The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-01-24
NOT A FAILURE.

Marion Record:
Governor Morrill's oft-repeated dec
laratiOn that public sentiment in ev-
cry community is essential to the en-
fOrcement of the prohibitOry law is
one of those half truths which are
more harmful than a whole falsehOOd.
1t is a plausible fallacy which finds
easy credence and ready voice among
superficial thinkers. 1t is the hate
full doctrine of State sovereignty gone
to seed. In its last analysis it is an
archy. For if every community is
greater than the State, logically the
subdivision must be continued until
the individual becomes greater than
the last subdivision. That is anar-
chy. But the doctrine is inherently
unsound and wOfully untrue. The
individual is not greater than the
community, nor is the city greater
than the State, nor the State greater
than the nation. This government is
a unit. Its whole power is back of
every one of it's laws, and its power is
ample if courageously administered.
Theoretically, therefore, it is rad
ically wrong.
Practically, the declaration was a
cruel blow at a beneficient law from q
hand whose power to do it harm had
chiefly been conferred by its unsus-
pecting friends. 1t but an excuse in
the mouth of every recreant official in
the State who wanted to shirk his
duty. Easy thing, now to shift the
responsibility. to this irresponsible
thing called public sentiment. Good
scapegoat for Governors, even. 1t is
in fact libel upon any community in
this State to which it is applied.
. In harmony with these dOctrinal
heresies, the Governor has declared
the law failure, and his words have
found vociferons voice from every enc
my of temperance, and every Bacch-
analian bum in the State.
But is prohibition, as the Governor
and all these worthless declare, fail
ure?
The Record reiterates with all the
emphasis and indignation it possesses
No, thousand times, MOI 1t is
great comparative success.
If the total humiliation of the
liquor traffic is the test of success, the
law is a failure. But who was ever
foolish enough to expect it to do that?
Governor Morrill, every day walks
the streets of the cleanest, soberest
State capital in this Union, and the
best city of its size in all the land,
made all this largely by the law he
pronounees failure.
When prohibition first went into
effect in this State, there were
seventy-odd open saloons in Topeka,
with innumerable other places where
liquor was sold. That was an aver
age of about one dram shop to every
two hundred people. But the Gov
ernor, in his gigantic effort to prove
his proposition, furnishes information
which he obtained for the purpose of
destroying instead of enforcing the
law, and these figures, evidently ex-
aggerated for the purpose of the argu-
ment, reveal only one joint to every
eleven hundred people
Besides, every fair, candid man
will admit, that one open saloon un-
hampered by fear of consequences,
will average more sales than half
dozen joints, whose proprietors have
to suspend business" every time a
lady or other lawabiding citizen
comes in sight, and whose patrons
have to sneak around back alleys and
grope around in dark places to "get |
suthin'."
On the 14th of February, 1893, the
arrest of Ben Rich was attempted. On |
the 18th, Governor Lewelling and his |
conspirators surrendered to the con-
stitutional authorities "a contest, by
the way, to which Governor Morrill, |
so far as We know, never contributed
a word of counsel nor a cent of sorely
needed money, and of which he has
not since uttered word of condemn
ation.) During these four days near
~ the whole population of the city
was emptied into the streets. To
these were added perhaps ten thous-
and strangers. Excitement was great.
Passion was at fever heat. On the
night following the settle
ment Of the trou BILE the writer attend