The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-11
ALL JOINTS MUST 60
PUBLIC INDIGNATION AT TOPEI< A
ELIMINATES IN STIRRING
MASS MEETING
STRONG ULTIMATUM ISSUED
JOINTISTs GIVEN UNTIL FRIDAY
NOON TO REMOVE FIXTURES
AND LIQUORS
OTHERWISE PUBLIC WILL ACT
Twelve Hundred Men Pledge Them
selves to See That Their De-
mand Is Carried Out
to the Letter.

| TOPEKA, Kan, Feb. 10.-Three thou
sand male citizens of Topeka, in mass
meeting here today, decided that the
numerous joints of the city must c.ose
| their places. They issued an ultimatum
| giving the jointists until Friday next at
| II o'clock noon, to quit business. If this
| Is not done warning was given that !, 600
| armed men would Immediately move on
! the joints and remove them by force
| Today's action is the result of the
| crusade started in Topeka less than ten
| days ago by Mrs. Carrie Nation. The
| meeting this afternoon was a remark
able one in every respect 1t was called
by a committee of the law enforcement
league, and was attended by nearly all
the prominent business men, of this city
Rev. F. w. Emerson, pastor of the
First Christian Church of topeka, and
who aided Mrs. Nation in her saloon
smashing here last week, opened the
meeting with prayer. After a few short,
snappy addresses, which worked up the
audience to high degree of enthusiasm,
an ultimatum was proposed and passed
amid the loudest cheering.
CLOSE OR BE CLOSED.
The ultimatum commanded the officers
of the city and county to perform their
duty regarding the closing of the joints,
Ihe o1ncerS were warned that they had
waited long enough. The property own
ers, i'll whose premises the joints are
Kept, were also warned in unmistakable
terms that they had better abate the
nuisances at once, or the people OF To-
peka would not be responsible for the
damage that might ensue to the build.
ings.
When the reader of the ultimatum
reached the part pertaining to the joint
icfc her
there had for several days been rumors
that some important declarations were to
be made.
The words of condemnation and warn
ing brought forth murmurs of approval
that gained strength with each minute
finally sweeping over the entire audience
and eliminating in the widest enthusi-
aSm.
AS the reader finished and submitted
the ultimatum to the approval of the
audience, old men and conservative min.
listers of the gospel leaped to their seats
in their enthusiasm and waved handker-
chiefs, gesticulated and cheered to the
echo. The cheering lasted for several
minutes. The ultimatum, which was
adopted by rising vote, follows:
THE ULTIMATUM.
ITO those Immediately engaged in the
illicit business, whether wholesale or re-
tail: We have to say that the long con-
troversy of the public with you must now
come to an end You have openly and
nerSSl SIS de1ied our laws; You hive
greater criminals outside of the state,
who have supported you in your unlawful
tratt1c; you have gathered about you q
criminal element that is a perpetual men
ace to the safety of tine community and
have maintained places that engender
ana encourage all vices; you have INTRO
Guced the most corrupting and democrat
factors Influences iptn
politics; and for years you have scored
all appeals end warnings that have been
presented to you by the virtue loving peo-
pie Of the community.
Now, we feel that the time has come
When We must speak to you pefempto-
11ly., We cease now to endeavor to per
Suade; we command. You must StOD this
lawless and intquitous business, and stop
1t at once. And we hereby notify you
that we must have unQueStionable evil
oence, absolutely satisfactory to the com
m1ttee Of public order, which we today
constitute, that all your illicit goods, to-
gether with all the associated fixtures
and furnishings of the places where your
unlawful business has been carried on,
shall have been removed and shipped
from the city before II o'clock noon, Fri
day, Feb. IS, 1901. Upon the strict ana
shall insist; and, if it shall be disre-
garded we will take whatever measures
are necessary for It's rigid enforcement
IF long outraged public shall be COM
of self virdication against criminals and
their abettors, the grave consequences
tc evil doors which may result from such
a return, must rest with the defers and
nullifiers of our laws and the Instructors
CT cur governmental machinery"
The Jointists, the men who rent prop
erty to jointists, and the, men who have
violated their oaths in tolerating crime
these arc the disturbers of the peace, and
now the affronted and wronged public,
which, as sovereign has both the right
and the duty to see that its will and
judgment shall be respected"
The lutimatum was written by a COM
mittee of which Robert Stone, a leading
business man, was chairman.
There were a number of addresses, in
which Mrs. Nation came in for her full
share of credit.
MRS. NATIONS WORK
E. P. Lindsay said there had been a
slumbering volcano of public Indignation
against the liqucr sellers in Topeka for
several weeks and thai 1t remained for
odd Mother Nation to come along and
touch off the crater with her hatchet"
DR.. J. 7. MacFarland said that Proyi-
dence had d faculty Of doing things in an
unconstitutional way. Some of his great
est surprises came at times when they
were least looked for. Cr-mwel, Luther,
Wesley and John Brown had dared to
brave the ire of public sentiment and
had accomplished good for hum nifty, and
now, in this later day, Mrs. Nation had
done the same thing with the result that
the joints in Kansas and especially in
Topeka would have to go.
Chief of Police Stahl made an address
He said the law could be enforced if the
entire police pachinery of the city would
work in unison with him. The audience,
amid many cheers, adopted a resolution
demanding that the city council at its
next meeting confirm the denomination
of Mr. Stahl for chief of police
Twelve hun lred men signcd tn ir rams
to cards pledging themselves to be ready
at a moments notice to join the army
which has been recruited to stamp out
the joints by the time the limit set by
the ultimatum expires.
There seems to be no question that the
next few days in Topeka will see in
teresting developments, possibly blood