West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1882-03-15

wherever it is allowed. The R. R.
Agent, or some one in and about
the station, gets a good per cent. for
keeping and disbursing this jug
traffic poison. He says he don't
know what is in the jugs. This is
winking at the traffic, and how
long the people will bear this kind
of usage at the hands of their repre-
sentatives, remains to be seen.
Senators say prohibition will
not do, because it does not prohibit.
l say it does prohibit. Some of the
secular papers of this State have
welded an influence in support of
this traffic. However, am pleased
to say that large number of the
State papers favor prohibition, and
especially do they advocate the
peoples right to vote upon the
question.
But take the Wheeling Register.
for instance. 1t is good democratic
authority, but poor authority on
prohibition. In March, 1881, it
published garbled extracts from
the lecture of Dr. Beatty on prohibi
ton in Kansas. | sent the Regis
ter's article to the Governor of Kan
sas, asking him if it was true; and
here is his reply, which | will ask
the CLERK to read:
SEATE OF KANSAS, Elk. Dept.
TOPEKA, March 18th, 1881.
Hon. D. McGREGoR.-MY DEAR
SIR: Your letter of the 26th inst,
covering the article clipped from
the Wheeling Register in relation to
prohibition in Kansas has just been
received, and in answer, | have the
honor to state that there is scarcely
a word of truth in the article refer
red to- The temperance law of this
State prohibits the manufacture
and sale of intoxicating liquors as
beverage. 1t does not prohibit the
manufacture of cider, nor does it in
any manner interfere with the sac
rament of the Lords Supper; and
l regret very much to know that
garbled extracts of DR.. Beatty's ad-
dress are being published through
out the land, in the interest of free
whisky. But you will find as the
temperance work progresses in your
State, and as you near the verdict
of the people in favor of absolute
prohibition of the traffic in intoxi-
eating liquors as q beverage, the
whisky ring will instigate and cir
culate wilful falsehoods in relation
to the temperance work and its
success, faster than it is possible for
the friends Of sobriety, morality
and good government to refute
them.
Already the wisdom of the policy
of :bition, adopted by this
State, is plainly visible in the clos
ing of saloons throughout the inter
Tor portion of Kansas, and after the
first of May we will not have an
open grog-shop in this State. Our
peoplewill never again be guilty Of
giving legal sanction to that which
every body knows to be great evil,
to-wit: the sale of Intoxicating liq-
uors as beverage. For every sa-
loon that our prohibitory law forces
out of the State, we will gain a
sufficient number of intelligent, in
dustrious families to build a school
house, and Kansas can always af-
ford to exchange saloons for school
houses, and drunkenness for sobri-
ETY..
Please accept my thanks for the
paper containing your speech on
prohibition, and allow me to con-
graduate you for the clear and terse
manner in which you present the
temperance side of the case.
Very truly your friend,
JOHN P. ST.. JOHN
This shows how little confidence
you can put IN this paper on this
matter of prohibition, or anything
else in relation to the liquor traf-
fic.
And again, on the same subject,
on the day before the vote was to be
taken in the Honse of Delegates on
the prohibition amendment, the
Register published an article on
Prohibition in Maine, we'll calcula-
ted to deceive those who are not
we'll versed in temnerance IGtera-