The Wichita daily eagle., 1896-01-05

| - dS lOlfoWS- just now, when the
| liquor interests Of the whole country
are combining to crush prohibition in
/ Kansas; when every incentive possible
| for the violation of the law is being
resorted to; when resubmission agita-
tors are making a noise altogether out
| OF proportion to their number; when
unAmerican Mystic Brotherhood'
humbugs are being organized; when the
! defects of prohibitions are being exag-
serated and its blessings obscured /;
when the air is freighted with lies con-
| corning the situation; when weather
vane politicians are holding their breath
| and when strong, courageous men are
needed at the front to repel this last
| final assault Of the devil and his imps
/ upon the best temperance law ever en-
| acted, X is ihumiliating, it is sickening.
ii is disgusting, that at this critical
I time the governor of the state should
/ founder around in this fabby man
ner."
The Garden City Imprint, In the far
west, says: THE people of Kansas will
be Slow to accept Governor Morrill's
way of thinking on the question Of
Prohibition. It was mistake in the
/ governor to pronounce the present law
failure and advocate the saloon sys-
tenn under state control. He has a
right TO an opinion on this question, but
this was not the time or manner in
which to give it publicity. The present
law is doing much for Kansas and for
the present the people will stick to what
they have"
ONE EXCEPTION NOTED.
OF course there are exceptions. Some
papers outside the big cities stay by
Governor Morrill,. For instance the
Kinsley Mercury says: Governor Nor
rill has been investigating the workings
of the prohibitory law and has come to
the conclusion that 1t is a failure, and
comes out boldly for the adoption Of the
Gothenburg, or dispensary system He
says that there are over 1,300 joints in
Kansas, besides the drug stores, many
of which, in the cities, are simply joints
under another name. This is an aver
age of thirteen for each county in the
state and one for each thousand popu-
lation- These figures are reliable be-
cause they are taken from the govern
n1ent records of the internal revenue
department, showing the number of
United States licenses issued in Kansas.
In view of such figures, the wasteful eX-
travagance as well as the inefficiency Of
the prohfbitory law is apparent. AT
anything like a decent high license fee
these liquor sellers would pay into the
different municipalities close to mill
lion dollars Of their profits. In addi-
tion TO this, the state would manufac-
ture its own beer, wine and spirits to
large extent, thus saving the enormous
tax we pay to other communities in
shipping our rye, cor, barley, etc, out
of the state in its crude state, and buy
ing it back in kegs and demijohns. If
the dispensary system were establish
ed, as the governor points out, the sa-
loon would be abolished as it has been
in South Carolina, the individual liber-
ty of the citizens would remain, and
the state and the municipalities would
get the benefit of the revenue. We
have taken some pains to investigate
the workings of this law in South Caro-
lima Two years ago we met the pres
ent governor of the state who was the
author of the bill. He gave us facts
and figures that convinced us of its
value as a measure of regulating the
liquor traffic. OF course lot of cranks,
extremists of both sides, have jumped
onto the governor for his outspoken
approval of the new system. We be-
lieve, however, that the candid people
of the state, when they examine his
figures and consider the results of pro-
hibbtion, will be inclined to endorse his
views. In this town there are four
joints run openly, besides the drug
stores which sell more or less. Every
man who wants a drink can get it by
paying an exorbitaut price, for poor
stuff, and the town gets nothing from
it. Under the dispensary system, no
more liquor would be sold, but ii would |
be absolutely pure and the town would |
get a large revenue from the sales. |
Breweries and distillerieS would help |
to make a market for our farm pro- |
ducts and the state would be saved a |
large annual drain in court fees expend- |
ed in trying to enforce the law. We |
heartily endorse the governors posi- |
ton"