Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-10-30
Under the Ad.Diess p the Good r.mpla,.
Prohibition in Kansas.

CROWN OF kansas mas Iar exceeded tnat
Of any other similar period Of her his-
,ory. After citing the facts and figures
OF her increase Gov. Martin said; ia
Our opponents allege, again that
prohibition does not prohibit" that
the saloons are simply transformed inso
drug stores, and kept on selling liquor
as before, and that drinking and drunk
enness have really increased since the
prohibition law went into effect. II
these assertions are true, what have.
they to complain OF? II prohibition,
does not prohibit, why do the men who
want open saloons, and make a living
by making their fellow men drunk, OPP
pose prohibition. II saloon can be so
easily transformed into & drug store.
why don'tallthe saloon keepers adopt
that course?y II drinking and drunken,
ness have increased. why are those who
profit BY drinking and drunkenness,
and all their allies and supporters, SO
SO bitterly opposed to prohibitionf
& The disiressot the gentlemen who
20 -sehemendy argue that prohibition
does not prohibit, " recalls one OF Presi-
dent Lincoln quaint stories. General
Grant was winning victories in the west
but his success inspired the usual jeal-
opsies and rivalries, sndNsthe presiden,
was frequently advised that Grant was q
failure, and urged to remove him. This
Ecriticism and faultfinding continued
even after the surrender OF Vicksburg.
The wiseacres insisted that Grant had
made a'fatal mistake in parolling Penn
berson's army and urged that the pa.
rolled men would, in brief time, swell
the ranks OF other Confederate armies.
The president had been patient until
then, but when this argument was
made, he turned on the critics, and
with sly twinkle; asked: "Did you
ever hear about Bill Sykes yellow
dog?" They said they hadn't. swell"
said Mr.. Lincoln, sykes had yellow
dog he sat great store by, but there were
a lot of boys in town who didn't share
Sykes opinion. In fact, they regarded
Sykes yellow, dog as a nuisance. Sc
finally fixed up a cartridge with long
fuse, put the cartridge in piece Of
meat, dropped the meat in the road near
Sykes house, and then having perched
themselves on fence near by, with the
end on the iuse in their hands, whistled
Tor the dog. When he came out he
accented the meat, and bolted it, ear
fridge and all. The boys touched of
the fuse, and in a moment there was an
explosion. sykes rushed out TO see
what was the matter, and found the
ground covered with pieces of yellow
dog. He picked up the biggest piece
he could find and after mournfully re.
garding it for moment, sorrowfully
said: "Well, / guess he'll never be
much account agin-as dog" "And,'
added the president, II guess Pember.
toms army will never be much accoun,
again---as an army" Looking atthe
fragments Of the whiskey traffic scatter,
ed over the state, in jails, or seated or
storeboxes swearing that prohibition
doesn't prohibit" or across the border
in Acknowledging at these scattered
fragments it may fairly be said that
like Sykes dog, the whisky business il
Kansas viii never be much accoun
lagain-as business.
Iwant to add, too, that in my jugd
ment the assertions sometimes made
that the drug stores OF Kansas have al
been transformed into saloons, ar,
absolutely false. ] am acquainted witt
many of the druggists OF this State, sns
know them to be honorable, law-re
fspecting, conscientious citizens, wht
would not only scorn to do an illega
act for pecuniary profit, but who are fal
above and beyond the meanness OF sell
ing liquors as beverage. There is nj
class Of business men in the State wht
stand higher in the esteem and respec
Of all good citizens than do our drug
gists, and the attempt, on the part o
the Democratic party and its allies, t
degrade their business to the low leve
Of the saloons, and to blacken and stair
their reputation as honorable and law
respecting citizens, is unspeakable Gu
rogeous. 1t is true, no doubt, tina
that there are men engaged in the drut
business who disgrace it by violating
constitution and law, and who, fol
pecuniary profit, sell liquors for othel
than the excepted purposes Of the con
stitution. But these men are the ex
ception, and not the rule, among th,
druggists OF Kansas, and sooner or late
the law will reach and punish them
and drive them out OF the business they