Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1901-08-02
Mrs. Nations Work.

Inc presbyterian Banner \fTeSOy-
terrain, Pittsburg) presents the follow
ing resume of the situation in Kan
sas, and of the results of the Mrs.
Nation crusade: Saloons, or "joints,"
have become common in the larger
towns and cities. Out Of 129 towns
recently visited by an agent of the
State Temperance Union, 81 protected
the joint on their paying stipulated
sums of money at stated intervals; 81
allowed them to run through some
kind of collision with the authorities;
and 40, or less than one-third Of the
whole, appeared to have no such places.
Attempts to close these places by legal
action have been futile. When infor-
nation was made by private citizens,
the officers would not bring the Offend
ers to trial; or juries would not con-
vict; or nominal fines were imposed
and the joints kept on running. Law
abiding citizens were growing discour-
aged and desperate at the state of af-
fairs. At this point Mrs. Carrie Ma
ton appeared on the scene. She is in
tensely conscientious and superbly
brave, but is narrow and bigoted in
mind, impulsive and rash in act, and
so emotional as to be easily swept
across the border of sober Judgment in
hysteria and irrationality. Her first
husband died of drink, and she has
been stung by this serpent. For years
she fought the saloon. She used to
grind out temperance songs from
hand-organ on the streets and pray in
the gaols AS she saw the futility Of
these means and brooded over the stu
alton she grew desperate. She felt
that more strenuous means should be
used and that it was time to hew Agag
in pieces before the Lord. About a
year ago she stoned two joints in the
village of Kiowa. The local neWspa-
pers treated the affair humorously, and
the world heard nothing of it. Mrs.
Nation determined that the world
should hear and that something should
be done that would move earth, If not
heaven. She went to Wichita and
smashed the finest bar in town. When
she was arrested and taken to the
police station she laughed at the mag
istrate, and set up the defence that
she was only destroying illegal prop
erty. She was let go under bail, but
she went and smashed another joint.
The same scenes were repeated at To-
peka and at other places. OF course
her method was lawless, and cannot
be technically defended. Even John
Brown was wrong in his method.
Sometimes technicalities and even
some Of the commandments get
strained and broken when great wrongs
are being smashed. People who stop
to define with great nicely the boun-
diaries of permitted action seldom eff
feet great reforms. Mrs. Nation WIS
bound to do something, and she did it.
What has she done? She has stirred
Kansas with new sense of the need
of legally and rigidly enforcing its
temperance legislation. A great tenn
perance wave is now sweeping over
the state In the spring elections that
were held last week, temperance was
the main issue, and it won splendid
victory. Down with saloons and
gambling houses" was the battle cry.
which won a signal victory for law and
order in four-ffths of the towns of the
state. Other western states are catch
ing the same spirit, and there is a
widespread determination that the IL
legal saloon shall be rooted out and
kept out. 1t is to be hoped that this
determination will be maintained and
made permanent. And is there not
need of similar determination in 9th.
er parts of our country?