Our Conditions of Membership.

White Ribbon, Volume 1, Issue 10, 1 April 1896, Page 2

Our Conditions of Membership.

The article on our conditions of membership, which appeared in the March issue of the White Ribbon, formed the subject of a discussion at Convention. It was argued that legal prohibition being one of the objects in our Constitution, it must necessarily follow that every

member, and especially every officer, must be a Prohibitionist. On the other hand, it was pointed out that prohibition was only one ot our objects, and that it would be unwise and foolish to insist on one object more than another. The Presidents of two Unions one in the North Island and the other in the South Islandsaid that when they joined the W.C.T.U. they were averse to prohibition, and that if their assent to this form of Tempera nee'work had been demanded they would not have become members. They had joined because they were total abstainers, and were interested in women’s work, and their conversion to prohibition was entirely due to their connection with the W.C.T.U. The President of another Union stated that a former President had demanded of her officers an assent to the doctrine of prohibition. Not being able to give it, they had rttired from the Union, which had been materially weakened ever since. The tone of Convention was decidedly against any narrow or restrictive reading of the conditions of membership, it being felt that, so long as women were willing to pay their subscriptions and sign the Constitution, we should gladly welcome them as members. The following resolution on this subject was passed by the Convention :—“ Any woman signing the Constitution and paying her dues may become a member of any W.C.T.U., and may be elected to any office in the Union.” * * * * The W.C.T.U. page of the Prohibitionist of April 4 contains the following words referring to our conditions of membership :—“ In any case no person should, be elected to office who is not willing to accept. % the whole constitution. The Prohibition Leagues receive as members those who, while wishing for the abolition of the liquor traffic, are not themselves total abstainers ; but the Leagues would never think of appointing to im ortant office* those who are not teetotallers.’ By referiing to the resolution of the Convention quoted in the leaderette above, it will be seen that the writer in the Prohibitionist is in direct conflict with the W.C.T.U. authorities. This is much to be regretted when it is remembered that the page in which the statement appears is paid for by the Christchurch Union specially “ to further die interests of the W.C.T.U.” Our authorities have i expressly stated that any member is eligible for office. The analogy that is sought for in stating that the Prohibition Leagues accept members who are not abstainers but will not elect them to office does not apply. The Prohibition Leagues exist solely for the suppression of the liquor traffic, and while to outsiders it may seem peculiar that the I Leagues should admit as members persons who

drink alcoholic liquors, yet we take it that the Leagues know their own business and have a right to decide for themselves We also claim the same right to decide for ourselves. The W.C.T.U. has many departments of work, and needs as members and officers every woman who is willing to work for God, and Home, and Humanity. The splendid record of Mrs Hewitt’s temperance work appears in our columns of this issue in the “ Report of work among the Maoris.” We do not know whether Mrs Hewitt is a prohibitionist, but if not, is it to be for one moment supposed that we would turn her out of office and stop her work ? Our authorities are wiser than that. The report of ihe Dunedin Union of work done among the seamen it heart-stirring. Are we to demand that the kindhearted women who labour for the good of our sailors must accept the prohibition ticket or resign office ? # • * ♦

It must not, for one moment, be supposed that the W.C.T.U. is half-hearted in its desire for prohibition. Anyone who has, for any length of time, been engaged in the work of “ educating public sentiment up to the standard of total abstinence,” of “training the young,” of “ saving the inebriate,” cannot help coming to the conclusion that we must have “ legal prohibition of the liquor traffic.” That conclusion was arrived at by the W.C.T.U. many years ago—many years before there was any thought of separate prohibition leagues. While we do not demand to know which of our objects each member may be most in sympathy with, yet the \\ .C. I.U. is practically a solid body of prohibitionists. We rejoice most heartily that it is so. But we will firmly resist anv attempt, to impose any inquisitorial test on women who may wish to become members of our organisation. Our work and our sympathy is wide and varied, and sve will gladly welcome any good woman who, being a total abstainer, will sign the constitution and pay her dues