Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-02-20
THE '.J0IlET" TRIALS.

THE "JOINT TRIALS.
Great Bend has been stirred up the
last week or 30 over the arrest Of five
persons charged with violation Of the
prohibitory Law. The DEAocRAr,
being a paper for the people. has
noticed the cases and has given, in a.
few words as possible, the sentiment
of majority of our people in regard
to the matter. We have not sided with
the "jointist." We haye before stated
our desire to see the laws Of the land
enforced to the strict letter thereof aud
will ever fight for the enforcement OF
the law so long as it is a law. no matter
what jealous and shallow minded
individuals may say to the contrary.
In the cases now pending, which
were worked up at the instance Of the
w. C. T. o., of this city, through the
assistance of the fellow Sharp, there
are elements that cannot be endorsed
by us, and are not endorsed by the
public in general. The future disposal
of the cases will back US up in this
assertion. For saying this much before
we have been severely criticized by
ladies who have sufficient knowledge
and education to warrant us in De-
lievlng they would not Intentionally
wrong us by saying we upheld the
ssjointists" or any other law breakers.
Some of the members Of the w. c. T..
U. know, as well as they know
anything, that the manner of obtaining
evidence against some of the men
charged was deprecated'by themselves,
and that the evidence was thus pro-
cured against their best judgement and
without their approval. Can they then
blame others for condemning such q
cowardly and dishonorab)e mode of
procedure? Can they reasonably
blame this paper for vojcing the freely
expressed opinions Of the people when
we say that, if they were hunting down
the ''joints." they stopped far short OF
their high and commendable aim when
they permitted and allotted the prosecu-
ton of men against whom their only
evidence shows a simple desire to do q
friendly act at the earnest solicitation
of one who showed his lack of manhood
by betraying the confidence placed in
him? By these very acts Of prosecution
of men whom you in your owR hearts
do not believe were running ''joints"
you create a prejudice against your
cause. Mark if future events do not
prove it.
- If it was our desire to shield the
''jointist," to sanction his acts and
assist in his evading the law, there
would be no better way to do it than to
tell the full facts concerning the work.
ing up of some of these cases now in
the courts.
The worst feature of this whole
trouble which has caused much bitter
feeling and will cause much more, is,
that the political party which claims
all the glory of giving Kansas the pro-
hibitory liquor law, and the party
which should see that it is enforced,
but don't, is enabled to lead the ladies
into taking the matter in hand and
standing the brunt of the whole affair.
You ought to know that the republican
party is in large majority in this city
and could, if they desired, enforce a
strict obedience of the law. You ought
to know that you are only being
used as a cats paw to snatch the
chestnuts out of the unpleasant fire of
a public prosecution for that party g
benefit alone; and you ought also to
see by this time that you, as a tenn
perance association, are getting badly
burned in the operation.
We have respect for all women who
conduct themselves as ladies; and we
have no use for the man or men who
do not treat lady we'll at all times.
We give the ladies credit for being
honest in their efforts to bring to
punishment guilty parties; but we
again assert that they are wrong in
being led into some of the things they
have done, and that some of the acts
they are apparently sanctioning are
neither "christian" nor Temperate, .
nor do we believe. that the entire
union" of ladies will censure us for
the assertion.
THE consideration for the Register