Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1886-09-25

attaining that population To-day hausa
has not less than ], 500 goo inhabitants. ID
1850 only hfty-hVe towns and cite
, had population exceeding 1000
. and six had each over 500
{ In 1885, ninety-one towns and cities hal
each over 1000 and twelve had each owe
5,O0O. In 1880, We had only S,S6S, SS4 acre
/ under cultivation; in 1885, we had II, 252, Slj
! acres. In 1880, the farms Of Kansas Wer,
I valued at only S.235, lT6, 1856, and the farm
products for that year aggregated Onll
so, OIL 4o6; IN 1885 the farms of the stat
were valued at Ss4OS, O73, 454, and the farm
products of that year aggregated Sl43r 5lI,
OlS. In 1880 the live stock of Kansas was
worth only S6I, $50. $50; in 1885 it was Wortl
SllI, SoI, $50. In 1880 the assessed valuation
of the property Of Kansas, real, personal anC
railroad, aggregated SlG0, S9l, 6S9; in 1885 il
aggregated SIS SO, 20. In 1881 We haC
only s, 104 miles of railway; we have nov
Oily miles. In 1880 We had 5,315 schOO
houses; in 1886 We had 6,673. In 1880 We
expended isis, 336 for the support Of Oul
common schools IN 1880 We expended 50,
81, 763. In 1880 We had only 81 newspapers
and 2, 5l4 churches; in 1885 we had 5S1 news
] papers and 1876 churches.
Do these figures prove the assertion OF
those weeping Jerem1ahs'' who believe, OF
affect to believe, that the prosperity and
! growth of Kansas depend upon the salOousi
I Do they not, on the contrary, establish the
I fact that the growth Of Kansas during the
past six years-the six years OF prohibition
states marvellous development?
DOES PROHIBITION PROHIBIT?
Our opponents auege, again, that ''prohi-
bitlon does not prohibits. that the saloons
! are simply transformed into drug stores,
I and kept on selling liquor as before,
| and that drinking and drunkenness have
! really increased since the prohibition law
/ went into effect. If these assertions are
/ true, what have they to complain of? If
/ prohibition does not prohibit, why do the
men who want open saloons, and make a
living by making their fellow men drunk,
! oppose prohibition. If a saloon can be so
| easily transformed into a drug store, why
/ don't all the saloon keepers adopt that
cOurset If drinking and drunkenness have
/ increased, why are those who profit by
| drinking and drunkenness, and all their
allies and supporters, so bitterly opposed to
prohibitions
The distress of the gentlemen who 30
Yehsmentiy argue that prohibition does
not prohibit" recalls one of President
LincOln's quaint stories. General Grant
was winning victories IN the west, but his
success inspired the usual jealCusies and
riValries, and the president was frequently
advised that Grant was a failure, and
urged to remove him. This criticism and
| fault-hnding continued even aftsrthe surren-
der of NIcksburg. The Wiseacras insisted
| that Grant had made a fatal mistake in pa
/ rolling PembertOn's army, and argued that
I the parOlled men would, in a brief time,
swell the ranks of other confederate armies.
The president had been patient until them
but when this argument was made, he turned
on the critics, and, with q sly twinkle
asked: "Did you ever hear about Bill Sykes
yellow dOg!" They said they hadn't. well, "
SAID Mr.. Lincoln sykes had z yellow dog
he sat great store by, but there were a lot Of
boys in town who didn't share Sykes Opiu-
ion. In fact, they regarded Sykes yellow dog
as a nuisance. So they finally fixed up cart
ridge 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 Dy5 with the end
of the fuse in their hands, Whistied for the
dog when he came out ne scented the
meat, and bOlted it, cartridge and all. The
boys touched on the fuse, and in
| q moment there was an explosion.
Sykes rushed out to see what was the mat
ter, and found the ground covered with
pieces OF yellow dog. BE picked up the
7 biggest piece he could find and after
mOurntully regarding 1t for moment, sor-
rOWfully said; 'Nells 1 guess he'll never be
much account agln-as dog" And" ad-
ded the president, 81 guess PembertOu's ar
my will never be much account again-as
an army" Looking at the fragments of
the whisky traffic scattered over the state,
in jails, or seated on stOrebOXes swearing
that prohibition doesn't prohibit" or
across the border in MissOuri-lOOking at
these scattered fragments it may fairly be
said that, like Sykes dog, the whisky bust
ness in Kansas viii never be much account
agaIn-as a business.
SALES OF LIQUOR BY DRUGGISTS.
It is unfortunate that the law does not re-
quire probate judges to make returns, to
some state officer, of the sales of intOLi-
eating liquor reported to them by the drug
gists of the state. In the absence of such
returns accurate figures cannot, of course,
be furnished. But it is possible to make up,
from such official reports as are attalnable,
a reasonably accurate estimate OF the liquor
traffic IN Kansas, and this i shall endeavOr
to do. In one of the Oldest and most pOpu-
IOus counties of this state-a county having
nearly %, 600 inhabitants, and not a saloon
within its bOrder5-the official returns made
to the probate Judge for the month or July
last, show less than 800 sales. There are
now ninety-three organized counties IN the
state. Seventy-nins of them have pOpula-
tiOns ranging from =, 900 to $4,000; and only
fourteen have populations in excess of
25,OOG. In more than One-half of the coun-
ties of Kansas the sales of liquors by drug
gists viii not reach 800 per month; In
less than One-half the sales will probably eZ-
coed that number. Considering all the
facts, however it Is fair 70 accept the official
sales made In the county to which have re-
ferred as an average for each other county.
On this basis, with ninety-three counties,
each averaging 4 5Ot sales per MONTH the
aggregate for the entire state would be
l3J, 800 sales per month, or l,614,OOO per
year, or not much more than one sale per
annum for each Inhabitant.
1t has been ascertaiued, also, by thor
Oughly complete and reliable investigation,
that the sales OF liquor by druggists do not
average IN value to exceed 40 cents for each
sale. 1 WILL however MAKE the estimate
liberal, and call the money value of each
sale 30 cents. And as the sales by drug Kists
aggregate J, 1914, 600 per year, their pecuniary
value at 20 cents each aggregates $s5i,zOO.
THE SALOON TRAFFIC IL LIQUORS.
traffic in liquors. In this city, the capital of
the state, there were, in January, 1885, sew
enIy saloons. 1t has been ascertainsd by the
most careful and accurate investigation that
the expenses Of saloons for rent, fuel lights,
city license, taxes lawyers fees, help,
liquors, etc, can not average less
than SO per day. Ihe expenses Of
some. Of course do not exceed s.
or $40 per day, but those Of Others
reach $50 to $50 per day, so that $50 is
a fair average. Hence the seventy saloons |
open In Topeka until January, 1885, must
have received an aggregate OF 81 100 per day
cent. for profit, 81, $40 per day. And as the
salOons where II exists Is open 800 days IN
the year, the seventy saloons Of the city Of
Topeka IN order TO meet their expenses and
realize profit Of 10 per cent, must have re- /
Ceived the enormous sum Of @552, 100 per
annum. In other words the %, 40 people
of the city of Topeka then expended In the
saloons more than tWO-thIrds as much
money for alcoholic liquors. as all the PEG
pie Of the state of Kansas now eEpend in the
drug stores for the same purposes.
Let me make this comparison still more
plain There Weres in Topeka, seventy
saloons, which would be one for every 355 Of
its then Inhabitants. A ike ratio for the
state would give Kansas with It's 100000
inhabitants, 1, Az saloons. The expenses Of
these at so per day, and 10 per cent. profit |
would aggregate the enormous sum OF 49,
$50, 80 per year. In other words, while the
sales Of liquor In Kansas by the druggists
nov aggregate only SS37, 200 per annums If
We had in Kansas as many saloons, in pro
portion TO population, as had this city
---u- 1881 =. L..- III --La. IN 90