The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-11-06
pRoHlslrloM IN KANSAS.

PROHIBITION IN KANSAS.
what the state Org.sisers Report - ~
the Working Of the Prohibitory Law.
TOPEKA. KAN, October 29.-At the
third annual meeting Of the State Temper
ance 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 thas
since tho 9th of April last he had visited
twenty-eieht counties, organized twenty
local unions, and preliminary steps have
been taken I'm several other cases. He
stated that when in Dodge City he found .
largo number Of men who were afraid TO
commence proceedings themselves. but who
were exceedingly anxious to have the sa--
looms closed, and number Of Anti-Prohi-
biti0nists agreed with them in expressing
the opinion that IL 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
ful defiance OF the State Government by the
dramsellers of Dodge City. and the refusal OF
in self-defense. encouraged other criminals
in dozen or more places to find out how
far they would be permitted to go In the
ss tbours s bco eener
al. Fortunately, however, the discussion of
the matter by the public press 50 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 of
the Kansas River (Which constituted my dis
trict) in which had heard of a saloon; and It
is still. 1 believe, the only one in which there
10 no cOncealment of the traffic.
am GLAD to be able to say that every
hibitiOn steadily strengthening. l nowhere
saw or heard Of q man who favored Prohibit
ton year ago who opposes it now; but
posed it then who favor il now.
proving. But little talk is heard s about re
submission" Most of the Republican news
papers and politicians that opposed Prohibi-
ton in the past now favor il, or acQuiesce in
it as the settled policy of the State: and Q.
large and Increasing number Of Democrats
are awakening to the fact that their party
can not longer afford to accept the position
OF champion and defender of the dram shop
In numerous places where saloons had
Dceu rcu more OF IcSS openly u00cf the OlU
statue, the new law is generally admitted to-
be . decided Improvement; but in some
towns that had no saloons the new law il de-
nounced on account of the viciousness Of
some scoundrels in the drug stores.
My own Judgment Ia that as q whole tho
new law 10 an immense improvement on its
predecessor. but experience has shown that
1t needs amendment in several important
particulars. The drug store provisions work
badly. There IL hardly q town in the State
in which one or more druggists are not vio-
bent on proving that druggists ss a class can
not be trusted with the sale of liquor.
That there is still much to be
done to make prohibition perfect success
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 combining the sale of liquor to State
agents.
DR.. Phillip Krone, Organizer for tho
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. He
gave his experience in attempting to raise
money. Had not raised as much as he
hoped fol-, 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 az saloons yet 1t 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 q strong sentiment in favor of the
Grand Jury system. In his judy
ment the PrOhibit0ry law is the
best and most effective Of any Prohit-
itory 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 well enforced
~ any other criminal law. In his district
there were q few places where liquor was
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 il
more sObriety among the people and more
of a disposition to accept prohibition as
the settled ami 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 eft.
forts to enforce it, many things to contend
practicable people on both sides Of this
question to deal with. We have cOnstitu-
tional fault finders and kickers-peOple who
are never satisfied with anything or anybody,
who stand Of and criticise and carp and OBJ
struct, but who never help, either by their
influence or their money. We have a very
large class OF impatient and un ,r pnan
who are not content to bide their time,
who want everything at once; people who DO
not seem to realize that reformatory movo-
ments, like leayen. proceed slowly. and can
not be forced with undue haste. We have
some people who underestimate the perplex-
titles Of difficulties surrounding this question
and who are unwilling to accept half Loaf
who want the whole loaf or nothing. But
even with all the difficulties and embarrass-
ments in the way. affirm that Prohibition 10
tined in the near future to accom-
plish for the cause of temperance all
that is possible to be done by human eff
in favor of Constitutional Prob bition, to So
cure whatever leg station was necessary 20
that end. to aid in the enforcement Of the
law. to make Is many fr ends for, and TO win
has been my chief aim and my constant and
unvarying purpose. have never for an in
slant wavered N my devotion to Prohibition.
i believe it to be the only right way to deal
with the great evil of intemperance, and L
have left nothing undOne that could in res
son be done to make Prohibition in Kansas Q
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 il is his purpose never to give up this
tight until ever saloon in Kansas is closed,
and until whisky selling aud whisky drink
ing is thing of the past in Kansas