WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION
When Imperial Valley was still a part of
San Diego County, a few white ribboners came to this desert land to make
their respective homes. No temperance work having been done here, a National
Woman's Christian Temperance Union organizer, Mrs. Bailey of New York, was
invited to enter this new field and endeavor to organize; some preparation
was made for her coming, and Brawley was the scene of the first
organization, with a member-ship of thirty-five charter members, January 20,
1906. Imperial was second to respond, having a charter membership of
forty-two persons. Calexico was third with forty-three charter members. Mrs.
Bailey said that the latter was the largest W. T. C. T. U. she had ever
organized.
Being San Diego County, we became locals
of San Diego County W. C. T. U. Geographically we were so separated that it
was impossible to work any advantage under their jurisdiction and our
environment required special lines of work. In November, 1906, a general
institute was held at Imperial. Mrs. Mae Tongier, a national W. C. T. U.
lecturer, being the guest of honor, was invited to lecture and organize
locals wherever she thought wise throughout the Valley. The institute
unanimously requested Mrs. Tongier to present a petition to the State W. C.
T. U. executive, asking that we be separated from San Diego County W. C. T.
U. and form an independent federation. In due course of time the request was
granted. At this time Mrs. Tongier made a tour of the Valley and organized
El Centro W. C. T. U., also Silsbee, located about six miles to the
northwest of El Centro.
Miss G. T. Stickney, president of the
State W. C. T. U., made an official visit and organized the forces
consisting of five locals into an Imperial Valley W. C. T. U. on April 2,
1907, at Imperial. This was the first organization of federated forces
formed in Imperial Valley. Officers elected were: C. Angie Miller, of
Brawley, president; Mrs. S. T. Bixby, of Imperial, vice-president; Maybel
Edgar, of Imperial, recording secretary; Florence Buttress, of El Centro,
corresponding secretary; Lizzie Kramar, of Silsbee, treasurer.
Miss Margaret Wiley, state organizer,
toured the Valley in the interest of medal contest work in 1908, and
organized a union at Eastside school house with nine charter members, called
the Alamo W. C. T. U. At every annual convention an effort was made to hold
a county gold or silver medal contest. These contests are popular in the
locals and medals are quite fashionable. In 1911 a memorial window was
constructed in the Christian Church edifice at El Centro, in honor of Mrs.
Ida Tout, a pioneer temperance worker of Imperial County, much loved by her
associates. Drinking fountains were installed on the streets by the local
unions, in all the incorporated cities of the Valley, i. e. , El Centro,
Imperial, Calexico, Holtville, and Brawley. A formal dedication of each of
the fountains to the city trustees by the local W. C. T. U. was instituted.
The local president presenting the fountain and the mayor receiving it for
the city with the appropriate exercises, gave to our cities filtered ice
water for the thirsty.
Imperial Valley was organized into a
county in 1908 and immediately our Valley W. C. T. U. took on the dignified
name of Imperial County W. C. T. U. Through continued effort the county was
born white and the first legal act of the first supervisors was a strong
prohibition ordinance, adding a truly prohibition county to our fair state
of California. The pioneer temperance workers labored under difficulties.
The county W. C. T. U. sustained a detective fund and purchased an apparatus
for ascertaining the per cent of alcohol in liquids. Many gallons of
so-called soft drinks were never drank, leaving the dispenser wiser but not
richer.
On February 5, 1909, Holtville was
organized, with twenty-eight charter members, by C. Angie Miller, county
president.
Mary Stewart, state secretary of the
Young People's Branch, organized the Jasper W. C. T. U. at the school house,
near Calexico.
Verde W. C. T. U. was organized by C.
Angie Miller seven miles southeast of Holtville at the Verde school house;
Mrs. L. Strain, president.
Heber W. C. T. U. was organized with Mrs.
M. A. Ritter as first president.
WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION
Mary Stewart introduced young people's
work and organized several classes throughout the county, explaining essay
contest work based on scientific temperance instructions, laid down in the
state school law of California. Essay contest work is a department to
encourage instructions along scientific temperance lines, and several of our
young people have received state recognition as the best essayists on the
given topic, receiving $10 as state prize in the grades and $20 as state
prize in the high school course, in California.
Bard W. C. T. U. was organized in
October, 1914, by the state vice-president, Mrs. Hester T. Griffith.
Election on November 3, 1914, showed
Imperial County to be the banner county of the state of California. One per
cent against two and one-half per cent for the prohibition amendment. Every
townsite in the county has a strong temperance clause in its deeds, ever
forbidding the giving away of liquor on the premises.
The W. C. T. U. work is divided into
departments numbering as high as fifty. We believe in temperance in our
cooking and have a department that handles cooking flavors and toilet
articles, far superior in every way to the alcoholic preparations, but
without alcohol, called No-Als.
Local funds are also raised under this
department, by the sale of these articles. The pledge stimulates the members
to eliminate the $1,000,000 annually spent in the manufacture of ordinary
extracts and toilet articles.
In 1915 North End W. C. T. U. and Magnolia
W. C. T. U. were organized by Mrs. C. Angie Miller, county organizer.
At the annual convention of 1915 Mrs. Aten
presented each of the local unions with a beautiful gavel, made from the
natural mesquite wood, grown on her ranch near Calipatria.
Mrs. Maggie Newby, county superintendent
of mothers' work, brought from the state convention banners for Imperial
County on several occasions, and organized a Mothers' Club at Brawley that
is doing a great work.
Parliamentary Usage has been a county
movement, a local and county contest being held. Mrs. Feldman of Holtville
was a winning contestant for a state prize. Imperial County has brought home
the state parliamentary banners several times. Much efficient work has been
done by every local union in the county in this department.
The Trysting Hour or noontide prayer is a
custom among the white ribboners that is certainly uplifting. This word of
prayer at twelve o'clock noon constitutes a prayer circle that extends
around the globe.
Life membership was presented by the
County W. C. T. U. to the following ladies in recognition of efficient
service rendered: Mesdames C. Angie Miller, Brawley; Imogen Aten, El Centro;
E. J. Curtis, Holtville; M. A. Ritter, Heber; Mrs. Kramar, Silsbee; Mae
Webb, Calexico; Amande Mackey, Imperial; Mae Plush, Brawley; Mary E. Vencill,
El Centro; May C. Best, Holtville; Mary E. Royce, El Centro.
At the 1915 county convention County
President C. Angie Miller withdrew her name from the list of candidates for
county president, having served in that capacity for eight consecutive
years. Mrs. Imogen Aten served as county vice-president for four years. Mrs.
Mae Plush as county corresponding secretary three years; Mrs. S. T. Bixby as
county vice-president for two years; Mrs. W. Edgar secretary for two years;
Mrs. Lois Hogan secretary for one year; Mrs. M. Carlisle was secretary for
one year; Mrs. M. Hoyt secretary one year; Miss Cote corresponding secretary
for three years; Mrs. Lizzie Kramar served as county treasurer for nine
consecutive years; Mrs. Imogen Aten served as county president for one year
and six months, Mrs. Amande Mackey completing the year; Mrs. Wilson county
treasurer for two years; Mrs. Grace Ruth, present incumbent; Miss Florence
Yarnell, county president at the present time.
Work for soldiers and sailors has
occupied the attention of every local in the county since the war was
declared. The national organization being recognized throughout the world,
assumed her quota of soldiers' and sailors' supplies, and the locals
throughout the nation do their bit making bags and filling them, trench
torches and fuel sticks, as well as hospital supplies. The last great move
was an ambulance drive, the local furnishing its quota of money to the state
of war supplies, and then collectively have raised money to send an
ambulance to France, fully equipped and manned. The ambulance is dedicated
to our boys of Imperial County, California, by the Imperial County W. C. T.
U. of Southern California.
Brawley was organized January 20, 1906,
with thirty-five charter members, by Mrs. L. E. Bailey, New York City
national W. C. T. U. organizer, the first president being C. Angie Miller.
The first philanthropic act was to install a watering trough on the street
for thirsty horses; these were not the days of automobiles. On May 12, 1909,
the active members of the Brawley W. C. T. U. completed articles of
incorporation for the local organization and incorporated under the state
laws of California as part of Southern California State W. C. T. U. The same
year a business lot on G Street in the heart of the city of Brawley was
purchased through the efforts of the W. C. T. U. Donations and proceeds of a
two-day flower fair furnished the finances. These flower fairs became an
annual event for several years, sustaining a free reading room which was
maintained as long as accommodations could be obtained in the city. As the
city improved the W. C. T. U. made improvements on its own property, such
as sidewalks and street pavements, preparatory to building. A board of
trustees is annually elected and has the property in charge.
Department work received considerable
attention from the first. Loyal temperance legion and young people's
branches were organized.
A
curfew ordinance was introduced by the W. C. T. U. and went into effect in
the year of 1914 in the city of Brawley.
Imperial W. C. T. U. was first organized in
1916, disbanding later. It was substantially reorganized in April, 1913, by
the state president, Mrs. Blanchard, with thirty-six charter members, Mrs.
Amande Mackey being president. The liquor interests were strong, it being
the only wet city in the county, but this brave band of twenty-six women
worked and created sentiment until they were one hundred and thirty strong,
and now rejoice to know that liquor has been voted out of their city.
Calexico W. C. T. U. is located on the
Mexican border, and has strong, staunch workers who are doing a grand work.
This local was organized in 1906, and has flourished and won every battle
toward keeping Calexico dry. Soldiers' and sailors' work is going forward,
they furnishing their own material for hospital supplies. The department is
well carried out. The ambulance drive was more than a success.
El Centro W. C. T. U. was organized in El
Centro in November, 1907, by Mae Tongier, with Mrs. Tuttle as the first
president. This local was the first organization of any kind in the place.
Alamo W. C. T. U. was organized by Miss
Margaret Wiley in 1907, with nine charter members, at the Eastside school
house, Mrs. Linnie Strain being the first president. The interest created
was due to Mrs. Martha Hoyt's influence. This little band did a grand work
carrying on the departments of the county. Medal contests was a special
work. Finally the members moved to Holtville and united with the local W. C.
T. U. there.
Silsbee Union was organized by Mrs. Mae
Tongier with a membership of sixteen charter members, and became a part of
Imperial County Union when it was organized in 1907. Mrs. Fannie Harding was
the first president. Being a country union, the principal work was
encouraging sentiment for bone-dry prohibition, and educating young people
to take a firm stand for that that is best in life. Two other unions, McCabe
and Seeley, were organized, drawing on Silsbee for membership. Then various
causes drew away so many members that the interest waned until the ambitious
little union lost courage and disbanded in 1916, trusting that the influence
of this work may not altogether be lost.
Heber W. C. T. U. was organized December
15, 1913, by Mrs. Mary Coman, editor of the State W. C. T. U. paper, with
sixteen members in roll, Mrs. Angeline Courtney being the first president.
This small band has been faithful, carrying on the department work suited
to their locality, beside meeting all county demands, and doing much
effective campaign work for the California drive.
Holtville W. C. T. U. was organized in
1909 by C. Angie Miller, county president, Mrs. Martha Hoyt being the first
president. The scripture lesson was read from the Bible by an old crusader,
Mr. Walter Chaney's mother. The second year the membership was double; it
readily grew until it was at one time the largest in the county. This strong
union was a power in Imperial County and always ready to lead; in essay work
this union took the first prize in the county. Later Mary Thompson received
a state prize of twenty dollars for the best essay in the state written by
the high school students.
Seeley W. C. T. U. was organized March 3,
1914, with ten live, active charter members. Mrs. Minnie Hull was the first
president an served four consecutive years. An active Loyal Temperance
Legion, and organization for the children, at one time was their ideal. Much
live work has been done and now in war times they are doing soldiers' and
sailors' work, liberally furnishing their own material.
Calipatria W. C. T. U. was added to the
list in 1918, being organized by Hester Griffith, state vice-president, and
Miss Florence Yarnell, county president.
During the two years 1915-1917 the
special object sought by the county president was better legislation. The
legislators were showered with letters, cards and telegrams. Much that was
encouraging was gained; and effort was made to prohibit liquor near
irrigation near Mexican soil, as this is a source of existence in Imperial
Valley. Thus, while we may be deemed small among the force of righteousness,
the moral uplift of Imperial County would certainly have been much less had
the W. C. T. U. had no participation in it. An ambulance to our soldier boys
even nationally is not regarded as such a small thing, and especially by our
boys themselves, when exposed to the terrors of war. Whatever has been sent
to the front has been clean and pure. There are no reports of death from the
surgeon general caused by anything being sent by the W. C. T. U. Their
influence is certainly not without its weight on the rising generation. Many
of our children will yet rise and thank their Maker - "My mother was a
member of the Imperial County W. C. T. U. and gave me my first lessons on
sobriety and temperance and saved me from the blighting effects of alcoholic
compounds. While her noontide prayer often presented me to the throne of
Heavenly Grace." It is thus this moral uplift must go on, and on, until not
only our county and state is redeemed from this Dark Damnation Drink, but
our nation and the world is free from its blighting influence, and we all
join the angelic song and sing, the kingdom of this world has become the
"kingdom of our God and His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever."