Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-02-10
WAR Is DECLARED.
Not by Mckinley Against The Murderous
Spaniards, But by the N. E. Church
Against the Saloons.

Monday evening. After the reading
of the minutes of the last meeting
the delegation being present-Mayor
Noses very courteously suspended the
rules and announced that the council
was ready 20 listen to what their visit
ors had TO say.
Mrs. John Chapman appeared to be
spOkes swOman for the occasion. She
opened by stating that sbs had been
Informed that the mayor and city
council were in league with the joints
lis it so, yes, or nnp" To which
Mayor Moses replied no, that the lady
had been misinforned. Then. in the
name of God, why do you let them run?"
enquired the fiery lady. She asserted
that anyone who remained silent on
the question was deserving of as little
respect as were the JOINT keepers y
She denounced as ''blood money" the
fines paid by the saloon keepers. That
if the prohibition law could nOU be en-
forced, then no law could be enforced,
and we had better attempt no enforce
Inent of law.
Another wOman-and one by the
way whose family has never paid
cent of taxes in the county, and who
has no permanent residence here
made some sarcastic remark which
caused the mayo" to state that he ex
pected to treat the ladies as ladies',
would not insult them, and did not
desire to be insulted. He said ne was
ia sympathy with them in anything
and everything they could do to better
the conditioq of humanity; that he had,
be thought, spent more money to try
and enforce the liquor law here than
any other citizen (Which is a. well
known fact), but that he knew that it
never had been, and COULD NOT be
done so long as the government issued
liquor licenses. He called attention
other crusade was made, and the en-
thusiasts claimed they had ''ciOsed up
all the joints" when in fact there were
then seventeen joints running He
with four open saloons, under the con
troll Of the city, was much better than
that when We had seventeen secret
places for the sale of liquors. He said
he was not prohibitionist; that there
was not y place in the whole state
where the law was enforced; that If
the ladies could show him a way by
which it COULD BE enforced, he and
the council were with them.
Some suggested that if the council
would refuse to accept 6nes, til g
women would take the law in their
hands and deal personally with the sa
loon man. The mayor suggested that
if the ladies wanted to try the ak plan
they could do 81, but they had no more
right TO break the laws than did others.
Councilman Clayton said he was a
prohI bitiouiSt, but he Thought the law
could not be enforced in this city with
the sentiment against enforcing it;
thought We had d better state of affairs
than obtained when an attempt, or at
tempts, had been made to enforce it.
He said the proper place to commence
proceedings against the joints was In
the district court.
Ovid Butler, who with Jesse Butler
com posed the male part of the delega
tiou, stated that the county attorney
had said that ''be did not want to Com.
mence proceedings against the joints
while the council licensed them" Mr..
Butler after wasds admitted that Mr.
UIffenbacher had not said SD to him,
but ne, Butler, had been told that he
said iL.
Councilman Dickson suggested that
there ought to be temperance in all
things; that be knew from close per-
sonal observation, that the present
state OF affairs was better than it used
to be; that more good for real temper
ance could be ccomplished by proper
education and proper conduct at nc me
than by such public demonstrations.
The mayor and council finally agreed
that if the ladies' went to work and got
up petition signed 10y so per cent of
tue tax payers or voters of the city,
asking that they refuse to collect fines
from the saloon meD. they. the mayor
and council would comply with such
request. The delegation then filed
out and the council went on with it's
regular business.
NOTES.
-Ex Councilman Griffith is glad he