The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-02-07
THURSDAY. FEBRUARY I, 1901.
LawLEssNEss IN KANSAS.

j. s. Schillin-. of Enterprise, Kan,
whose saloon waz demolished recently by
Mrs. Nation, and whose wife in turn
attacked Mrs. Nation, t.as this to say: Il
did not get a fair deal. Myself. wife and
c4liid were through the Galveston storm
and came back renniless. a Junction
City firm gave me some money TO start
in business, and / went to Enterprise to
o,ok over the field. / went TO Mayor
I0rnrlet Hoffman, son of c. 8. Hoffman,
and asked him about it he said: All
right: your fine VIII be so a. month 1
had Two talks with him, and he seemed
entirely friendly to me. After I paid $50
the time was extended to two months,
.sfp1 al this rate have paid. At any time
Mayor Hoffman had told me to quit 1
would have quit gladly, for l wanted no
trouble Yet nothing was said. and $50
was paid after nave reason 10 know that
the IIcff11rasls knew Mrs Nation was
coming. l am going to ask the return
Of tllis money, and l think 1 ought to
have il. Common fairness would have
prevented adj the trouble
That tells the whole story. The prolli-
bition law in the State of Kansas has
not been enforced by the authorities. On
The contrary. violations of it have been
winkcd al lay tElase whose duty it is 10
enforce the law, and mon have been
granted the privilege Of violating the law
upon The payment u. a consideration.
We pointed out some time ago that much
the same condition of affairs existed in
The Stale Of Maine. One oF The judges
said that The PROHIBITION Law in that
State was resulative rather than prohibit
i've. The law prohibited in terms the
sale of Intoxicating liquors, Yet the au-
,horitles permitted men IL engage in HE
liqIfor traffic. permitted them 10 violate
The LAW openly. ard contenptUously. but
imposed fines for such violations from
lime 10 time. which should aggregate ip
the course OF "A Year a fair price for
license. We said, ic discussing Inc si,ua-
lion in Maine, that tie whole system was
perlsicious and dcmorslizing, for it brought
The law into contempt. and this IS never
done without lowering the :eaniard Of
pulalic morals. va hold that it IS better
not 10 ilavo law than to have a sem
bia1ce Of law which nobody regards.
Ii is very clear from the statement
made by the Kansas saloon keeper, which
We have above quoted, that the prohibit
eion law in that State has been openly
violated by l!quyr dealers with the con-
sent and under the protection % those
Whose sworn duty ii is 10 uphold the law
and ste that ct is enforced. AS a conse-
quence. Mrs. Nation and her associates
decided that they would lake a hand at
law-breakirg themselves, and SO they
armed themselves with l,atchets and went
into the fray. What else could the au-
thorities in Kansas expect: Il the
officers Of The law wink q v;O'atio:.' OF
The law and actually Encourage them.
how can iiaey expect laycnen to respect
and obey II: One act of law.essness be-
bets another act OF iawtessnes,s. and il
mast always be The case logically and in
es.tai,lr, that when The law Is not upheld
by. the authorities the mob spirit viii
break out
The T:,1es is opposed 10 prohibition
laws and nt,- position On iaris subject IS
80 wei unde-x3ood b. our readers that
we need not go iIsto the argument. But
i. Tie Legislature OF Virginia .Ssould aeopt
!, I,ros5hitIon law in tbs State. rnudl IS
ne might be and would be opposed to il,
we should defend that law ana insist upon
its enforcement as macn as we would
defend and Insist upon The enforcement,
of any other law on the books. Lax is
law until the statute j., repealed, and
contempt Of taw and open violation Of
law Inevitably bring decentralization.
we have no sympathy m4ti. the methods
which Mrs. Nation and her associates
have employed. Tor they are truly
saw-Dreakers as the salooa-keefers upon
whom they are making war But these
women have given the whole country an
object lesson which the people of al sec
oy,as