The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-12-13
A CITY OFFICIADTALKS.

To the Editor Of the Eagle:
In the EAGLE of the 18th instant we note
with much pleasure your very sensible and
pertinent remarks under the head of
"Joint-keepers Fined" With reference TO
enforcing prohibition you say: There is
just one way of doing it, or making it pos
sible to be done, and that is by killing the
place commercially-by stopping its growth
and shutting off its enterprise"
1t would seem that we have in our midst
those who are ready to sacrifice the COM
mercial life of the city, shut off its eUtRr-
prise. and stop its growth, in order that
their one idea may prevail They would see
the entire city sunk out OF sight rather than
10 have prohibition failure. They would
rather see an hundred stores empty than
TO see one occupied 10y high license sa-
loon that would bring volume 10 the city
Thav would rather see an hundred
vacant houses than to see one occupied 10y
a man doing a business in an industry
that would employ hundreds of thousands
of dollars capital and employ hundreds OF
laboreTs. They are the immaculate five
hundred. who regard their virtues and
opinions infinitely above those of the five
thousand. Had they the power they
would utterly crush out the five thousand,
or transport them TO far-off Siberia. They
believe in prohibition, though few of them
practice it. They declare that IL Is grand
success Let us see how this Is. Right
here in this city, in prohibition Kansas,
with a board of police commissioners APP
pointed by the governor. and with seven
teen policemen appointed by this board,
there has been collected by this police force
mostly from jointists, money as follows:
for November, S,22fi5; for October, 81, ass. %:
for September. -, SS955; for August
- % # n
for the city for the past four months, or
grand total for the year, if carried out of
SO. 600.
This sum Of money would sustain all the
police department, and all the tire depart
ment and yet this holy five hundred"
declare that the taxpayers must not have
the benefit of this large sum Of money.
that would come 10 the treasury a. eariY
as the gentle shower comes 10 the thirsty
earth, but they must put their hands
down in their pockets and pay this money,
that a sentiment. aud not fact, may be
maintained. The most unfortunate part
of the whole matter is, that this money il
raised by tax comes almost entirely from
the five thousand, and but n very small
part from the i've hundred. This Is a
most unfortunate time 10 cut OF from the
city a revenue that has come so easily a
this has come. We could readily give up
the money If the city or the people were Ia
any way TO be benefited by It.
In July only SSS3 WAS collected. and but
little or none of this sum from jointists
Does any one think for moment that
there was less beer drank IN this city last
July than in September, when s2.sS9. 81
was collected From the fines collected
the presumption Is that the joints were
closed in July and open IN epteLnber. The
fact is the consumption Of beer was not /,
less in July, but that the iointist was not I
called upon for a fine, and he was so much 4
ahead and the taxpayer so much out;
The order has now gene forth that this 4
must stop. bat that does not mean /.
that there viii be no beer or whisky sold 4
or drank in this city. u simply means
that no fines viii be collected and the .
traffic viii be practically free; little more .
quiet, bur still not suppressed.
IAxPATEE