Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-29

legislation. UHfestrained by license laws
free liquor is the curse of the state. This
the G1oBn learts from intelligent and re-
liable and private sources, fully corrobor-
ating all that Gov. Click has said.
Ultra, sanatical, blind, unphiloso2hical.
prohibitionists have been
chanting the praises of prohibition in Kan
sas, and claiming for it a great and bone
fcient work. To gain information from
reliable and authoritative source, an Iowa
editor addressed the governor elect OF Kaii'
sas in regard to the ex-
aggerated reports of the alleged good
effects of prohibition put forth by its
champions, and propounded the following
questions:
l. Is the report that prohibition has so far re-
d,,ced crime in Kansas that the state penitenti-
airy is almost empty based on facts!
2. Is there evidence to show that the enforce
ment Of the prohibitory amendment In Kansas
has been in any way benefit to the state!
3, Has prohibition lessened drunkenness5
4. Is the late vote in Kansas to be taken as in
dicating the present state of public sentiment in
relation to prohibition!
To these questions the governor gives q
succinct, but manly. fearless reply, show
ing the actual failure of prohibition, NOR
ally and socially and that more
LIQUOR is consumed than ever
before, and that Kansas is really state OF
an unrestricted free whisky traffic. The
following is his letter:
ATcHIsoN, Kas., Dec. 6, 1882 "In answer
to your first inquiry, I have to say
that there is not one word OF truth In the
newspaper extract quoted by you. The facts are
| that there were eighteen more prisoners In the
Kansas penitentiary the first year of prohibition
than there we're in the last year of "local option
and license,'' showing the increase of per cent
in the first year of prohihition. No newspaper
| in Kansas has had the temerity to pub ish thai
silly canard quoted in your letter.
In answer to your question state the follow
ing facts, from which you can dednce your owl
| conclusions: In the year preceding prohibition
in Kansas, the United States revenue cOllecto
issued l, 1872 permits to sell intoxicating liquors
being one permit to 879 persons, showing
4 Kansas to ke the first temperance state II
i the Union. The first year of prohibition
Col. Carpenter, the United States reve
nue. collector, issued 1,7S8 PERM,
A to sell intoxicating liquors. This make
an increase of So per cent. or one permit to eac
4 55l persons, and takes Kansas from the first ant
4 places her in the seventh place as temperate
4 state. This sad picture is not the worst. For tn
first forty-five days of the second year of prohi
| bition there were issued by the same Office
| l,l48 permits, being sixteen more in that shOr
| time than in the whole last year of license an
local option, and reduces Kansas still lower il
| the ranks of temperance. To these sad and lam
entable facts must be added the immense amour
| of clandestine sales, and the unlimited amour
of Intoxicating liquors shipped to Individuals i
concealed packages through the agency of tn
express companies.
In answer to your fourth inquiry, may sa
that I think that the late election proves tina
| the majority Of the people of Kansas are oppose
to prohibition. Adding the vote of Gov. RobiI
son, Greenbacker and anti-P rohibitiOnist, to tbs
| of the successful candidate, there is majorit
! Of about 30, 900 over Gov. st. John, the Prohi
4 biion candidate. am, sir, your obedient ser,
1 ant, &. w. CLICK.
! No candid person, we are sure, can aris'
from the careful perusal of this lette
without being impressed with the deepes
convection that the liquor traffic canno
be suppressed by prohibition, and tha
regulation, and not prohibition, is the tru
policy. The blind zeal of prohibitionist
and the decided failure of their method
can but have one effect. and that will be
fasten tho conviction on the minds of a
reasonable and considerate people, ths
the true and only remedy for intemperanc
is, to regulate the traffic by stringent br
judicious license laws. Thus,
intemperance cannot be eradicate
by legal enactments, it can be checked an
diminished, and its evils modified.
Men must be reformed, if reformed g
all, by far different influence than that G
prohibitory enactments which do not pre-
hibit. Absolute reformation must com
from moral Influences, from change Q
habit, character and life, based on th
ecthics Of social, moral and religious reno