The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1901-11-22
Some Interesting Figures Compiled by
the President Of the State Tenn
pePaucc Union
ABOUT ZOO TOWNS REPORT
In As Percent the Law is
STRIFE tly Enforced
l twenty-five Towns are Reported as
Openly Licensing Saloons in
lSriOn of the Law

Topeka, Nov. % Secretary r. b..
stephens OF the Kansas State Tenn
perance Union, has for the past sever
al weeks been investi eating the situa-
ton in Kansas relative to the enforce
ment of the prohihitory law. Today
he completed the compilation of the
facts obtained through the investiea-
ton. and it makes remarkable
showing.
The investigation was called forth
by Ewing Herbert 5 interview in The
journal some time ago in which he de-
clared that the liquor traffic was
licensed in three fourths OF the towns
in the State and that prohibition was
a failure and farce. In order to
get at the cold facts Secretary Stephens
selected the 200 towns in the State
having the largest population. H4
afterward discovered that this nunher
took in all towns of over 500 popula-
ton except five He asked for infor-
nation both from official and unofficial
sources For his official information
he went to the city clerk and city
treasurer OF each town. They keep
the records and are in no wise respun-
sible for the method adopted by the
mayor and council in handling the
liquor traffic, SO their opinions ought
not to be biased. Theuuotlicial iufor-
nation in every instance wa, ub,ained
from citizens in whom the people
have the utm ost confidence and who
Dear Sir Much is said, pro and
con, as to the number of towns in
Kansas which openly or clandestinely
license the sale Of Intoxicating liquors.
The undersigned is desirous of getting
at the exact facts in the case.
The cities of Kansas may be divided
into four general classes with respect
to the enforcement of the prohibitOry
law, as follows:
First-Cities. the known and avowed
policy OF which is to collect license
! from the Joints as a means of revenue.
the license taking the name OF line
and usually collected once month.
| Second Cities i'm which the joints
are probably licensed by the officers,
but in Il clandestine manner, the
| joints running almost openly, despite
supposed efforts of the officer to close
| them
Third Cities in which it is gener-
ally known or believed there are
joints, hut the proprietors OF which
'do their business like thieves, avoid
| ing the officers and constantly fearing
arrest y
Fourtb-Cities in which there are no
| joints and but little and only occa-
sional hootlegging.
Will you kindly indicate on the in
closed addressed card to which of
these four classes you would Judge
your city belonged? | desire exact
facts. None of the correspondence rs
TO be given out for publication, bat.
only the general results of the investi
CATION. Very respectful
r.. f.. STEPHENS.
The total number of cities heard
fromlout of the 200 cities written TO are
1872, or 96 per cent of the entire mum
Der.
The total number of cities from
which replies were received from I'M
official sources was 1854; from official
sources, 80.
The total number where two or more
persons replied, out of the three per
sons written to in each town, was l2S;
and in ~ out of these l2S eases the
answers exactly agreed,
In tabulating the replies the follow
| ing rules were Observed
First Where the majority OF the re-
piles exactly agreed, the city was
classified accordingly.
Second Where the replies dis
agreed, the average was taken and
the city placed in that class most
nearly corresponding with the number
obtained 10y averaging the replies.
Thus proceeding, the following