The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-12-11
COLD WATER TIPS
John P. st. John Gives Them to
Chicago People
About Kansas Politics and Pro-
hibitiOn in Kansas.
GETS HIS USUAL LICK
At the Republicans and Love
Pat for POpulists.
Says Kansas is 1OO,OOOMajority
for Prohibition.

CHICAGO, Dec. list. John of Kan
sas' appears on the Sherman house reg
lister and the cold-water ex-governor,
vigorous and emphatic as ever. declares
that the campaign of 1896 will be battle
royal between the people and the liquor
power. He said:
Politics is badly mixed in Kansas. No
man can predict with any possibility of
certainty what the outcome of the ap-
preaching struggle will be. Put down
Kansas without any reserve as among
the very doubtful states On only one
point is there an absence of doubt. The
people of my state stand two to one in
favor of the unlimited coinage of silver
at a ratio of 16 to l, without any refer
ence to the action of foreign powers. On
all other questions of policy-always, of
course, excepting prohibition-we are at
sea and do not know in which haven We
may cast anchor next year.
THE Republican party in the nation
has done all in its power to kill the pro-
hibition sentiment in Kansas. This ia
but natural, for it could not consistently
be rum party in Missouri and friendly
to prohibition 10 Kansas. 1t had either
to declare itself with one side or the
other, SO it followed its course in Iowa
and declared for the saloons and rum.
The Republicans of Kansas have per-
sistently trampled on the prohibition
law of that state. Wherever the law has
been non effective the cause has readily
been traced to the perjury and malfeas-
ance of those in Office who should have
been faithful to their public pledges.
Prohibition has been success in Kansas
l am convinced that if left to the fair
and square vote of the people today
/ hiYioD vxy0r1d ho in hot
state by a majority of 100000. It
is as firmly fixed as the everlasting hills,
and nothing but the basest treachery and
| treason against the'will of the people can
ever defeat it. Elections of the last few
years have shown marked prohibition
| gains Wherever resu omission has shown
its head or a suggestion for a revision of
| the constitution has been made, the peo-
pie have rallied nobly and have rolled up
majorities larger than ever before for
prohibition. The law has shown itself
eminently practical In my county there
is not a known common drunkard, and I
| do not know of druggist who is not a
| clean, conscientious, law abiding citizen.
do not expect to see the day when Kan
sas will be other than a prohibition
state.
"By the way, l understand you had
some Kansas Republicans here a few
days ago who told you that the Populist
party in that state was very dead. Now
l am not Populist, but I'll just give my
friends, the Republicans, this side light
on the situation. If they remain of thai
opinion they will fnd the Pops the live.
lest kind of a corpse in 1896. You see
the Republicans came in to purge Kan
sas from Populistic misrule and i'll man.
agement, and they fondly imagine thai
the first few doses of their political blood
purifier have killed the patiena Mex
year will show that their medicine was
merely mild sedative instead of a dead
ly opiate."
Mr.. st. John is here as a member Of
tho national Prohibition executive com
mittee which meets at the Sherman
house,