The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1889-02-08
DOES IT PROHIBIT?
A OR X ES pom DENT rTELL~ ABOG L
TIL f X ANSAS PROHIBI TORY La {.
He Tells of The Claims of the w Onde full
Results of Prohibition in KaHsas.-Tes-
timOny of Her Governor.

Especial Cor. to STATE CHRONICLE
SHELBY. N. c., Feb. 4, 1889. The op-
ponents Of prohibition still insist that
''prohibition does not prohibit" Many
professed Temperance men" urge the
same objection the prohibitory legislation.
And during the late political campaign in
| this State the Prohibition candidate for
| Governor, in his zeal for the ''Third party"
| insisted that local option laws here and
| constitutional amendments and general
and absolute prohbitory statutes in Maine
had been comparative failures because
there was no Prohibition party behind
these amendments and laws to enforce
them. Without committing myself to or
! against the Third party" movement, l
submit that the results of prohibition in
Kansas, when the Prohibition party is not
in power, indicate that we need not wait
for such party ascendancy in this or any
other State before we try prohibition by
constitutional amendment and absolute
statute. Nor would | for moment be
understood as under estimating the value
and benefcent effort of local option laws
or OF absolute statutes applied to certain
localities for the protection of churches
and schools On the contrary, | concede
| that under certain conditions, one or both
of these may be preferable to general
and absolute law. To the honest opponents
of constitutional prohibition Of all shades
of opinion l would earnestly commend the
| following statement of facts resulting from
| the measure in Kansas. 1t is from her
| Governor, who, We are told, opposed the
| adoption Of the amendment, not believing
| it could be enforced. 1t is taken from
! leading political paper of New York City,
whose introduction to the subject and the
| Governors statement are as follows:
| The prohihitory amendment to the Kan
| sas constitution was adopted in 1880 by d
/ small majority, but for four years the law
! made to enforce it was successfully detied
in a large part of the State. In 1884 Col.
John \. Martin WAS chosen Governor and
reelected two years later. He had opposed
the adoption of the amendment, and,
although pledged to giving it fair trial,
he did not believe it could ever be gener
ally enforced He is constitutionally CON
servative and had long been the owner
and editor Of daily paper III Atchison
which had a large German and only
small active temperance element. In short,
| his environment and strong prejudices
We're against prohibition.
| However, the new law that was passed
| in 1855, Immediately after his Inaugural
| ton, and improved in 1897, produced such
| results that his views gradually underwent
| an entire change, until he became pro-
nounced prohlbitionist Being about to
retire from Office and return to the journ-
alistic profession, he, in his last message
to the Legislature, made the following
clear and emphatic declaration:
There is no longer any issue or cOntro
! versy in Kansas concerning the results
and benefcence of our temperance laws.
Except in few of the larger cities, all
hostility to them has disappeared. For six
years, at four exciting general elections,
the questions involved in the abolition of
the saloon were disturbing and prominent
| issues, but at the election held in Novem
Der last this subject was rarely mentioned
by partisan speakers or newspapers. Pub
lie opinion, it is plainly apparent, has IN
dergone marked change, and there are
now very few citizens of Kansas who
would be willing to return to the old order
of things.
The change of sentiment on this ques
ton is we'll grounded and natural. No
observing and intelligent citizen has failed
to note the beneficent results already at
tained. Fully e-tenths of the drink
ing and drunkenness prevalent IN Kansas
| eight years ago has been abolished; and |
affirm with earnestnesS and emphasis that
this State is to-day the most temperate, Or
derly, sober community of people in the
loon has not only promoted the personal
happiness and general prosperity Of our
citizens, but it has enormously dismlnlsh-
ed crime; has filled thousands of homes
where vice and want and wretchedness
once prevailed, with peace, plenty and
cOntentment, and has materially increased
the trade and business of those engaged in
the sale of useful and wholesome articles
of merchandise. Notwithstanding the fact
that the population of the State Is steadily
increasing, the number of criminals con-
fined in our penitentiary is steadily de-
creasing Many Of our jails are empty,
and all show marked falling of IN the
number of prisoners confined The dock
cts of our courts are no longer bGrdened
with long lists of criminal cases, In the
capital district, containing population OF
nearly sixty thousand, not a single crimI-
nal case was on the docket when the pres
ent term began. The business of the police
courts of cur larger cities has dwlndIed tC
one-fourth of its former proportions. while
in cities of the second and third class the
occupation of police authorities is practi
cally gone These suggestive and convin
cling facts appeal alike to the reason anG
the conscience of the people. They have
reconcied those who doubted the success
and silenced those who oppoSee. ne policy
OF prohibiting the liquor traffic
On reading the above remarkable state
mcnt we are not surprised that the paper
quoted from should make the following
, comment: ''Should not such testimony
from such a source, make a profound I'M
preston The statements are not vague
glittering generalities, and the results arr
[ such as to rejoice the hearts of patriots
and humanitarians alike, and the para
} graph becom IS more luminous each time i
is read"
On analyziDg the Governors statemen
we will find the following among the en-
conraging fac's Ftated:
lat That fully NINE -TENTHS OF tn
DRINKING AND DRUNK ENNEss prevalent Il
Kansas eight years ago"-the time a
: VIII ch the amendment was adopted ha
d been destroyed"
End 81 affirm with earnestness an
1 emphasis that THIS STATE IS TO-DAY tn
. MOST TEMPERATE. ORDERLY, SOBER CoMMUN
e ITY, IN THE CIVILIZED WORLD
) 3rd. at has ENORMOUSLY DIMINIsHE
d CRIME Notwithstanding the fac
y that the population of the State is steadil
d INCREASING The number of criminals cor
fined in ou- penitentiary is steadily DI
is CREAsING Many of our jails are EMPTY
IS and all show q marked falling of in til
g number of prisoners.
'e 4th The criminal courts have almO
e lost their occupation. 'The dockets of OF
d courts are no longer burdened with Ion
l. lists of criminal cas-. S. In the capital di
trict, CONTAINING POPULATION OF NEARI