Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-03-30
A BUSINESS PROPOSITION.

"a
citizens of Great Bend in the coming
city election. There is no use mincing
matters or trying to avoid the. issue.
Let us call spade spade and joint
a joint; and as we have joints in Great
Beud today, and have had every day
for the last ten or twelve years, and
will continue to have joints until such
time as the conservative people of Kan
sas have awakened to the fallacy Of
trying to keep out the sale of liquor by
state prohibitory laws; as we all know
this to be the situation, let us act as
men and wor:en of business and not as
lot of visionary mortals who having
eyes see not, or ears with which we
cannot hear. Let us elect a mayor and
city council that will at least make an
effort to CONTROL the joints, if, as it has
been fully demonstrated, they cannot
be kept out.
We recognize the fact that there are
many good, conscientious christian
people in this city who doubtless be-
lieve the joints could be kept out if the
law on the statute books was enforced,
and we give all such people credit for
making all honorable efforts to have
the laws enforced. But they should by
this time see that their efforts are
fruitIess, and should do the next best
thing-controll the joints.
We venture the assertion, without
fear Of contradiction, that, at the least
eight-tenths of the business men and
property owners of the city are well
satisfied in their minds that the law as
it is on our statute books CANNOT be
enforced, and that proportion Of the
tax payers OF Great Bend are willing
and ready to try the experiment almost
universally practiced by all other cities
in Kansas, of collecting monthly fines
from the joint keepers and thus COM
pelllng them to aid in furnishing rev.
enue for the running of the city govern
ment.
+ We know all the criticisms that will
be made of us for advocating such a
at the question dispassionately and for
the real good of our city. We also
know that the severest criticism will
not come from the Industrious, hard
working business men of the city.
We do not care Is 20 personal, and
only ask that the bust; & men Of the
city cast about them and sse from what
source comes the objection to the plan
proposed. How many people who are
making such a strong effort to have a
city government elected which will
oppose collecting fines from joints are
heavy tax payers or property owners in
the cityY What proportion of the bur-
dens of city government do they pay?
The Kansas joint is a disgrace to
Kansas; but it has been forced upon us
by the extreme crankisms of party
which sought only to maintain power
through the prejudices of the people.
How long must the farce be carried out
grace of our statutes? Will the conser-
vative, the BUSINESS people of Great
Bend continue to be hoodwinked into
the belief that Kansas prohibition can
or will be made to prohibit; or will they
say by their votes that they have sensi-
bly, concluded that it is better to make
the best of bad job th an to go ON max
ing it worse?
The party which forced prohibition
as it is, upon the state, has called a
partizan convention to nominate par
tizan ticket. If that ticket has the
proper kind of men on it, for the good
of the city, business men will vote for
it; if it has not, but on the contrary is
made up of cranks and unreasonable
enthusiasts, then there will beyond
doubt be another ticket, of business
men, with business ideas, placed in the
field, and an opportunity given for all
people to make choice between BUsI-
NESS and monkey business
We know that there is at least one
other paper in town whose editor is in
favor of controlling the joints, though
his surroundings may be such that he
will not feel like coming out and saying
so. He would gain the commentator
and praise of large majority of the
citizens if he could be pursuaded to
throw off the party yoke in city affairs
and work for Great Bend and her
property interests.
Everybody knows everybody else in
town like this, and where each stands
on the question at ISSUE Investigate
the question when election day comes,
and vote for Great Bend instead of for
| party or crankism.
The Women in Politics.
Tuesday night about 100 women as.