The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-01
OF ACE TODAY.
Twenty-first Anniversary of
Adoption of Prohibition.
Governor Stanley Discusses Sue
cess Of the Law.
WANT IT ENFORCED.
IT ENFORCED.
Says Overwhelming Majority
Are on That Side.
Believes Kansas Will Continue
Prohibition Policy.

Prohibition in Kansas is twenty-one
years old today. Boys who We're born
Immediately after the prohibition law
amendment was adopted, are already
legal voters. The constitutional amend
ment was adopted at the election of
1880, and on May l. 1881, it went into
effect. Kansas prohibition has there
fore reached its majority.
There can be no doubt that the
many localities There are counties IN
Kansas in which practically no liquor
has been Illegally sold. There are 9TH
ers where it is openly violated every
day. In many respects Kansas has
practical local option.
A new generation has come on since
prohibition became a part of the con-
stitution of Kansas In some counties
in the state boys have grown to be men
without ever seeing a saloon or a joint,
and who look upon the saloon as an.
outlawed Institution and upon the viO-
latOr of the prOhibitOTy law as a COM
mon criminal In other counties boys
have become drunkards just the same
as they would have done had there
been legalized saloons within their
reach, and some of them have absorbed
a reckless disregard of law.
In discussing the prohibitory law re-
Gently Governor Stanley said
The growth and development of pro-
hibition has been characterized py
stormy period. A wide difference of
opinion marked the change of policy in
this state from license to prohibition.
and after twenty-one years the differ
ence seems to be as pronounced as when
the policy was adopted.
The ardent -pr0hibitionist has
! always, and still denounces prohibition
as an infringement upon personal lib
erty and attempt to enforce good
morals by legisla ton, which he insists
has been and always Will be a failure.
The equally Jealous and equally sin
cere prOhibitionist, who regards pro-
hibition as the only question worth con-
sideratiOn IN politics, is desirous of SUD-
ordinating any and all other issues tc
this, TO MN, the paramount 1SSue-WhO
entertains no charity for those who diff
/ fer from him. and denOunceS all enemies
I of prohibition as enemies of the public
peace. Between these two extremes is
/ the great body Of conservative men and
/ women, nearly all OF whom believe in
temperance, and most of whom believe
1 in prohibition.
AT this time there seems to be nearly
as pronounced difference regarding the
/ enforcement of the prohibitory law as
! there is to prohibition itself. There are
! a few communities in the state in which
/ it would be impossible to elect sheriffs
and county attorneys openly pledged TO
I the enforcement of the pFohibitory law.
1 There are many more communities
where it would be just as impossible to
1 elect those officers if they were openly
committed against the enforcement of
! this law. An overwhelming majority of
! the people of Kansas today are in favor
/ of the enforcement of the prOhibitOry
/ law, and as result, these people believe
| in the enforcement of this law the same
as any other criminal statute, by the
regular means and through the regular
| channels.
L have had better means Of know
/ ing as to the extent of the enforcement
/ of this law during the last three years,
and during that time, IN most Of the
/ communities of the state the prohibitory
/ law is reasonably well enforced-I think
1 as much SO as other laws. This enforce
/ ment is not accomplishing the result of
/ prohibiting the sale of intoxicating
| liquor absolutely, any more than the en-
/ fOrcement of other criminal statutes is
! preventing larceny, forgery and other
/ crimes There have been a great many
! prosecutions for violation of the law
during my administration, and hundreds
| of convictions. and with very few ex-
/ ceptions, these persons have served
| their terms. Some of the extreme pro-
/ hibitionists have resorted to extreme
and questionable methods to express
their disapprohation of the violation of
/ this law, but it is exceedingly doubtful
| whether they have done the cause any
/ good The violation of one law does not
| Justify the violation of another.
Prohibition in Kansas has been
/ marked by very beneficial results and
I this is apparent to anyone who will
/ travel through Kansas and through any
| of the license states that may be Sc
| lected and note the difference in the
] types OF young men IN the Two states
There are thousands OF young men IN
| Kansas who never saw a saloon, and
| will avoid it, if for no other reason.
! because it is under the ban of the law
/ There are thousands of men who would
1 probably patronize the saloon If sane
! toned by the law and conducted with
I state approval. who avoid it and will
/ avoid it as long as the law brands it
| as an Ishmaelite among the legitimate
| enterprises of the community young
man with bleared eyes and bloated face
! in Kansas is very rare and seldom seen.
! but may be seen on the streets of al
/ most any town or city where the saloon
| is legalized. I think on the whole that
prohibition has been attended with
factory. The law is imperfectly en-
forced in many communities and not at
all enforced in some. But the discus
sion caused by the attempt to enforce
the prohibitory statutes has kept the
| temperance question alive, and we have
a better temperance sentiment in the
state and a larger proportion of tenn
perance men than in any state where
| license prevails.
The future of prohibition in this
state is largely a matter of individual
/ opinion, but I believe the state will
continue its prohibition policy. If the
question should be submitted to the
/ people, they would refuse to do away
with the constitutional provision on this
question. for the reason I have suggest
ed, that it has been productive of good
Even admitting that the law is not now
/ and never has been fully enforced: if
Intoxicating liquors are sold as a bev-
erage, they should be sold in spite OF
the law, rather than with the law S
sanction and approval
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