The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1881-09-01


WIN honestly fear that trade will leave
Abilene for Junction, unless we open
saloons here, and The Union boasts that
trade will go 10 that point, because PEG
pie can there get aaAat they a1aa.t leaving
Manhattan. Council Grove, Gisy Center
and Abilene, bat VIC do not believe that
any permanent prosperity can be bnilt |
upon the whisky traffic
Buf few years ago il was claimed |
thai drinking man could do more |
work, and would succeed better in bust |
ness than temperate man. 1t is now
well established and admitted by nearly
all. that sober man. other things being
equal, will succeed far better than the
man who wastes portion of his time in
saloons, spends part of his profits for
rum. and injuries his body and mind
| with poisonous drinks.
Whatever Is true of individuals, is
true Of communities. Whatever helps
individuals, helps communities. What
ever Injuries individuals, Injuries commu-
mites.
When we came to the state there were
but two important towns in western"
Kansas u Rhctinn City and Emporia.
Junction was the larger of the two and
looked with disdain upon Emporia as a
'inarrow, !" "puritanIeal'' town Rmporia
had no saloons, Junction City had thir-
tyy 4 In anany respects their histories
have been similar. They have both had
their blooms and "back sets" Empo-
ria has had few saloons in all these
years, but there has always been a con-
slant fight against King Alcohol, and
the saloon interest has never controlled
THAT ioHsn, txcspt when her men have
7 been elected upon other issues. and she
has always been known as a temperance
town. Ohlthe other hand Junction has
AT least had enough saloons. The
msst violent q advocate. of saloons
would not ask for more than
junction has had. and what is the
result? Junction is one of the most
diIapidated, tumble-down cities in the
state. She has had more bankrupts
than any other city. Her history pre-
sents more brilliant opportunities, fol-
lowed by ignoble failures than any town
brilliant prospects of ten or fifteen years
ago have been followed by blasted lives,
and in many cases. dishonorable graves.
Rum has done il all. We write this in
sorrow, for some of these men were our
friends. A few men have succeeded in
Junction, but a knowledge of their per-
sonal habits, make only more prominent
the blight of rum. 4 thorough knowl-
edge of the history of junction will
convince any one that she might to-day
be prosperous city of six or eight
thousand people if rum had not ruined
her. On the other hand EmpOria is to-
day the most prosperous town in the
state. She has fine buildings and happy
homes. Her people have a million dol
lars deposited in the banks, and there is
now ten times the wealth in Emporia
that there is in Junction.
Solid prosperity in the individual can
only he won by lives of industry and so
briefly, and unless the individual mem,
beers of community succeed the com.
munity cannot succeed.
And still Junction win glance around
over the wrecks of the past and hug the
delusion that saloons will bring pros
perity. She will rebel against the laws
OF the state. She Will ostracize her best
citizens because they will not blind theiI
eyes TO the ruin rum has wrought. She
will demand that the leading men stain
their souls with perjury to protect the
saloons, Junction should learn some
thing from the past, or she will be left
still further behind by the cities of Cen
trail Kansas.
There is a lesson for all Kansas towns
in the histories of these two cities, and
: all will pray that if saloons have brought
, prosperity to Junction, 10 be delivered
from prosperity.