The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-07-03
The Moral Suasion Advocate Is
Going Back Home.
So Much Politics Mixed Up With
the Temperance Cause
That There Appears to be No Room
In Kansas for Moral suasion-Not
a Healthy Sentiment Among
Young Men for Temper
ance but a Mighty IN
healthy Appetite
for Booze.

Francis Murphy returned to this city
yesterday evening. He and his wife
have been quietly staying at Burlin-
game for the last two weeks.
They are now on their way east
where they will remain during the
summer. Mr.. Murphy expects to re-
turn to the state this fall and renew his
efforts to arouse the enthusiasm of
Kansans to the importance of the
Moral suasion element in the tenn
perance work.
Mr.. Murphy said to a reporter:
Il think that Kansas is a harder
field for a temperance lecturer to work
in, if he is working along the moral
suasfon line, than most states are. You
people out here have the temperance
question agitated so much in the form
of politics that the moral side of the
question has to a great extent been lost
sight of.
Then prohibition has diminished the
use Of liquor and done away with the
open saloon until the people do not see
the horrible side of the traffic and con-
sequently are not as enthusiastic in
arising to suppress it. Prohibition is a
grand thing. 1 have heard some say
that there is as much liquor drank out
here as anywhere, but do not believe
that
Il have been in Topeka several times
this spring and I have never seen a
single drunk man on the streets, some
thing which I am sure I could not say
if it had been in other towns of this
size where they do not have prohibit
ton.
Il also think that in political cam
paigns the movements for the enforce
] ment of law, and all law, is a good
| thing. But I am afraid that the best
people in the temperance work out
here in Kansas have been content to
let the question OF temperance become
one of politics. When the moral side
of the question is forgotten the cause
is bound to suffer.
And I think that there is not as
healthy a sentiment among the young
men of the state of Kansas on the tenn
perance question as you will find in
other states. The young men seem to
feel that temperance has been forced
on them by law and they don't feel
friendly to it. It is all right to enforce
temperance by law but the people
ought to be kept in that state Of mind
where they will be temperance people
from choice"
Speaking further in regard to politi-.
cal4temperance Mr.. Murphy said:
whenever you start to build up the
{ cause of temperance on the foundation
of politics alone you make a mistake
AS soon as one man starts to run for
Office on the issue of temperance, some
one will come out against him and al
though the second man may be in favor
of temperance and all that, still there
will be a strong temptation to cater to
the anti-temperance element for the
purpose of getting votes.
Il find another peculiar feature of
; =,
can scarcely ever get a drinking man
to come out and sign the pledge openly
you may by your efforts arouse some
man who is a drinking man and he will
see how near the danger line he is and
he will come and sign the pledge, but
he will say, don't tell anyone about it,
keep it quiet I attribute this to the
fact that the best people in the com
munities are not enough aroused on
| the question and do not come to the
support of drinking men as they do in
other places, but are content to deal
with the question as one purely of law
Consequently no man wants to admit
he belonged to the drinking class"
Mr.. Murphy said since coming to
Kansas he had over five thousand take
the pledge at his meetings, but as to
the number that were voters he was
unable to say except he thought a
large percentage We're voters.
In conclusion Mr.. Murphy said:
L expect to return to your state
sometime about the middle of Septem-
Der and try and do sorle work in some
of your so-called whisky towns"
CIV LELAND CHOSEN.