The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1881-12-16
A Voice from Kansas,

A Voice from Kansas.
The fol lowing letter from Governor
st. John to the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union in convention at
Washington, d. c., was read before
that body October 27, 1881, and order
ed printed for general circulation:
TOPEKA, KANSAS, !
October 22, 1881.
WoMAN's CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UN-
ION:
Knowing that you are soon to parti-
mans National C6ristRIsSns 4SmSssraMSos 4qS ths Mo,
Union, shortly to convene at washing
ton, i have thought proper to briefly
state to you the result of prohibition SO
far, in this state.
AS you are aware, our constitutional
amendment prohibiting the manufac-
ture and sale of intoxicating liquors in
Kansas, was adopted by a vote of the
people at the general election in No
vember 1880, and the law to enforce 1t
was passed by tho legislature in Febru-
ary, 1881, and took effect the first day of
last May. have reports from nearly
every county in the state, which show
that, with the exception of the cities Of
Atchison, Leavenworth, Topeka, and
Dodge City, the law is not only work.
ing well, but as whole is q grand
success. The whiskey ring pay for,
publish and circulate reports to the eff.
feet that prohibition In Kansas is a
failure, and point to Leavenworth, To-
peka, Atchison and Dodge CITY as
proof of the fact. These reports fail to
state that the cities above named con-
tain only about one-twentieth of the
population Of Kansas, and that in the
other nineteen-twentietEs prohibition
against the manufacture and sale of iu-
toxicating liquors is as effectual in sup
pressing this evil at which it is aimed
as Is any other law prohibiting crime.
We are getting splendid immigra-
ton now; the best In quality that the
state has ever had. The increase in
the assessed valuation of personal pro-
perty In this state is q little over four
millions greater for the year 1881 than
for any year previous. and our people
were never SO prosperous and happy as
they are to day.
Newton, q city of three thousand
population, and the county seat of Har-
vey county in this state, has not had q
case of drunkenness in the police court
since the first of last May, and the dis.
trict court for Harvey county that was
convened there last week, for the first
time since the county was organized,
has not a single criminal Tease ON the
docket. Every city officer in the city
OF Olathe has signed statement set
ting forth that under prohibition,
which has really been in force
In that city since January 1, 1878, the
financial and moral condition of the
city has greatly improved; the streets
and sidewalks are in a much better
condition; the trade of the city has
greatly increased, and that with pop
ulation of at least twenty-five thousand
the city has 10 policemen, and needs
none, the city marshal alone perform
ing all the police duty of the city,
which does not occupy halt his time.
There is rarely case in the police
court; the calaboose is without in.
mates, and that any proposition look
ing to return to the old system oi
licensing dram.shops would be defeat.
ed by vote of at least two to one
This statement of the officers is indors.
ed by all the ministers and large ma.
jority of the business men of the city
and the county attorney adds
that what is said Of the success of pro
hibition In the city Of Olathe holdi
good throughout the county of John
son. Ottawa makes substantially thu
same showing. In Parsons, with fivt
thousand population, the records show
forty-seven cases of drunkenness be
fore the police icourt during the las
five months under the old licence sys
tenn, against only ten cases during tn,
first five months under prohibition
Winfield, In Cowley county, q city o
three thousand population, show
twenty-one cases of drunkenness In th,
police court during the last five month";
under the license system, and only
three cases during the first five month
of prohibition; and lit is safe to sa,
that Parsons, Winfield, Ottawa, New
ton and Olathe are fair representa-
ton OF a large majority of the town
and cities of the state.
Even In the rum-cursed cities, prohi
bition.has been blessing. The las
four months under license shows one
hundred and two cases of drunken
ness In the Leavenworth police court
against only seventy eight cases during
the first four months under prohibi
tion. During the same period In To
peka, license furnished one-hundret
and fifty-nine cases OF drunkennes ss
and only ninety-two cases were befor,
1.-THE police court under prohibition
while in Lawrence, where the law ha'
been only partially enforced, ther,
were, of all grades, two-hundred ant
fourteen cases In the police court du
ring the last five months of license
against only one hundred and min,
cases during the same period of prohi
bition. But the record il cur peniten
tiary, II seems to me, Is conclusiv,
proof of the beneficial results Of th,
law In this state. For ten years OF
more the population In that institution
continued to increase until It reached
seven hundred and twenty-five on De
cember 80, 1880. have compared III,
number Of prisoners sent to the peni
tentiary. during the first eight month
of 1880 under license, with the numbe
sent there during the first eigh
months of 1881 under prohibition, an,
find the following result: .
i January. 1890 27 1891 60