The Iola register., 1890-08-01
Funston ON The Wilson MN.

unuef discussion III the House OF Hep
resentatives last Saturday and MFR.
Funston addressed the House as fol-
lows:
Mr.. Speaker, but short time ago
we believed the liquor traffic of this
country was under control. Some of
the States had adopted prohibition;
Others had adopted high license, and
others local option. There was COM
parative security in each of the States
from this great evil of liquor traffic.
I say great evil, - because we must
admit, when we are compelled to re-
strain it, to keep it within certain limits
or suppress Ii, it is virtually an ac-
acknowledgement it is an evil. Now, Mr..
Speaker, in the security of this condi-
ton there was decision rendered by
the Supreme Court of the United States
which struck CONSERVATION to the peo-
pie from one end of the country to the
other, not only in the prohibition
States, but in the States that were
governing the liquor traffic under va
rious laws.
If the cholera or smallpox had bro
ken out in the various States of this
Union people would not have been
more panic-stricken than they have
beef by this Supreme Court decision.
Now, l am not here to discuss the legal
point, nor to say that the decision of
the Supreme Court is not in accordance
with the fundamental laws of this
country. I am only here to call atten-
ton to the remedies that are offered by
this body for condition of things
which all deplore. The Senate has
been prompt in offering q bill. 1 be-
lieve we call it the Wilson bill. It
came TO this body, meeting the emer-
gency i'm every respect. 1t covered
every point that the people demanded.
If we had proceeded to pass that by
this body il would have become law
i'm few days, aud the people would
have settled back into their daily avo-
cations and been satisfied; but when
it was brought here, for some reason,
probably the same that prompts men
upon every occasion when anything
proper and good is proposed, to attach
something else to it, so something else
was attached to the Senate bill.
The act as it came from the Senate
provided only for intoxicating liquors
when taken into the various States,
but the committee has prepared a SUBJ
slitute which provides for all articles
OF commerce taken into other States.
Now, what are the excuses that are
given for this? Why, they give US as
an excuse that they want to respect
the laws of the various States that
have been passed to prevent the inn
portation into their States of oleomar-
garine and of compound lard. they
say they want to do it in the name of
the lard-producers and of the butter
producers of this country. Why, Mr..
Speaker, want to say to you that we
have today law governing the oleo-
margarine question, giving entire sat
isfactIon to the people of this country.
And believe express the sentiments
OF the farmers of this country when 1
say that they do not want law to
suppress the manufacture of anything
that people desire TO consume as food.
All the farmers want is that every
arti Gle shall be branded what it is.
They ask that and nothing more.
They are not afraid to compete with
anything that bears its true name.
Therefore it is only an excuse.
The gentleman from Wisconsin Mr..
CaswelIl, whom 1 do not see i'm his
seat, stated today that we had to-
pass it in some such shape as this, or
some of us would be beaten by the
anti-prohibition element of this coun-
try. Why, Mr.. Speaker, the time has
not come, and / hope it never will
coma, when I shall be afraid to ap-
proach any question that comes before
this body upon its merits and fight it
out upon the principles of right and
Justice. Applause. So far as am
concerned, Mr.. Speaker, am willing
to stand here individually, and If it
was question of prohibition or anti
prohibition | would take the side of
prohibition, and here i'm the bright
noon-day sun of God Almighty, under
the Dome of the Capital of the most
glorious people upon the face of the
earth, throttle and choke this damn-
able thing to death [applausel; but
that is not the question that we are
discussing today.
The question is simply whether
each and every one of these States
shall have the power to regulate its
own internal matters for itself, so far
as relates to Intoxicating liquors. And
now. what was the condition of the
country before this decision was rem
dared? A few years ago attended a
gathering i'm my own State capital
where there were forty thousand old
soldiers holding reunion. / re-
manned there three days, and during
that time / did not see one drunken
man. l am told that today in the
same beautiful city any number of
drunken men may be seen staggering
up and down the streets with original
packages i'm their pockets, or so much
of the same as they do not have In
their stomachs. Laughter.] Now,
Mr.. Speaker, it is this evil we want
TO fight.
Why attach to Ii this amendment
for the purpose of controlling the sale
of oleomargarine and compound lard?
Why attach anything to it that the
people are not dreaming about or
thinking about? In my own city of
Fort Scott the other day 5000 people
met in the courthouse and churches
to protest against the establishment
of these saloons in their midst. They
would rather see the smallpox break
out upon every street than to see an
open saloon established there; and /
love and respect them for it.
Now, Mr.. Speaker let us strip this
question of everything; let US tear off
these amendments. The gentleman
from Illinois Mr.. Adamsl proposes to
attach an amendment designating
what shall constitute an original
package. 1t shall be so many bottles
of whisky, or so many bottles of beer,
so that you may be enabled to take
liquor into the States, if you take so
Tnany bottles. That is one amend
ment. L believe this sensible body
will strike that down the first thing
they will do. Now, what is the other