The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-08-19


the next morning the man who owned
the joint found under his room the gas
pipe bomb. The fuse was partly burn
ed and everything pointed to an at
not leak out until the jointist had an
nounced his determination of quitting
the town.
There is a wide divergence of opinion
among the citizens. Some business
men claim that if the closing of the
joints were submitted to vote today
vote to suppress them. Others claim
with equal confidence that the result
would be exactly the reverse of that.
The business men are DIVIDED, put
there seems to be no grounds for the
claim that majority of them are in
favor of the saloon.
The following business men are iden-
titled with the movement to close the
saloons, according to a document in
possession of one of the principal work
ers in the temperance cause:
A G. Patterson, o. w. Anderson, Q.
E. Spooner, Murphy Bros, A. Weather
ly, druggist and defeated candidate for
mayor; the Harper State bank, Charles
Shear, c. L. Denny, E. t. Robinson. l..
K. Sitter, the Harper Sentinel and Har-
per Advocate, John Bergman H. Bishop,
B. S. Mckee, w. Smith, a total of 16,
to which will be added today an addi-
tiOnal number.
by the mayor and council are as fol-
lows: Graham Bros, Brumstark, Cole
Bros, the wealthiest business institu-
ton in Harper county; Glenn Bros,
H. Garrett, the proprietor of the Pat
terson House, Adam Schriver, B. Hurst.
the Harper Mercantile Co. and Garrett
Thompson and four others, making
total of Ii. This is as far as the can
vaSS has proceeded and the number of
men yet to be seen is not large, and
the indications are such that the tenn
perance people claim majority of the
business men on their side.
Mayor Muir said: "The issue was
understood in the last election and
was reelected to my third term as
that it meant a continuation of the
joints which have been running here
for years. We have always had two or
three joints and no disturbance has
ever before been created concerning
them. Our taxes are already too high
and the fines which the jointists have
paid have been applied to the improve
ment of the streets and walks. Prose-
cutions conducted for years by this
county failed to procure an enforcement
of the law and seldom if ever has a con-
Yiction been secured. regard 1t as
practically impossible to enforce the
law unless public sentiment demands it.
The people here voted for a continual
tion of the policy of the administrations
of the past two terms during which I
have occupied the position of mayor
and have no reason to believe that
majority of the people have changed
their minds upon the subject. The
council feels as I do except Mr.. Denny.
The remaining members who are stand
ing by me are as follows Adam
Schriver, David Edmiston, L. L. Gal
loway, Lew Felrath, Franz Jacks and
c. J. Westfa1. I do not believe the
present effort to prosecute the jointists
will accomplish anything and it is also
my candid opinion that the crusade will
be a failure
Rev H T. Purcell, the Methodist
minister said: "I hope the State Jour
nal will not permit its readers to un-
derstand that the temperance people of
Harper are advocating mob violence.
We are doing nothing of the kind. The
prohibitory law is being openly viola-'
ted under the sanction of the mayor
and the council and we have simply
organized our forces with the hope of
OVerthrOwing the saloons and destroy
ing that policy. Many of the women
as well as the men in this city voted
for Mayor Muir under a miSapprehen-
sion. 1t is claimed by some that he
promised them to enforce the prohibito-
ry law and they supported him in pref
erence to A. Wetherly who had boldly
proclaimed that he would drive the
jointists out of town. What caused
the peculiar alignment of the voters
was the fact that Mr.. Wetherlys friends,
he being a Republican, were making
partisan campaign: This d=isgusted =
sured that Mayor Muir would enforce
the law left their party and voted for a
non-partisan candidate, simply to keep
politics out of our little local affairS.
Mr. Muir is now mistaken and so are
other gentlemen when they state that
a majority of the people here want the
Joints to run. The statement is of course
based upon the result of the election
but the point is that a large number of
our citizens, male and female who were
deceived are now identifying themselves
with the temperance movement in such
numbers as assures US a large majority
in our present contest"
Rev. A. H. Parker, pastor of the
Methodist church, Rev. J. v. Farwell
pastor of the Presbyterian church, Rev.
S. M. Moore, pastor of the Baptist
church and Rev. ]. P. Fulton, Pres
byterian minister residing in Harper
represent the churches. The citizens
are represented by G. L. Denny, L. c.
Senseman, cashier of the Harper State
bank and other prominent men.
ell and a Republican who has voted for
every Republican nominated for presi-
dent of the United States, a teetota-
Ter and a prohibitioniSt in theory said:
Il am in favor of the enforcement of
the law but I do not believe that the
city council has any power to proceed
people have demanded. l agree with
the mayor and think the effort to close
the joints will not be successful
Mr.. Edmiston has contributed to the
fund to bring prosecutions although he
stands by the mayor.
Rev. A. H. Parker said: "It was my
understanding that Mayor Muir would
enforce the law He agreed to do so
but he has done nothing. Now we pro-
pose to enforce the law
Leslie Anderson, justice of the peace
said: ''I have lived in Harper IA years
and the law has never been enforced
Frequent attempts have been made to
do so, but the only result which has
ever been attained is the piIing up of
costs against the county without Sc
curing convictions of alleged vioIators
The taxpayers of this county cannot af-
ford the luxury of continued prosecu-
tions and no convictions. I think the
policy of the city administration is the
correct one. An effort is made to re-
strict the joints and at the same time
secure a little revenue to assist in pay
ing our expenses. I think it is folly to
insist upon the prosecution of these
men when we know that they cannot
be convicted
A. G. Patterson, another old citizen