The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-01-13
KANSAS STATE NEWS.


Rf00lbtet0ns
A Topeka correspondent thus speaks
Of the situation: There Is no violation of the
Prohibitory amendment worth speaking Of
In any portion Of Kansas except the cities
named in the Governors proclamation. By
nineteen-twentieths of the population the
prohibitory legislation is readily acquiesced
In. and It is approved by even larger ma
Iority of the people than that by which the
measure was adopted. In the farming dis
tricts and smaller towns there Is no didlcul-
ty whatever In enforcing the law, and the
drink traffic il actually dead in the State at
large. But the organized liquor interest in
the United States has made common cause
to defeat enforcement at three or four
points, with the expectation that II
this can be accomplished the law will
soon be practically . dead letter ev.
erywhere. Money has been furnished
In large quantities from outside the State,
not only to enable saloOn.keepers In the
places named to maintain their position, but
also to corrupt juries and bride the law Off
GERS to refrain from prosecution, or to per.
NIT cases to break down for the lack OF eff.
cient pushing. In other words, the liquor
trade Of the whole country has decided to
make four Kansas towns the battle field
against prohibitory legislation. The singu-
lar spectacle Is presented of powerful
moneyed interest outside Of Kansas sending
here its emissaries equipped with abundant
means and instructed to engage in Q bitter
and persistent crusade Of corruption to
break down and bring into contempt the
laws Of the Commonwealth and defeat the
deliberately expressed will Of its people.
The feeling of indignation which has
been produced among the law abiding
masses At this state Of things is deep and
wide spread, and there are indications
that this feeling will take form and have
force little suspected by those who have ar
oused it. There is no question whatever
that the Governor Of the State. as the chief
executive of its laws, Is backed by an over
whelming preponderance Of public opinion,
and 1t Is equally certain that he has gone into
this fight determined to win, and to uphold
the integrity and the dignity Of law SO long
IS 1t Is law. He has been repeatedly
threatened with assassination, but Is the
wrong person on whom to attempt intimi-
datfon. The law-breaking element In To.
peka, Leavenworth, Atchison and Dodge
City has succeeded in intimidating the law
abiding element by threats Of person.
al violence and incendiarism, so that
it is difficult to find witnesses
willing to testify or jurors willing to convict.
The proclamation of Governor St. John,
coupled with the more practical measures
which the State authorities are now adopt
ing, is expected to change this aspect Of the
case and lead to prompt and numerous con-
victions. A portion Of the business men Of
the cities referred to would be glad to see
the Prohibitory law break down, because,
as they think, its enforcement will drive a
certain class of business across the river to
Kansas City and St. Joseph, in Missouri,
where there is not, and is not likely to be.
any restraint on the liquor traffic. This
feeling enters into the question of the en-.
forcement of the law in Leavenworth and
Wyandotte especially.