The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-02-01

'e issued by His Honor, the mayor, SOM
l. time last fall, and after the most streI
: uons, persistent and high sounding e
5 Tort on the part OF an Indignant an
S aroused Dopulace in many meetings q:
: sembled. In Topeka, right under ia
Y very shadow of these legislative halls
5 here prohibition is the most dismal fail
uIe of any place in the whole sIaie. Til
saloons are now in full blast, and Tia
: law openly defed and ignored lay til,
peaceable citizens, and no one any long
er even pretends te pay any attention Il
II. And why all this indifference Why
all this silent contempts Why all thi:
(eIaxallon OF effort at enforcement
why all this strange unconcern on The
part of the prohihitionists Why thi,
inability to enforce law aiming at eucl
professedly high ends: Why This lack
OF enthusiasm Why this inefiiciency
Why all thiss As have already stated,
because the logic of events has taught
the people the futility of attempting 10
| do what u deep seated public sentiment
does not endorsed and will not sustain.
| Again senators, the present temper of
the people of this state, the popular
/ feeling in regard to the prohilitory
amendment as shown by the late cleo
tions, and the rapidly growing public
| sentiment against il all over the state
indicates more strongly and G,rcihly
than human language can IinFtray, that
| this question should again h., submitted
10 the vote ot the people. What are the
! facts From one end at the stale To The
other there has been steady growing
feeling that the prohihiIOIy law cannot
| oc successfully enforced; that il is ii"l
right nor just la ATTEMPT Ia enforce IL
that because of the unsettled condition
oil affairs # .l,T.
attempts and failures To rnfIrct is
law, business WAS fast becoming deinuT-
allZed, real estate everywhere throngh-
out the state declining ia value; brcaust.
oil cmlgrat;on cut of the state and c,.siSa
ton af imml grafton intD t.:r stale, fac
tories mills, shops, stores, hrewrries
dlstilleries, and other branches nt indus
try were being rapidly embarrassed, aud
The general commercial outlook for the
future was exceedingly gloomy
A feeling of rcSilcssness
and dissatisfaction, and a determination
in some way to shake off this incubus
possessed the public mind For nearly
two years the patient people had heen
suffering, hoping and looking in vain
for relief, and at last after much anxiety
the long wished for opportunity 10 at
least express their mind and wish on
this great question arrived The fall
election came and the people were asked
to choose between prohibition and anti
prohibition as represented by the two
candidates for gubernatoTial hnnOrs 81
Gladly embracing the long sought OPP
portuuity, the people selected for their
governor the Honorable Geo. W. Click,
one OF the sincerest, tairest, and ablrst
i-pTOhibitionists that ever had the
courage 10 stand up ami squarlY face
this great issue. And by their choice
of Gov. click, elccteds as he was upon
the most pronounced anti prohibition
platform, they have said substantially,
has been weighed in the balances ami
found wanting. We don't want any
more prohibition in ours
And We, by taking the hint thus clio
quently and Enthusiastically expressed by
the majority of the electors of Kansas,
| are in honor bound as We believe in the
right oil maiO1iies, as We believe that in
a republic like ours maioTiticS must
rule, to take this vexed and tormenting
political problem back TO the people and
let them by the potent voice Of the hal
lot say once for all what we shall do
with it. |, for one. am not afraid To
trust the people. am not afraid la let
them speak on this matter, and beg of
y
pie of Kansas have one more chance To
take this great question in hand and SGT
tie 1t for all time. And then too, In adj
dition To the reasons already named, an
other and still more potent reason why
this question should go back 10 the peO-
pie again for their determination, is the
singular tact that il never was adopted
by a clear and full majority of all the
votes cast at the election. The total
vote tor and against the amendment was
about 2i ,0e0 less than the vote for Pres
ident Garfield. and the amendment was
adopted by, only about 5000 majority,
so that the amendment actually lacked
about 5000 votes of being majority OF
the total vote then cast Ii was of course
| adopted by legal majority, but not 10y
| a majority OF the whole number of votes
cast. This fact of itself, standing alone,
| without any additional reason should he
| sufficient 10 persuade you and myself as
| Legislators to again submit this question
TO the people, involving as it does such
| grave and mOmentous issues. II ought
to go back to the people for endorse
ment or rejection by q fuller vote.
According 90 Governor Clicks mes
| sage during the continuance nf this
amendment drunkenness has increased
rather than decreased throughout the
state. The governor says: "Durlng the
last year Of local option and licenses,
Chat is the year before the amendment
1 was adOpted) the United States revenue
Office for Kansas issued ,l32 permits Ia
sell intoxicating liquors, or one permit
TO $40 persons, placing Kansas as the
first temperance state in the Union.
While in the first year of prohibition
there were issued 1,7S8 permits, an in
crease of 6j6, and also An increase at
fifty-eight per cent, or one permit to 5'Il
persons, thus taking Kansas from the
first aud ranking her the seventh tem-
perance state While in the first forty -fipe
days of the second year of prohibition
Las permits were issued, sixteen more
than in the whole year of local option
and license. If We consider these facts
In connection with the clandestine
sale of liquors, and consider the vast
amount daily delivered to individuals in
concesled packages by express compan-
les, we are forced to- the conclusion that
the cause of true temperance reform has
not progressed very rapidly under aur
present cOercive system"
Had the prohibition law been enfnrc-
ed the day the law went into ciiecI, the
status of the amendment would perhaps
now be some what different. But tho
golden opportunity for its enforcement
has passed forever away, and the people
are now only too anxious and eager h
vote ON this amendment again, and thus
record their judgment forever against
IT,. The irrepressible anxiety io again
vote on this question is clearly seen. as
i have already stated, in the results al
the recent election. Had the former
friends of prohibition leen in favor oi
the continuance of the law in its present
form, it woxld have been very
easy, simple ami effective
thing for them 10 have Sc
declared by the election of their candi.
date, Governor st. John, the only pro
hibition governor, and, in my opinion
the last one Kansas will ever have. Iiul
Governor st. John. the recognized lead
er of the prohibition movement. tht
one man whose genius cfystaIiZsd thf
whole movement and gave il more char
acter and influence thar IL ever had he
fore, the great peiitic5f saint OF the pro
hibition wing OF the Republican party
didn't get thar. Eli notwithstanding
his strong and repeated assertion thu
she Away got there" And why WA
he defeated? Simply and only hccaus,
q majority of the electors . The stat
had evidently determined Ia ,isit-s,t lin
and thus check the whole laraiica
movement. of whose fulility AMI follI
they had by this time become fully saiis
4 fled. Hence the defes of Governor ~
John by the members .lf his own party
aided by some prohibiiionIsts, is a mos
: emphatic renuneiaiion of the whole pre-
hibitory movement.
) have thus, senators, hurrIediy gon
oyer the ground of reasons, giving bui
few of the many that might be given, il
I favor of this resolution. | have ha tit,
grouped together such facts bearing O
this subject as we're ssyithin my reael
: / have in all TIA; / lsye thus FAR sal
J been actuaied only by desire tn pre-
5 mote the highest and bes, ~ lfaT.- &
: this great commonwealth. ! AN awar
2 that there is a great heal II seniimeU
D mixed mp with this question. and that
: legislator in advocating the re-su5nii'
/, sion of this auaendtneni runs The gaunl
V let IF seyerestcfiffcism, bat | aBi vii
] ing To take this risk. for / knOw thai