunkenness, owing to the river influence, than any other village of the county. Finally an immense temperance massmeeting was held there, on which occasion Mrs. Hibben, of Peoria, president of the W. C. T. U. of Illinois; Mrs. W. L. Wells, state lecturer; Miss Lois Smith and Miss Cassie Smith, two temperance evangelists from Rock Island; Mrs. Kirkpatrick, president of the W. C. T. U. of the Tenth Congressional District; John C. Pepper, president of the County Temperance Alliance; I. M. Kirkpatrick, of Warren County, a prominent temperance promoter, came to Keithsburg for the purpose of assisting in crushing the liquor movement. A series of powerful meetings were held in the churches, halls and schoolhouses day and night for weeks, all culminating finally in the grand effort at the polls in April. The success was the election of the no-license ticket. At the polls twenty ladies appeared and used every reasonable influence to secure votes in favor of the temperance movement. The efforts were successful. Mrs. Sheriff and Miss Josie Calhoun were clerks of election and A. F. Glover and Mrs. J. A. Wilson, judges. When the hour for opening the polls arrived, the women, fifty strong, met at the Methodist Episcopal Church and marched enmasse to the voting place in the Holland Building, where a short time before a saloon had been kept by Dunn & Nagle. The women were bright, lively, "chatty," but terribly in earnest. They pleaded for their ticket and accomplished a result which was felt in that community for many years afterward. Their candidates were called the anti-license ticket. They had out the Silver Cornet Band, which marched with them to the polls and there for hours in the morning and again in the afternoon played for the entertainment of the crowd which surrounded the polls. They formed a circle and played while the women worked. In the afternoon the band returned and was headed by boys carrying banners with temperance mottos, such as "Bad Luck to Whisky," "Down With License," "Up With the Gospel Temperance," etc. The ladies employed nearly all the buggies in town to bring out the women and the negligent men. The following was the result of this remarkable election of the antilicense ticket : R. C. Humbert, no;T. B. Cabeen, 102; F. P. Burgett, 106; Joseph Venerable, 100; James D. Clark, 99. License ticket:

Denis Murto, 97; John Helwig, 89; Hugh Campbell, 91 ; E. Pritz, 91; J. J. Kauffman, 83. This board promptly passed a no-license ordinance. The previous board had passed the ordinance permitting women to vote in response to a petition of 300 persons of legal age within the corporate limits of the city. This splendid result was regarded as due to the efforts of the able speakers and temperance promoters who had recently visited the city and by the efforts of the local ladies themselves. Almost every woman in the city was a member of this movement. The local branch of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union there passed the following resolutions after the election :

"Whereas, Our late municipal election resulted in complete victory for temperance both on the question of license and in the election of an anti-license village board, and believing the blessing of God accompanying the self-sacrificing of Mrs. E. G. Hibben, state president of the W. C. T. U. of Illinois; Mrs. M. E. Wells, Illinois state lecturer; Miss Lois and Cassie Smith, evangelistic workers; and Hon. J. C. Pepper, of Aledo, and I. M. Kirkpatrick, of Monmouth, who so generously came to our rescue, were efficient in securing this election; therefore,

"Resolved, That the members of this union desire to express and put on record our appreciation and heartfelt gratitude for the invaluable services rendered us by these ladies and gentlemen, and we pray the blessing of God upon their future life and labors. (Signed by) Visa Griffin, Maggie Bovd, Evaline Halstead, Ladies' Committee."

The Hamlet Temperance Alliance was organized in March, 1880, by F. J. Adams and had sixty-one members. The president was Elisha Lee, and among the members were Mrs. Lloyd Girton, Mrs. Lee Hollister, Mrs. Ann Dumbell, Carrie Candor, Mrs. D. M. Candor, Mrs. Albion Nichols and others.

The branch of the alliance in Duncan Township had eighty members and was located at the coal banks north of Millersburg. The president was M. J. Burk; Amos Linn, secretary; and Thomas Sloan, treasurer. The organization at Pomeroy had forty members and O. P. Lloyd was president. In the summer of 1880 the Millersburg Temperance Society, a new organization, voted in favor of forming an auxiliary of the County Temperance Alliance. At this time there were in the county sixteen branch alliances, nine Woman's Christian Temperance Union organizations and one Good Templars lodge - twenty-six active temperance organizations in all. The Perryton Alliance, organized at Jingle's Corners, was presided over by Samuel McHard. Oliver Miller was secretary.

In 1880 the Young Women's Christian Association established an organization in Aledo with a membership of about twenty-five. Norma Pepper was the first president and Lizzie Hause, first secretary.

The celebration of the Fourth of July throughout the county in 1880 was almost invariably merged with the temperance movement. Such meetings were held at Keithsburg, Aledo, Cable, Viola, New Windsor, New Boston, Alexis, Millersburg and elsewhere. Patriotism and temperance combined on this occasion.

At the democratic county convention in July a resolution was passed, at the request of the temperance alliance, asking the representatives to vote only for persons who would favor the temperance movement. The convention passed such a resolution. At the greenback and republican conventions similar resolutions were passed at the request of the County Temperance Alliance.

An event of great historic importance was the convention of the Tenth Congressional District Woman's Christian Temperance Union, which convened at Aledo, June 2, 1880. There were present the. following delegations: Keithsburg - Mrs. W. Griffin, Mrs. Sheriff, Mrs. Taliaferro, Mrs. Slocum, Mrs. Boyd; New Boston - Mrs. Irene Willits, Mrs. Gore, Mrs. Craft, Mrs. Knapp, Mrs. Doughty; Suez - Mrs. Page, Mrs. Ransom, Mrs. Maucks, Mrs. Sedwick, McLaughlin Bowers; Roseville - Mrs. Ostrander, Miss Artu; New Windsor - Mrs. D. Alexander; Swan Creek - Mrs. G. W. Stice; Alexis - Mrs. Bruington, Miss Dalhouse; Millersburg - Mrs. Merryman, Miss Dunn, Miss Shafer, Bav Lee; Viola - Miss Maggie Mitchell, Mrs. M. McGrew; Aledo - Mrs. I.N. Dunlap, A. R. Morgan, R. H. Atchison, J. C. Thomson, E. A. Ploof ; Pomeroy - Mrs. Vernon. Among the visitors present were Mrs. Julia Vernon, Miss Eva Morey, Mrs. Dr. Bras, Mrs. J. C. Bell, Mrs" Emma Gore, Miss Jo Willett. Mrs. Emma Kirkpatrick presided. Mrs. Taliaferro, Mrs. Watt, Mrs. Merryman, Mrs. Page and Mrs. Ostrander served as committee on resolutions. The address of welcome was delivered by Mrs. C. S. Richey and was responded to by Mrs. Eva Mclntyre, of Carthage. New Boston reported that it had 35 workers; Viola, 42; Roseville, 30; New Windsor, 27; Aledo, 19. The session lasted two days and the exercises were important and progressive. There were many spirited discussions over policies and practices. At the close a long series of resolutions was adopted voicing the enmity of the organization against the liquor traffic. One of the resolutions ran thus: "That we, as a band of Christian workers, disapprove of the use of fermented wines for eucharistic purposes and pledge ourselves, as far as we know, to use only the unfermented wine." Others were, "That it shall be the duty of each local union to have a children's meeting auxiliary to our union to educate our children in the principles of temperance; that this association exhort and urge all temperance men to so far ignore party politics as to vote for temperance men only." The presence of this convention in Aledo did a great deal to encourage and strengthen the temperance movement.

After 1880 the temperance fight waned and became ineffective, but the former influence was not forgetten bv the liquor element for many years, although here and there saloons were started, though in a covert and secretive fashion. After a few vears village boards were more liberal and from time to time granted restricted and short-time licenses to liquor sellers.

In January, 1881, J. C. Pepper, of Aledo, was elected president of the Illinois State Temperance Alliance, at the Springfield temperance convention. In 1882 a temperance wave swept across the country taking Mercer County in its grasp in August. During two weeks prohibition meetings were held in a dozen places throughout the county. Miss Marie B. Holyoke, a strong speaker and worker in the cause, addressed large audiences at New Windsor, Viola, New Boston, Keithsburg and elsewhere.

In January, 1883, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union at New Boston petitioned the Legislature to pass a prohibitory law and one granting suffrage to women. Their prohibition petition contained the names of 88 men and 128 women, and the suffrage petition the names of 60 men and 86 women.

The Mercer County convention of the W. C. T. U. assembled in the Methodist Church, New Boston, early in March, 1884. The convention was called to order by the president, Mrs. W. J. Wycoff, of Keithsburg. A paper on "The Duties of Christian Women" was read by Mrs. Anne G. Randolph and the subject was afterward discussed. A paper on "Temperance Instruction in the Rural Districts" from Mrs. Sisson, of Cable, was read and the subject also discussed. The convention was addressed bv Mrs. Randolph and Mrs. Kirkpatrick. The constitution of the union was revised and amended at this session. Reverends Metcalf and Bassett and S. V. Prentiss addressed the convention upon request. Numerous questions of importance were dulv considered, among which were children's meetings; the liquor traffic vs. the Sabbath; finance; primaries, etc.

In April, 1884, the temperance people of Aledo united and by hard work managed to elect a temperance ticket by a majority of about twentv. The trustees chosen were: J. B. Moore, E. B. David and J. R. McCrea, for two years; and J. F. Henderson, for one year; clerk, S. D. C. Hays; police magistrate, W. McK. Young. The other called citizen's ticket was defeated.

In September, 1 888, at the annual meeting of the County Woman's Christian Temperance Union, Mrs. W. A. Lorimer, of Aledo, and Mrs. Campbell, of Larcbland, were appointed delegates to the national convention of the union in New York City in October. At this time the union was doing a wonderful work among children. As never before children began to be understood and given the attention which their youth and innocence demanded. Particular attention was paid to the observance of the Sabbath, to the disuse of tobacco, prevention of liquor selling and to the upbuilding of women. At the meeting of the convention at New Boston in December of this year, Mrs. Irene Anderson, president of the union there, called the meeting to order and invited the county president, Mrs. J. M. Wright, of Aledo, to take charge of the session. Many important questions were analyzed at this important meeting. They passed resolutions favoring greater effort to secure social purity, to effect evangelisticwork, to obtain better observance of the Sabbath, to secure scientific temperance instruction for the benefit of children. Mrs. M. E. Metzgar was chosen president of the Tenth Congressional District W. C. T. U. at this time. There were reported at this meeting twenty-six new organizations in the district.

In recent years the work of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union has not been so aggressive in temperance fields but has been directed more to the proper instruction of children and the management of domestic and evangelistic programs. At times the organizations here died out, but would be revived, and again for a season would be active and prominent in local morals.

In 1893 a new branch of the union was organized at Aledo with thirty members. This union was instrumental in reopening the city library, in establishing a reading room and in other good work in the county seat. In 1899 the district convention was held in this city. Mayor M. G. Reynolds welcomed the ladies, as did Rev. W. M. Story, the Ladies' Relief Corps, the Woman's Missionary Society, and other local organizations. At this time the unions of the district numbered forty-seven, with over one thousand active members. Homes during the past year had been found for 25 children; 63 young girls had been helped to lucrative positions; 23 infants had been cared for; and 131; meetings had been held by the various branches. Mrs. T. A. Dunlap was elected the new president of the district union.

The twentieth annual convention of the Mercer County W. C. T. U. was held in the Methodist Church at Joy in June, [901. There was a large attendance and much good was accomplished. At the W. C. T. U. Institute held in April, 1902, Doctor McMillan, of Sunbeam, read an interesting paper on non-alcoholic medication; Miss Epha Marshall, district president, led in the discussion, "What Shall We Do for the Children?" Miss Marie C. Brehm read a paper on "Children and Their Needs"; Mrs. Spivey, of New Windsor, read one on "Why Some Unions Discontinue"; Rev. Alford addressed the institute on the subject of "Abolition of the Liquor Traffic."

A gold medal contest of the union was held at the Methodist Episcopal Church at North Henderson in 1904. Catherine Mink, of Galva, spoke on "Rum's Tragedies"; Cleo Daniels, of Alpha, "College Oil Cans"; Ida Dickerson, "Christian Citizenship"; Ora Mead, on "Old Soaky" ; Miss Rawlston, of New Windsor, "An Angel in a Saloon"; and Miss Garrett, of New Windsor, "The Court of Last Appeal." The medal was won by Cleo Daniels.

In 1905 numerous temperance meetings were held throughout the county and considerable work against the liquor traffic was done by the union, but the work was not in the aggressive fashion of former years, and the results were equally unsatisfactory. This year the anti-saloon column of the Times-Record was filled with temperance communications from the leading citizens of the county. The question of license or no license, when submitted to the people of Aledo this year, resulted as follows: For license, 166; against license, 276.

In 1908 a change was effected. Local option was voted upon and carried throughout the county. Every township went dry and the twelve saloons then existing in the county were compelled to close. This ended the sale of liquor in this county so far as public business was concerned. The following majorities were against saloons by the townships indicated: North Henderson, 103 majority; Rivoli, 122; Richland Grove, 91 ; Suez, 67; Greene, 166; Preemption, 31; Ohio Grove, 71; Mercer, 169; Perryton, 84; Abington, 93; Millersburg, 106; Duncan, 40; Keithsburg, 2; New Boston, 89; Eliza, 40; total, 1,274, against saloons.

The executive committee of the Mercer County W. C. T. U. met at the house of Mrs. O. J. Lorimer, Aledo, December 9, 1908, and held an all-day session. The county superintendents belonging to the Aledo union made report and five of the seven unions were represented. The "State Plan of Work" was discussed in detail. The county was divided into two sections in order to secure more effective work and Mrs. F. A. Griffin and Mrs. Martha F. Mathews were appointed division superintendents. Mrs. Tirza A. Dunlap was county president. Elaborate plans for evangelistic work were laid. At the annual convention of the Mercer County W. C. T. U., held at New Boston in October, 1913, the address of welcome was delivered by Mrs. W. L. Barnes, president of the New Boston union. There were present Mrs. Neva F. McFarlan, president of the Keithsburg union; Mrs. J. M. Wright, president of the Aledo union, and many other prominent union people. Rev. Baxter R. Nesbit addressed the convention on the subject of "Our Nation's Evils"; Miss Louise Hollister, of Evanston, delivered an address on "Woman's Franchise." The new officers elected were: Mrs. T. A. Dunlap, of Viola, president; Mrs. Anna Baker, of Aledo, vice president; Mrs. Inez Spicer, of Viola, corresponding secretary; Mrs. O J. Lorimer, of Aledo, recording secretary; Mrs. S. A. Nesbit, of Aledo, treasurer; Mrs. Anna Baker, of Aledo, auditor. The union at this time had twenty different departments with active committees and with a large association.