Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1883-04-19
KANSAS
LAwhExcE. KANsAs. April ls. 1888.

LAWRENCE, KANSAS. April 13. 1888.
This has been a very late spring. for
here il is the middle OF April and the
leaves are just beginning tn appear. Last
year we had our April in March and cur
March in April. but this year we have
had March in March and so far, in April
too. But everything is turning green at
last. and 70 We live in hopes. But
though spring has been so slow coming,
il must not be thought that we have had
disagreeable weather, for with the ex-
ception Of two or three spells, thelongest
OF which lasted but a week or ten days,
the weather has been ordinary Kansas
weather-that is. magnificent beyond the
power Of an ordinary pen to tell.
Lawrence has at last aroused herself
from her long sle'p and this spring is
showing unmistak ib,e signs OF life and
energy. Building and repairing is going
on every where. Brick business blocks,
fine residences and houses for renting
purposes are every where to be seen IN
the process of erection. One house,
private residence. is just being completed
at cost Of fifty thousand dollarsfif is
said to be one of the finest privateresi-
deDces in the State. The A. I. and g. F.
r. r. company are just finishiDg depot
costing the same amount, and some very
fine business blocks are to be built this
summer. so things are pretty lively here
in consequence. Things have been lively
during the last month or six weeks from
another cause. The city election was the
cause Of more excitement than usual for
1t was a fight between the whisky ele-
ment and the temperance people. Both
sides held mass meetings and worked
things up to the highest point. The
night before election the temperance
people held several mass meetings in diff
ferent parts of the town, while the oppo-
sition held one at the Opera House. The
week before election was full of mass
meetings. On Monday evening of that
week there was meeting at the Baptist
church addressed by Van Bennett. as he
is called. (his whole name is Martin Van
Buren Bennett), and he gave very. fine
address. He told the Republicans some
truth which must have been rather hard
for them to digest He cut right and
left sparing neither party. but he effect
ually disabused their minds of the idea
that the Democratic as such was WINS
ky party, showing them that it was rene
gade Republicans who elected Governor
Click. He secuted the idea of calling the
result last fall a Democratic victory, and
said that he had seen too many Demo.
cratic victories to be fooled by that kind
of an affair. He told a story OF John
Martin, the man who refused the nomin-
alton at Emporia last summer that illus,
trates, as he said, how a Democratic
judgewill do his duty. The Republican
incumbent of the Office, an anti-temper-
ance man, delayed resigning till Cover
nor Gliek came into power go he could
give place to man who would not en-:
force the law any better than he himself.
So upon his resigning the Governor ap.
pointed Judge Martin to the position.
Well, it was not long before whisky
case was tried before him, in the course Of
which trial one of the witnesses as isI
usual, was very much afraid he would
testify to the truth. The words Of ques.
tioning was as follows:
Are you acquainted with John Smith,
Yes, SIR 4s
DO you know where his place of busi-
ness lei?
Yes, SIR
Were you in there such day?'
Yes, SIR
Did you get anything to drink there
that day?' .t.
Yes, SIR a.
What was it you drank
4 don't know .......
What did it taste like?'
Il can't tell
What did it look likeT
Il don't know ...
This style of questioning and answer
ing was going on when Judge Martin
stopped it by saying: 4 want it distinct
ly understood that the court will allow
no such trifling. It is q disgrace to any
court OF justice to allow witness to so
evade the question. Now, SIR to the
witness, were you ever drunk
Yes, sir stammering.
do you know the taste of whiskyT
Yes, sir, rather hesitatingly.
Now, sir, on your oath, was that whis-
XIV YOU drank in John Smiths saloon on
such day, or was it mott? 1T was,' very
hesitatingly, and so the State won the
case by the strict sense of duty of the
very man who had been placed in that
position for the purpose of not enforcing
the prohibitory law. But the result was
mixed after ali, for though the whisky
men elected the Mayor yet I believe the
majority of the rest were elected by the
temperance men. The vote was very
close, the majority for Mayor being but
twenty five votes.
The Lawrence journal tried to carry
water on both shoulders. The Daily
Herald was published by the anthem
perance men, and the Daily Head Center
by the law and order party. Each gave
free distribution for some weeks before
the election, but have not been so gem
erous since. The Herald died the week
of election, and the Head Center trans
formed itself into the Morning Sun, a
paper about the size of the Bee.
The saloon men have hard times in
Kansas; here in Lawrence the county
attorney has closed nine saloons within
the last two or three months, and proba-
bly, all will have to go before long.
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