The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1891-10-08
A TRIP TO ELLswoRrH.
A Journal Representative Takes Q Day
OF st the R<uuton CITY.

II
Ellsworth IL "wide open" town
That is to say. her citizens receive
visitors In wide-open-hearted man.
ner, born only Of true hospitality.
This IL reunion week, and her enter
tanning powers and qualities are
taxed to the utmost. A large dele
CATION Of Saline county veterans and
others are in attendance. Salina
hackmen and Salina folks who are
there for the purpose of feeding the
inner man are hard at work. Salina
fakirs, tinhorn gamblers and prosti-
tutes are there also, plying their
several vacations, and filling their
pockets with gold.
The first day of the reunion was, Of
course, q quiet one. A great rain
storm had only passed away and the
air was chilly, yet not chilly enough
to cool the burning patriotism and
warm fellowship Of the veteran.
Comrade Waterman, OF the Delphos
Republican, chaperoned delegation
Of about five score from his town.
Comrade Waterman and Comrade
Sampson, who now represents Uncle
Sam in another and higher capacity,
were In the same Wisconsin cavalry
regiment, but both are now Almost
too rotund in the belt to make what
is known as dashing cavalrymen.
Col. Martin Judy, Of this city, is
there in all his glory, Of blue coat,
brass buttons and gilt cord.
Honey" is happy; he went up on
the first train and will return on the
last one, and while there will relate
his story TO the "chillun," many
times, and may be voted bore, but
that is no matter to him. He is liv-
ing over stirring scenes, and his soul
is at peace. God bless him!
Ellsworth pursues a policy toward
the liquor business that is not gem
orally in vogue in the state Of Kan
sas. III there Is any difference be-
tween AN open saloon aud the Ellis
worth dispensary- Of the cup that
cheers and makes dizzy, IL probably
lies in n very frail, matched pine
board partition. Magnificent bars
are to be seen, and beer is beer, not
hop tea or anything else but beer. Ii
assumes no disguise. We know
what We are talking about because
We took in those places on purpose
to find out. But that is not all.
i'm ali its forms prevails
without restraint or hindrance. We
never saw anything like 1t before, /
and we have no desire to repeat our
visit; faro, roulette, draw and stud
poker, crap tables, chuck-luck and
film fam games, i'm endless number.
Such places could not exist in Sa-
lima three minutes the way they do |
up there. The people here would |
rise up en- masse, and dump the /
whole outfit into tine river. And yet |
Salina fellows are very prominent in
the gambling contingent here. The
Salina man who visits the reunion |
1t Ellsworth this week, may well
thank Providence that the gin bust
ness here is driven into cellar holes
and garrets, and that gambling
axes place no one knows where.
IL the Ellsworth people want beer,
ike any other free American people,
hey are going to have 1t, and no
'sumptuary law" is going to prevent
{. AS far as they are concerned the
law is not only failure,
Put an instrument of decentralization
Is well. Far better would il be for
hem to have high license and re-
'trictive laws governing the traffic.
IN town where the liquor law Is no
better enforced than at Ellsworth,
so-called, only breeds
for law among the rising
III this instance is any
criterion, prohibition is doomed. and
he sooner it 10 done away with the
,etter.