Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-03-05
An Augusta Mans Experience at the
Fountain Head of Prohibition.


An Augusta Mans Experience at the
Fountain Head of Prohibition.
AN ARGUMENT FOR THE ADOPTION OF
HIGH LICENSE in VIRGINIA.
Mr.. John Paullee, formerly of West
View, in this county, who has been resid.
ing in Crawford county, Kansas, for the
last three years, was here week ago set
Ting up the estate of his father. who died
recently. He is an Intelligent and obser
want farmer, and while he was here, as
Prohibition, Local Option and High
License have all been discussed in Staun-
ton lately, we asked him some questions
on the subject and now give the result:
How does Prohibition work III Kansas
Mr.. Paullee?
Well it works pretty much according
to the public sentiment. Where the sen
timent is in favor of it. it is enforced
where it is not. bar rooms are kept oper
without any cOncealment.
Bar rooms open Why. where are the
grand juries?
We dom have grand juries there like
you have here, There grand jury as
sembles only when it has been petitiOned
for by certain number of citizens. Where
the sentiment is in favor Of liquor selling
the people of course won't ask for any
grand jury to present the sellers. When
the Union soldiers went up from our
county to Topeka 1.-THE capital) to the re-
union there, they found the bar rooms
open.
TIE Prohibition law, however. adds to
the difficulty of getting liquor; don't it
cannot say that it does. You cannot
get drink, but you can get as much as
you want. The druggists sell it. If l
want to buy it of druggist, 1 go to his
store and tell him what [ want. He hands
me blank certificate in which write
what 1 want the liquor for. He takes that
sells me just as much liquor as [ pay for.
These certificates are carried to the
Probate Judge and that officer gets five
cents each for filing them in his court He
is the man that licenses the druggists and
it is to his interest that there should be-
plenty of them-it makes more certificates
to file.
How is the license granted?
The man that wants to open drug
store to sell liquor, has to get petition.
three of the signers of which shall be
landholders of good character, and he
must be of good character himself. With
this he don't have much trouble about
getting license from the Probate Judge.
You think Prohibition failure in Kan
sas then
Well; no 1 don't say that. I say it is a
failure or benefit just in proportion as
the sentiment of the locality is for or
against it. In one part of my county it is
success-that part being sparsely set
tied and By people who favor it. In the
o.her part Of my county it is a failure
where it is thickly settled and the public
sentiment Is against 1t. The whole thing
seems to me to lay in the people and how
they have been educated to look at it. If
they wish the law well, it does well; but
if any considerable body of them oppose
its execution it goes for nothing.
Then Prohibition does not accomplish
anything?
Yes it does. 1t accomplishes one thing
to dead certainty; it kills the manufac-
ture of liquor. There ism It still in the
State. Another thing it does where the
sentiment of the people are in accord with
it; it keeps liquer for the most part away
from minors. AS to the old ones that
want 1t, they will get it anywhere and
anyhow.
The liquor, then, is imported into the
State?
Yes, in every sort of shape and by every
sort of conveyance. Sometimes l thirr we
have just shut up our own distilleries t. Ay
for setting upmore in other States. Kan
sas sends good deal of money into other
States for liquor.
You don't think a good deal of Prohibl-
tion then?
Mr.. Paullee, (thoughtfully. don't
know about that. [ think this-before you
can have Prohibition you must educate
the minds of the people up to it. The peo-
pie must want it that way before you can
tell how Prohibition would work if it got
fair chance. just passing the law don't
give it any go. Somehow people don't look
at 1t like other laws.
Mr.. Paullee left on Monday night on his
return to his Kansas home. He was an
old Confederate cavalryman and member
Of the 62d Va. With him. Monday night,
he carried the old sabre that he captured
on field during the war.