The Dry Crusade Meets in Seattle, and Admits the Room Is Half Empty

The King County Prohibitionists held their county convention in Gymnasium Hall yesterday afternoon. The convention was not large, but such stalwart temperance advocates as E. H. Sutton, Col. J. D. McIntyre and Everett Smith were there. The convention elected permanent officers, adopted a platform, selected delegates to the state convention, and appointed a committee to select nominees for legislative and county offices, and adjourned to meet in this city on September 15.

Col. J. D. McIntyre called the assemblage to order at 1 o'clock p.m. In doing this he made a short speech, in which he declared that the cause of temperance was advancing; that more progress had been made toward the destruction of the liquor traffic in the past year than in the six previous years. He said: “South Carolina is now a prohibition state. In the states of Indiana and Iowa the Prohibitionists and People's party have combined. In Illinois, Minnesota and Nebraska the People's party indorsed the South Carolina dispensary system for state control of the liquor traffic, eliminating the profit feature. Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Minnesota and Washington have indorsed prohibition through the People's party and woman's suffrage advocates. The province of Ontario has voted in favor of prohibition and gave it a 100,000 majority. The great city of London has established temperance saloons in a considerable portion of the city. Local option is being carried in various places throughout the United Kingdom. The states of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia are nearly eight-tenths prohibition under local option. Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire are about one-third prohibition under local option laws. Texas is one-fourth prohibition under local option laws. This, together with the five states that are absolutely prohibition, gives us nearly one-half of the United States that is under prohibition today.”

Rev. Clark Davis then delivered a prayer. Col. J. D. McIntyre called for the election of temporary officers. He was himself elected chairman and N. A. Thompson secretary. The temporary officers were made permanent.

After some little parliamentary maneuvering a motion was carried that a committee be appointed to nominate delegates to the state convention at once, and to nominate candidates for legislative and county offices, to report at a convention to be held in this city in City Hall, Fifth and Battery streets, on September 15. H. K. Kelsey, J. H. Dudley, Rev. E. B. Fulton, William Head, Everett Smith and William Crane were appointed as the committee. E. R. Sutton, Rev. Clark Davis and Everett Smith were appointed a committee on resolutions.

After a short recess the committee on resolutions reported the following resolutions, which were adopted:

“Resolved, We reaffirm our allegiance to the National Prohibition party and the great principles for which it contends, chiefly the abolition of the liquor traffic.

“Resolved, We therefore declare for the abolition of the liquor traffic, the manufacture, sale, transportation, exportation and importation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes, in army and navy, state and nation, and as American patriots and Christian citizens, in the name of God protest against the license system as vicious in principle and powerless as a remedy. In legalizing the traffic in alcoholic beverages the state is bargaining away the public health and public morals, which no community has the right to do according to the decisions of the supreme court of the United States, and makes itself a partner and participant in the debauchery of its citizens and the devastation of the home, instead of establishing justice and insuring domestic tranquility. We believe that the sale of alcohol for mechanical and other legitimate purposes should be regulated as the sale of other poisons are regulated, in the interest of the public welfare.”

Then the convention went into committee of the whole, with H. K. Kelsey in the chair, to nominate delegates to the state convention. Rev. Clark D. Davis and E. R. Sutton were named delegates at large. A long list of delegates was then named for Seattle and for Woodinville, Yesler, Cherry Valley, Duwamish, Richmond Beach, Renton, Snohomish, East Seattle, Tacoma, Auburn, Ballard and other points. The committee's report was accepted and affirmed, and the convention adjourned until September 15.