Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1885-11-05
PROHIBITION IN KANSAS.

PROHIBITION IN KANSAS.
What the State Organizers Report a. to
the Working of the PrOhibitory Law.
TOPEKA, KAN, October 29.-At the
third annual meeting of the State Temper
,nce Union in session in this city, the State
Organizers submitted reports of their work.
Hon. Albert Griffin, Organizer for the
Southern District, in his report, said that
since the 9th of April last he had visited
twenty-eight counties, organized twenty
local unions, and preliminary steps have
been taken in several other cases. He
stated that when in Dodge City he found q
large number of men who were afraid to
commence proceedings themselves. but who
were exceedingly anxious to have the sa-
looms closed arA a number of Anti-Prohi-
bitionists agreed with them in expressing
the opinion that if the State authorities
would take the matter in hand, the saloon
keepers would at once close their establish
ments. Mr.. Griffin recited his experience
in Dodge City, his report to the State Off
Gals and their action. The report goes on
to say:
As might have been expected the success
full defiance of the State Government by tho
dramselers of Dodge City, and the refusal of
the State officers to SO much as lift u finger
in self defense, encouraged other criminalS
in dozen or more places to find out how
FAR they would be permitted to go In the
same direction, and for short time it looked
as though iawlessness was to become gener-
al. Fortunately, however, the discussion OF
the matter by the public press so thoroughly
aroused the better element that the tide soon
turned and now the number of saloons is
again diminishing. At the time of my visit
to Dodge City it was the only place south or
the Kansas River (Which constituted my dis
trict in which l had heard of a saloon; and it
is still. believe, the only one in which there
ia no cOncealment of the traffic.
am glad to be able to say that I every.
where found the sentiment in favor Of Pro-
hibition steadily Strengthening. l nowhere
saw or heard OF man who favored Prob BIZ
ton year ago who opposes it now; but
saw many and heard Ofmany more who Op-
posed it then who favor it now.
The political situation is also rapidly i'm
proving. But little talk is heard about re-
submission" Most of the Republican news
papers and politicians that opposed Prohibit
ton in the past now favor it, or ac9uiesce in
it as the settled policy of the State; and a
large and Increasing number of Democrats
are awakening to the fact that their party
Fan not longer afford to accept the position
of champion and defender of the dram shop.
In numerous places where saloons had
been run more or less openly under the old
statue, the new law is generally admitted to
be decided improvements; but in some
towns that had no saloons the new law is de-
nounced on account of the viciOusness OF
some scOundrels in the drug stores.
My own judgment is that as whole the
new law is an immense Improvement on its
predecessor, but experience has shown that
it needs amendment in several important
particulars. The drug store provisions work
badly. There is hardly g town in the State
in which one or more druggists are not viO-
lating the law as persistently rs if they were
bent on proving that druggists as class can
not be trusted with the sale of liquor.
That there is Still much to be
done to make prohibition perfect success
and drive the worm ofthe still from Kansas
soil is undoubtedly true. but, on the whole.
true friends of temperance have already been
made, and the rap dity with which the cause
is gaining ground is really wonderful
The report closed with the recommends
ton that the Legislature make provision
for confirming the sale of liquor to State
agents.
DR.. Phillip Krone, Organizer for the
Northern District, reported that he had
lectured in his district sixty-three times
since his appointment, but had not
organized single local union, as the field
in this direction is already covered. lie
gave his experience in attempting to raise
money. Had not raised as much as he
hoped for, but had done the best he could.
He opposed the sale of liquor by druggists,
and this feature of the law created some
dissatisfaction. While drug stores were not
as bad as saloons, yet it was true that
there are too many druggists who abuse
their rights under the law and who need
more restriction in this respect. There is
also a strong sentiment in favor of the
Grand Jury system. In his judy
ment the Prohibitory law is the
best and most effective of any Prohit-
tory law that was ever enacted by any
Legislature in any State since the Begin
ming of the temperance reform in the
United States. Throughout the north half
of the State the law, with the exception Of
three or four localities, is as we'll enforced
as any other criminal law. In his district
there were a few places where liquor YVES
sold openly and places where it was sold
clandestinely, that there are many dis
honest druggists, but, for all that, through
out the north half of the State there is less
liquor sold and less liquor drank, there is
more sObriety among the people and more
of disposition to accept prohibition as
the settled and unalterable moral and polit-
ical policy of this State than ever before.
The report adds:
We have, in our endeavOrs to create public
sentiment in favor of the law. and in our eff.
forts to enforce it, many things to contend
with. We bave many unreasonable and i'm
people on both sides of this
question to deal with. We have consritu-
tiOnal fault finders and kickers-peOple who
are never satisfied with anything or anybody,
who stand off and criticiSe and carp and OBJ
struct, but who never help, either by their
influence or their money. We have very
large class of impatient and unreasonably
Jealous people to deal with. People
who arc not content to bide their time,
who want everything at once; people who do
not seem to realize that reformatOry move
ments, like leaven. proceed slowly, and can
not be forced with undue haste. We have
some people who underestimate the perplex-
tiles of difficulties surrounding this question
and who are unwilling to ACCEPT half loaf.
even with all the difficult es and embarrass-
ments in the way, affirm that Prohibition is
slowly and surely gaining ground, and des-
tined in the near future to accom-,
plish for the cause of temperance all
that is possible to be done by human eff
fort To create and educate pub sentiment
in favor of Constitutional Prob bitiOn, to Sc
cure whatever leg Station was necessary to
that end, to aid in the enforcement of the
law, to make as many fr ends for, and to win
as many converts to Prohibition as possible,
has been my chief elm and my constant and
unvarying purpose. j have never for an H.
slant wavered II my devotion to Prohibition.
believe it to be the only right way to deal
with the great evil of intemperance, and /
have left nothing undOne that could in rea-
son be done to make Prohibit. on in Kansas
success.
DR.. Krone closed his report by stating
that for Prohibition he had lifted his voice
and contributed his means; had suffered
personal violence, Insult, abuse and mis-
representation, but he had done his duty
and it is his purpose never to give up this
light until ever saloon in Kansas is closed,
and until whisky selling and whisky drink.