The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-10-29

Kansas. Among other things he
writes this concerning the prohibi.
tory Amendment:
1T is equally certain that if this
Amendment were to be Submitted to
vote of the people to-day 1t would
receive much larger vote i have
heard out of the State great many re-
ports about the dissatisfaction of the
people here with the law. | find no
evidence of it in the State itself.'
In summing up the results of his
investigation in Kansas he writes,
Sept Is: "The consumption Of Ii
quor for Kansas has Leen decreased
about % per cent. This intocma-
tion comes from the shippers" Of
course as the shippers and all
others in the liquor business, are
making systematic effort to con-
vince the public that "Prohibition
does not prohibit" the decrease Of
sales in Kansas is .like y to be great
er rather than they assert. But
more reliable facts come from the
Attorney General of Kansas, Hon.
S. B. Bradford. 1T will be rememb-
cred that sales Of liquor in Kansas.
except in two or three large cities,
are now confined almost exclusively
to drug stores EVERY druggist is
compelled by law to make returns to
the Probate Judge in his district of
the number of sa les he makes. The
Attorney General. in an address in
Topeka, Sept, 18th, said:
II recently prepared a blank,
which mailed to every Probate
Judge in the State asking him to
fill out the same and return to me at
an early date. This blank calls for
the number Of drug stores in the
county in 1884 and 1886, the popu
lation, the number of sales of intox-
icating liquors. etc, i have received
reports from 81 counties of the State
and find that in these 81 counties
there were, in 1884, $50 drug stores.
In 1886 the number of drug stores
had increased to 532. The number
of sales made by the 532 drug stores
in the 81 counties reporting during
one month, 61.3O3. Three -fourths Of
these sales were for beer. Suppos-
ing each of the 61,3O3 sales to
average 80 cents, which is fair av
erage Gas some are more and some
less) the aggregate for the month
would be $ls.39O.90. Now let us
compare the drug ores with the op-
en- saloon. In the city of Leaven-
worth, there are, say, 1870 saloons (as
"a matter of fact there are 235 liqnor
permits Issued and in force now
which a the very low st estimate,
will average sales amountiM to $40
IA day, or $4,000 per IN rsh-learly
three times the number of sales of
all the drng stores of 81 counties
This statement proves severa'
things: % That the prohibitory
law, even in Republican hands, has
very greatly decreased the consulnpt-
ion Of liquor; ~ Taat the public
sentiment is so strongly in favor OF
the law that the Attorney General is
taking extraordinary pains (sending
blanks to Probate judges, which the
law does not require him to do) to
convince the people that the present
officials are doing their duty; and 81
that the Attorney General is aware
of the fact that the State Constitu.
tion is defed in Leavenworth and
the law annulled. The conclusion
is irresistible that public sentiment,
after years of trial of Prohibition, is
overwhelmingly in favor of it. It
as no longer an open question acith
the people Of Kansas, whether Prohi-
bition can he q success. The only
open question there is whether the
Republican officials Of that State are
true TO the State Constitution or
true to the national policy of the
party. They cannot b. true to both.
The Voice.