The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-01-29
CARRIE sWOoPs DOWN ON
KANSAS CAPITAL.
BITTER WORDS FOR ALL
Ratchet Women Compels Governor
to Capitulate and Arraigns
the Others.

ernor VIM. E. Stanley in his cham
bers in the capitol building and for a
solid hour arraigned the chief execu-
tive Of the state for his failure to close
the saloons of Kansas. Then in turn
she visited the Offices Of Attorney
General Goddard, County Attorney
Nichols and Sheriff Porter and de-
manded of each that he close the sa-
looms. Finally she addressed the leg
~islature, making an impassioned APP
peal in behalf of temperance.
When Mrs. Nation entered Cover
nor S%tanley's Office she vas followed
by a crowd Of local reporters and
others. By turns she administered to
Governor Stanley a tongue lashing for
his failure to uphold the laws against
liquor selling or begged him for aid to
carry on her crusade.
She put her questions with fierce
ness and answered them herself with
out giving the governor time to utter
a complete sentence in his own de-
fence. /,
She accused Governor Stanley Of
branding her a lawbreaker and de-
manded to know if he had a better
method than she of Kidding the state
of saloons.
"Do you think my method is
right?" she asked.
mol do not, "replied the governor.
"Well, governor, have you a better
one?"
As the governor turned in his chair
to make answer everyone listened in
tently.
"No, I do not think I have,'' finally
replied the governor. Continuing he
managed to edge in a few words more.
"What can I do? I am powerless.
The law does not allow me to do
what I desire. The law gives me no
privileges. What can I do?"
eff necessary call out the militia"
was Mrs. Nations prompt reply.
"You cal close every joint in Kansas
if you will, Governor Stanley" she
said vehemently. "You can do it if
you want to, but you won't. But
you are a lawbreaker yourself if you
do not. You took your oath Of Office
to keep the constitution. You refuse
my request; you are not only a law
breaker, but a perjurer."
AS Mrs. Nation proceeded she be-
came more vehement and her voice
quiveled. Finally, his temper gone,
Governor Stanley arose from his seat
and shouted:
"You cannot come here and talk
this way to me. You cannot talk to
me this way, I say. You are a woman
but I won't stand it. You will have
to leave if you cannot"
II am a mother. l am a grand
mother, and I represent the mothers
of the state"
"You don't. You don't represent
them, I" almost shouted the governor.
The words flew back and forth with
such %ferceness that it was impossible
to distinguish them. The room was
in an uproar. Then Mrs. Nation
talked more calmly, pleading with the
governor to aid her.
"You come with me and help smash
Saloons" she urged and then she ad-
ded: eff you won't help me-if you
won't help me Ill go around and I'll
smash, smash, smash, governor. The
devil seems to have a cinch on the
men, but he has not a cinch on the
hatchets and rocks"
Finally Governor Stanley volun-
teered: "You get the prosecuting at
torneys of the different counties to
put the joint keepers in Jail and I'll
use my power as governor to keep
them in. I'll see that they are not
pardoned out"
This promise instantly transformed
Mrs. Nation. She fairly beamed with
joy and thanking the governor started
for the Office of Attorney General
Goddard. The attorney general was
engaged, but she forced her way into
his private Office and introduced her.
self with these words: "We want you
to close these joints, these murder
shops"
She demanded that he remove those
officials who neglected their duty in
allowing the saloons to run and when
he evaded her direct questions and re-
ferred her to the county attorney,
Mrs. Nation asked:
"Mr. Attorney General, you are not
lodging, are you? Now don't dodge -
With a parting injunction to do
what he had sworn to do on taking
his Office, Mrs. Nation, followed by
an army of people with a body guard
of newspaper men, started for the
county attorneys Office.
ssThe governor and ATTORNEY general
are lodging, " she said, "but there is
no lodging my Ratchet" She had
lost her wraps and her veil during
her raid on the state house, but she
wasted no time looking for them.
To County Attorney Nichols she re-
peated her demands and finally said
she wished to swear out a warrant
Tor the aloonkeeper's wife who had
attacked her Saturday night with a