The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-01-09


trans Hit its report TO the insurance depart
ternal societies do in case of death, and trans
NIT the proceeds at once
MUNICIPAL INDEBTEDNESS.
The municipal indebtedness OF the state,
shown by the returns of the state auditors
Office aggregated July 1, 1894, $37,616.717.70,
decrease of S201 057 30 since the biennial report
of 1892.
PROHIBITION AND OTHER MATTERS.
The old notions as to dealing with tho liq-
uor traffic not applicable to the prevailing
state OF things The people have no longer
pie with gigantic whisky trust. Nor is this
all The Pablo sentiment which in our prin-
cipal CT ties utilities the prohibtory law is not
the sentiment of the dissolute, as those who
denounc9 the laws non -enforcemenT are so
prone to assume 1t is the sentiment of the
men of property. and, the refOre, of influence
In their communities. Emerson, with acute
observation. declared that what the owners
wish to do the whole power of property will
do, either through the law or else in defiance
of 1t is not that the men themselves wish
to patronize saloons, for not few active OPP
ponents of prohibition abstemious: but
business men believe the liquor traffic helps
business; - taxpayers believe licenses from sa-
looms would tighten the burden of direct tax
alton; and landlords believe saloons would
tenantless rooms and building. Business
men and lawyers, visited by men of conse
fashion able, desire in the interest of business,
to Hospitality entertain their guests, and to
liquors are dispensed. Many gentlemen who
do not drink patronize these clubs, elegant
out of-town customers dealers, or clients and,
OF course, contribute toward paying for the
liquors brought in by express from without
the state. Prominent members and support
erS of fashionable churches belong to such
clubs. social entertainments are given in the
Club parlors. are attended by gentlemen and
ladies of fashionable society: and because of
It's social prestige as well as its opportunities
/ for good fellowship, membership is coveted
| by officers charged with the laws adm1nistra-
ton. not even judges scOrntng the privilege.
| The public sentiment which stays the hands
| OF local officials is thus made up. At bottom
! 1t Is a business a money making sentiment.
II IS not whisky, but money-buSiness-
which the war has now to be waged- Such
| of the liquor traffic and this can be done only
by having the government become the sole
dispenser of liquors, selling them at actual
cost
Prohibitory methods may be the best meth
| DDS for the present but recent experience in
| dicates that this law was intended to
| operate upon all classes alike. The thought
| less failure of your executive to make this i'm
portant distinction has led to great deal of
I tribulatlon to police commissioners and the
| policemen they appointed. In one city espe-
| cially, while the pulpit and the press were
ciamorfng for stricter enforcement OF this
law, the new chief of police, soon after his ap-
| pointment, searched the premises of a certain
! club patronizsd by influential gentlemen, and
| arrested some of the managers and took them
before the pol ce judge in the most ordinary
manner. Immediately the city was in com
motion. The most ultra prohibition newspa-
| per in the city bitterly denounced the police
! for interfering with gentlemen, for whom the
| law was no. intended and the clergymen who
nad been most clamorouS Tor strlcter en-
| forcement of the law now devoted themselves
| TO The V1LuperaGIOn OF the misguided OtnclalS
| who had presumed to try to keep whisky out
! of saints who sat in the pews, and paid TO sit
! there. A district judge decided that as only
| certain percentage of the members used the
( club as a saloon, the remaining, abstemiOus
! percentage sanctifed the entire premises and
| the liquor dispensed there; and that in not
! properly regarding this plain distinction be-
tween this club and other clubs, the police hao
| acted illegally The police commissioners
were consequently sued for damages enough
| to furnish the state house.
The executive and attorney general were
| guilty of another serious bIunder of similar
character Not dreaming that the law meant
TO punish only crapshOoters and poker play
ers, the attorney general, encouraged by the
| executive, proceeded to Kansas City, kas., and
there caused the arrest and commitment of
| certain gentlemen whose gambling was to
that of the ordinary gambler as the volume of
the sugar trust Blu -iness is to that of village
! bootblack; gentlemen who were, in short, con-
| Quoting lotteries with large incomes and
small outlay But this, too proved to be
! outrage The outraged citizens whose bust
! ness had been thus fnterfeTed with, obtained
writs of habeas corpus and were released; the
| local jurist deciding that this profitable spe-
cies of gambling is not unlawful; that the
| gambling laws apply only to common gamb-
| lers.
| Sheriffs and county attorneys within whose
jurisdiction are the principal cities of the
state seem for the two years last past to have
itory law, until during the recent political
campaign: and when they acted at ALL dld SO:
| acting in harmony with them.
Indeed the experience of the retiring ex-
night have BEEN had he been sen1 here by
| some alien power to govern the state AS con
quered province. He was elected by a major
| ity of the sovereign people. yet not for sin
| gle hour has he had the loyal support of all
| the citizens as the governor OF the state Pro-
| ceedings in quo l0drrdHtO had to be resorted to
| IN order to install! appointees 10 the board of
railroad commits toner's. Every attempt by
the executive to disband company of the ma
| tional guard, as companies had been hitherto
wards declared he had full right TO disband
them, was met by mutlny, lnstlgated by a pub
liShed letter OF the eX adluuant general. In
| a nTOhAto dxe n
junction, to stay the arm of the supreme
acutlya IF the state in the exercise of his
power as commander-in- chief OF the militia.
III another case at Topeka, an Injunction
was applied for, but refused, only after full ar
guInent, however; while through a local news
paper the captain of the company to be dis.
banded nutfnously declared his intention of
resisting at the point of the bayOnet the
musterout order of the commanderin chief.
These are but instances. On any occasion
from each department OF government
to the others, stood ready issue
the the exec executive or to sGbordinafes who
were his instruments in carrying out execu-
the executive expresses the hope that his
cessor may find that the people by whose votes
know how to be citizens as we'll as parLisans,
and are patriotic enough to be loyal to any
no matter what mis- or their political faith
may be. Instead of having the support and
assistance of county officers in the enforce
ment of the laws, the police of the principal
cities have had to contend with their open
! hostility. U QOer Sucn CIRCUMSTANCES IL WOuIO
be strange indeed if the prohibitory law had
been more strictly enforced by the retiring
mnistraEion tnan by any of its predeces5
ors; yet it has been denounced, by the very
people who sought to thwart It's endeavors,
for not having done mora in this direction
than previous administrations in supreme
control of every department of the govern
ment and Loyalty seconded by the people.
But the prohibtory amendment will re-
main part of our constitution till superseded
by naturalization of the liquor traffic The de-
termination to control this business is strong
| er to-day than ever before; and eventually
the traffic viii be forced submit to the pop
ular will Whose thinks otherwise mistakes
the sentiment or the people. The whisky trust
is but an integral part of that yet more mon
strous trust-tne organiza ion of centralized
wealth whose aim is TO make artificial property
more sacred than1Ife or liberty. The people
are awakening to the danger that threatens
| thorp will mai mr. ST. nd