St. Paul daily globe., 1888-02-20
FOUR WAYS TO GET FULL,
How a Lawrence, KAN, Man Gets His
Whisky.
SEVERAL PLANS OF EVASION.
Q(
Open Saloons Have Vanished, but Pe0-
pie Continue to Drink Just II u
the Same. hr

the effect that Lawrence, Kan, comes
nearer being prohibition town than
any other city of its size in the state"
gave the writer an ardent desire to be
hold for himself city of 12,0G0 popula-
ton free from the curse of whisky and
its attendant evils. But, alas! that
place is not here. Like the milk sick,
ness, it is just little further On-in the
next county, perhaps. By the way, it
should be explained that st. John never
passed the compliment OH Lawrence in
the language above quoted. The state
ment is found to be wholly 4 fabrica-
ton. True it is that in Lawrence the
open saloon is outwardly and nominally
gone. This appearance, however, is de-
luSive.
Lawrence is forty miles west of Kan
SaS City, and connected thereto by two
direct lines of railway, as also by tele
grab and telephone. People live in
Lawrence and do business in Kansas
City; and here there are four mediums
for forwarding orders to liquor dealers
in that city: Verbally, by mail, by tele-
graph or telephone. If the old drinker
wakes up dry in the morning, and feels
that he can't wait for his friend to bring
up the demijohn in the evening, he has
only to step to the telephone and direct
the Kansas City dealer to "ship the
package by first train,' and before IL
O'Clock he is i'll possession of the COW
eted package. Having obtained his
package" he notifies his friends of the
Important arrival, and proceeds to dis
penSe it by drinks and by bottlefuls,
either as loan to them, or in payment
OF his own borrowing in the past. OF
course, all these loans, drinks and bot
ties are expected to be returned in kind,
and usually are. Thus one class, the
better class of drinkers, keep them
selves supplied.
Another method, but one not popular
because worked by colored people and
known only to the initiated, is never
theless extensively practiced, and may
be called ''tne underground system"
The patron hands darky the neces-
sary change. He disappears and
shortly returns with bottle of "bug
juice" The source of supply for this
system is mystery as yet unSOlved,
and no amount of cross-examination,
! either in private or before grand jury.
nor threats, nor caj0ling can move the
cunning darky to disclose his secret.
Many dives are known to exist. So
adrOitly do they manage their opera
tlOnS that they are seldom detected. 1t
is broadly limited, however, that as the
cOlOred vote is the balance of power in
Lawrence and Douglas counties, the
authorities wink at their operations in
the traffic.
Cider joints exist all over the city: in
fact, every restaurant, candy shop and
bakery has its cider counter, where
compounds of alcohol and acids, head
aches and make drunk come"-are
dispensed unstintingly. And, strange
to say, this line of trade is conducted
under a city license.
The reader will at once perceive that,
with the diversified methods of obtain
ing intoXicants, it is impossible to make
even an approximate of the amount
consumed. The concealment of drunk
enneSS also contributes much to prevent
accurate knowledge in this direction.
The city government is, for the first
time, in the hands of the friends of pro-
hibition, and officials, it is said, ambi-
tiOuS to make good showing for their
administration, either suppress informal
tlon Oh the subject or fail to make ar
rests in many cases of drunkenness.
The visit at Lawrence was too short to
obtain proof of the truth or falsity of
this, though it was often asserted
Standing one day in restaurant, [
overheard a well-dressed youth, appar-
emily about eighteen years of age, ask
the proprietor if he could furnish him
with a bottle of whisky. He replied
that ''he could, but wouldn't" The
young fellow said ''All right; 1
know where l can get it," and passed
out. Inside of two hours he returned
with companion and nearly empty
bottle. Both young fellows were in a
state of maudlin drunkenness. In con-
versation with man, who, like myself,
was temporarily in the city, | asked him
if he thought prohibition prohibited.
NO." he said. | asked why. because
it doesn't, and | will bet $25 that | can
go and buy bottle of as good whisky
as you would wish to drink and be
back here in less than twenty minutes"
1t is needless to say that no amount of
urging would prevail ON him to name
the place, nor did l care to risk stake
of S25 on his proposition,
1t is to be lamented by the true
friends of temperance that cOnstitu-
tional prohibition is not thing of un-
mixed good. There is train of evils
following in its wake and set in motion
by the unmitigated crankS and pro-
fessional politicians that disturbs the
entire Commonwealth of Kansas and
creates spirit of resentment that re-
tards the operation of all law by bring
ing the courts into diSreSpect for the
constitutional executors of the law. 1t
is said that all the energies of the state
and municipal governments are eX-
hausted in the effort to enforce prohibi-
ton, to the almost total neglect of other
serious infractiOnS of the law.
A business man of Lawrence, whom I
interviewed, claimed that trade has
also been badly affected by prohibition
and driven to Kansas City. He gwas
also authority for the statement that
$4,000 per month Yves sent to Kansas
City for liquor; that a great burden in
the way of costly litigation had been
saddled upon the community in its eff
forts to enforce the law.
An ardent PrOhibitionist, on being
asked What will you do next?'' re-
piled:
Under the law we can have the met
repolitan police if we want, and at the
next session of the legislature we will
pass law for search and seizure, and
that, with the present law, will about
fix it,
us the so-called Murray law satis-
factory?'
"Yes, as far as it goes.'' So
"Why is it that it works so poorly in
Leavenworth county?" til
are opposed to the law and in favor of
saloons"
LOST IN THE QUICkSANDS. =
The Terrible Fate of Young
Hunter on the San Leandro
Marshes 10