The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1884-04-03
TEMPERANCE. & :
Practical Prohibition as Seen in
Kansas.

WIN eAA y oOO4 AAOb III lAC
sence of the saloon; all over tn
state men who had become outcast
and vagabonds, who had quit al
work and ceased to provide 70
their families through drink, hav
gone to work, cleaned themselve
up, and become reputable citizen
in the community. Tramps have
visibly disappeared, dead beats ar
, paying their debts, and children o
former drunkards are going tC
school who never went before; fol
in truth it may be said of Kansas
that "she has school house on ev
cry hilltop and no saloon in thu
valley" as she has nearly five thou
sand school houses and three hun
dred and thirteen saloons, or six.
teen school houses for one saloon
Is there a state in the union which
can say as much?
1t is my experience that prohibit
tion is much more easily enforced
than any law for the regulating OF
the sale of intoxicants, and that
there are ten infractions of the law
in Missouri, under high license, to
one in Kansas under prohibition
In many counties IN the former
state, yes in ten out of twelve, no
attention is paid to the law at all
beyond collecting the money from
the saloon keeper for his license,
after paying which he can do just
about anything he pleases.
In my perambulations over the
state have seen many striking ex-
amples of the working law, but one
case only shall mention as a sam
pie of many others: On the banks
of that pretty stream, the Neosho
river, is country village, place Of
perhaps two hundred people when
1 first visited it. 1t had among its
other business houses two saloons,
for they were indispensable to a
Kansas town then, and it had also
wagon makers shop, which, how
ever, was very seldom open, as the
proprietor had become so habitua-
ted to the saloon that he neglected
family as well as business and had
in fact become vagabond clothed
in rags and covered with dirt.
There was also a store where gener-
eral merchandise was sold, and at
night, after had sold he proprie-
tor bill of goods { for he had fine
trade and should have gotten rich),
he would close up his store and in
vite me to go with him to the sa
loon over the way, where he gener-
ally put in an hour or two before
going home, drinking and playing
cards. l saw that he was gam
bling also. Time went on, and
when 1 came back to the place
the sheriff was closing out the
stock at auction; the proprietor
through his bad habits having
failed, owing considerable sums for
his goods. But the saloons over
the way" were still there, and there
the former merchant had taken up
his abode almost constantly with
the wagon maker as his boon COM
panion, and both showed the rapid
inroads which their debauchery
was making on them. 1 saw the |
families of these two men; that of
the wagon maker had long been
barefooted and ragged while rags
filled the windows, the yard-fence
was down, and the cattle stood
about his house. Prohibition came
and when 1 again visited the place
the saloons were gone, and the
houses were used for honorable
business purposes. saw the wag
on shop was open, and the proprie
tor was just finishing up job as 1
drove past his door. The former
merchant was plowing in a field
near by, and both men showed
plainly that they were not drinking.
Last fall 1 visited the place again in
my rounds, and spent Sunday there.
1 walked past the residence of the
wagon maker, the rags had disap-
peared from the window, the fence
was rebuilt, bright, new coat of
paint was on the house, and the ia
ther was inside reading book sur
rounded by happy and well
clothed family, the picture of con-
tentmenS. In the morning l had
seen the merchant and his family
at Sunday school; having reformed
since the saloons left his friends
started him again in business, and
he is now the leading merchant of
the place. Such are some Of the
fruits of prohibition in gallant
young Kansas-the law which
fanatics and fools have made,
and which politicians and dema-
gogues delight to ridicule.
To-day prohibition has forty
thousand majority in the state. 1t
is a success-a grand success-it
has brought happiness to many
hearts, it has clothed the naked,
and broken the chains of the drunk
ard, it has raised the fallen and
cheered the faint on the fair prai-
ries Of growing, prosperous Kansas.
The enemies of sobriety only say it
has failed-its friends never have.
1t has proven itself the handmade
and auxiliary of christianity and
the church, and the destroyer of
many vices and crimes. The baw-
dy houses and the gambling houses
have been closed where prohibition
has been strongest; the churches
are the most jealous and useful
where the saloon has been closed,
and my experience bids me declare
to all who may eread these articles
if you would advance the cause OF
Christ, if you would make your
neighbors happy, if you would re-
duce crime and taxation, If you
would make the state thrive anC
prosper, clean out your jails, anc
make the most gigantic stride il
the way of reform which the world
has ever witnessed since the time
of Martin Luther, work, talk
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