The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1881-04-28
Goodbye, Whiskey!

its'kip disappear from the public view in Kan
sas. atd take refuge in lack rooms, closets, and
cellars. With the beginning of new week, all
who sell or prescribe the Use Of liquor, must
swear that they will do it according to law; and
all who want it, but cannot get if, will swear
without eompulsion. But see how Nature pro-
yides for emergencies As whiskey goes, water
oyerlOws the whole land. Never in the history
of Kansas was there so great an amount of wa
ter reaching ont the country. As Noah got
drunk when the food subsidized, the food
comes again when the chance for getting drunk
subsidies.
The enforcement of the liquor law will cause
great change in the habits of people. 1t will,
in great degree, do away with early rising
A majority of the earliest risers were those
whose copper became dry, and who got up early
to go down to the saloon drugstore for n
snifter. Now there will be no need to get up
early. In fact, il will be easier to endure the
suffering in bed than out of it.
The rendezvous of the guzzlers will be broken
up. They will no longer be found swarming
around the saloon door, like bees around n rot
ten apple. They will be released from quaren-
tine, as il were and scattered about the town,
like an infectious disease. 1t may now be pos
sible for quiet person TO make his way on The
sidewalk, in front of certain buildings Per-
haps, toO il will be a occurrence, at dead
of night, to hear a rattling road wagon suddenly
start out at full speed, the occupants yelling
like Indians in war-dance. The fellow who
wants to get drunk q pretext for raising q
row, may not find the facilities as good as fdf-
merly. -
f.. Ill .g.xE
the Peace and Police Judges will diminish, as
arrests for drunkenness and its products will be-
come more rare. New misdemeanors must be
created, that these officers may live. Smoking
on the streets, or blowing the nose in public,
might be declared to be misdemeanors. We
wish smoking in public assemblies were made
misdemeanOr, punishable with heavy fine and
imprisonment.
One of the greatest inconvenience will be,
that the person who "wants to man" will
now he at a loss where to find him. Heretofore,
he only had TO 20 into saloon when he wanted
to "see man :" but where will he 20 now
Who can tell where the man may be found
True, the former practice, while it facilitated
the seeing of man, had the drawback that it
offered double temptation to drinking-to the
man who was to be seen, and the one who want
ed to see him; but as it was necessary to see
him, and that was where he was to be found,
there was no help for it.
The new law breaks up a system Of savings
bank that was time-honOred and popular. Ma
ny persons deposited all their earnings in the
saloon, and always knew where it was. Now,
they may be tempted to squandcr an occasional
quarter on their families-and where will it be
Perhaps lie in ashes the hearth, or go up the
chimney in smoke.
While the new law may tend to suppress pub
lie drunkenness, it will prove disastrous to the
public health. Diseases requiring stimulants
will increase to alarming extent, while the
cost Of remedies will be more than doubled.
Whiskey, under the name of medicine, will sell
much higher than it did simple whiskey, and
the physicians prescription upon which to get
it will cost as much more.
In the terrifying portents OF diseases and ca
lamities for the next few years. one of the great
est has been omitted. There will be fearful
increase of rattlesnakes. They will pay their
whole attention To biting people, and will hit
the mark, every time. Even now, we have no
doubt, large breeds of the early varieties have
been Matched out, and are ready for biting.
The Early York, Hale's Early, Old Mixon's, Mar
rowfat and other early varieties of rattlesnzkes,
will begin to get in their work before the mid
die of next week. Indeed, every thrifty farmer
md gardener, in addition to his hog-pen his
pOultry-house, his truck patch, etc, will keep
a nest of the best strain of rattlesnakes; and,
where physician and drugstore are not handy,
he will keep the remedy in his house.
But the saddest thing of all, will be the case
of the man who, on election day, cannot see his
way clearly how to vote until he has been piled
with few slugs of whiskey. He cannot slip
into the back door of dram-shop, and it will
be exceedingly risky to argue with such fellows
behind a stable or out-house. They will be
brought face to face with three-horned dilema
they must either disfranchise themselves, vote
blindly, or strain n point tremendously, and
learn to vote from principle. But it will prove
vast saving to candidates for office.
All these things must come to pass soon. The
first of May is upon us.