The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-06-18

of Rev. Mr.. Hunnicut, and is as fol-
lows:
STATE OF KANSAS,
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
TOPEKA, May 9th, 1SSl.)
Rec. W. L. c.. Hunaicut, Canton,
MiSS.:-
Ny DEAR SIR Your letter of the
4th instant has just been received.
The friends of temperance in this
state had a measure pending before
the legislature of the winter of 1878.
providing for very stringent local
option law, among other provisions
giving to the women a voice Oh the
question of granting or refusing
license to dram-shOps. This measure
was likely to pass both houses and
become law, and the friends of free
whisky were very much alarmed and
suddenly became, or at least pretended
to be, enthusiastic prohibitionists and
proposed that if the Temperance advO-
Gates would introduce an amendment
to the constitution prohibiting the
manufacture and sale of intoxicating
liquors as beverage, they would give
it their hearty support. 7 Such an
amendment was introGs feed in the
senate, and received promptly the vote
of every member of that body. When
it reached tie house it was very late
in the session, and the local option bill
to which / have referred had been
dropped. The rum power then raj
lied its forces and put forth every eff
fort possible to defeat the passage of
the constitutional amendment through
the house, but after a hard struggle,
the measure received the requisite
twO-thirds vote and was submitted to
a vote of the people, and resulted at
the next election in its receiving ma
jority of eight thousand. The next
step necessary after the amendment
had become part of the constitution,
was the passage of the proper statutory
laws to carry it into effect. Our last
legislature, which convened the 18th
of JANUARY, 1881, promptly took the
matter into consideration. and after
thorough investigation of the whole
question by committees appointed for
that purpose. In due time there was
passed through both houses what is
known as our prohibitOry law, a copy
of which | enclose herewith. 1t will
be seen that the vote in the senate OH
this measure was - for and against.
and in the house 100 for and % against.
This law took effect the first day of
Nav, and we have not now, so far as L
know, an open dram-shop i'll the state.
The city OF Topeka has 10000 pOpula-
ton. and there has been but one man
arrested for drunkenness since the
first dav of Nav, and he got drunk OH
Hostetter's Bitters. The party who
sold the bittcrs to him was promptly
arrested and fined 500.
The people of Kansas have long
been of the opinion that if the sale of
intoxicating liquors as beverage is
right, there is no justification for i'm
posing a heavy license tax on the
party who engages in the business,
and if the business is wrong no
amount of license money will ever
make it right. We believe that it is
absolutely wrong, and that no govern
ment or individual can successfully
defend giving it the sanction of law.
While all questions, the solution Of
which may result in q change af laws
are to some extent political, yet they
are not necessarily partizan. The
question of temperance i'll Kansas has
nothing whatever to do with par
tizan politics. Prohibition had its
strong supporters in all parties. The
temperance question is no more a par
tizan question than is the Sabbath
school or church work. 1t must be
borne in mind that it hurts the Demo-
crat as badly to have his boy destroyed
through the instrumentality of intox-
icating liquors, as it does the republic
can to have his boy go in the same
way; therefore, III our campaign in
this state we appealed not to the politi-
cal prejudices, but to the better judg-
ment of mankind, without regard to
race, religion or politics, feeling that
all were alike interested in the good
work and its success.
am glad to know that the people
of Mississippi are becoming aroused
on this question, and while Kansas
and Mississippi have no doubt differed
widely in politics, yet we will gladly
welcome the day when the people of
the two states can stand upon one plat
form, and looking to God for his bless
ings, unite in their efforts to blot out
the rum power, which is dong more
to-day to retard the progress of ciyili-
cation, christianity and good govern
ment, than all other evils combined.
I enclose also herewith the decision
of the supreme court of our state, by
which it will be seen that all ques-
tons in connection with the adoption
of our constitutional amendment have
been passed upon by that court in ia
vOr of the validity of the measure.
You need have no fear of the success
of prohibition in Kansas. We have
not entered into this work merely for
fun, but are in earnest. There is no
evil in Kansas the power of which is
greater than the people. Yours, very
truly, JOHN L. ST. JOHN.
eCNr