The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1902-07-15
For sslletoutaine RepuSlicsu.
Prohibition in Kansas.

There has never been a law passed
by any state that has been more per-
sistenIly aud msliciously veilitied, mis-
represented and abused than has the
prohibit law of this State.
This opposition to the law has and still |
comes from outside the State. In fact |
the shallow element, brewers, distillers,
and their hangers on from every state
in the Union are down all in their
power to bring odium on the law. Blu
in spite of all they c1uld do in misrepre-
seutiug, in spite of all the money that
was poured into the state To defeat the
law and its enforcement, and to bring
the law into disrepute. the law now
stands, after being bombsrded for twen-
ty years by all the foul agencies of hell,
without assure or break, and while
the writer is not an admirer of Carrie
Nation or her methods yet To her infiu-
ence is due the driving by the last Leg
islature Of last nail that makes the law
well nigh perfect
That the law is being vic lated in q
few places is fact, but the law is a. a
rule as well enforced as the average
laws Of the State. We have laws g. air At
all manner of crimes; that they ate
violated is no reason that tie laws are
not good and in the interest Of the pso-
Pile. The laws against murder,
theft, arson, are all violated aud always
will be, but who wants them repealed.
The prohibition law of the State like all
other laws, is sometimes violated and
because of this it is argued that il
!, should be repealed.
But practical experience is worth
more than all theories ever advanced
, by the OppOnets of tie law.
II We have lived in this State for seven
? years and have kept sharp lookout
for practical results, and must own thai
we were preiudiced against the law u
start with; but in seven years, have
seen less than seven cases of drunken
ness, and in this time l have been q
all kinds of gatherings and mingled
with all kinds of people. On the Fourth
lof July, 1901, We spent the day in cit,
:, Having q population of 10000, cit,
|, Iabout the size Of Bellefontaine and
railroad town. Excursion trains from
all over the state brought people by tn,
train load, and it was by far the iarges
Icrowd except one we ever saw. w,
were on the ground from o'clock il
u the morning until o'clock In the eve
uing and in all that gathering of thous
. ands of people, on pleasure bent, neve
saw one drunken person and only heart
lone or two oaths all day.
Last fall we were in old Logan on
visit during the county fair. On tn
evening of the third day, in going from
!, the Starkey restaurant TO the depot
we counted eleven men in all stages O
drunkenness, from the monkey to tn
hog drunk. / had known Bellefontain
10 during the time when it was dr.
n town, when y drunk man was q scarcit
IL even during fair time, and it seemed t
= me it could hardly.be possible for Belle
70 fontaine, with her institution of lear
Ling, with her numerous churches, wit
their steeples pointing heavenward
with her many great and good me
and women could return like q SOW Z
her wallow or the dog to his vomit.
These scenes of drunkenness, bla
phemy and debauchery brought fee
:, ings Of sadness, that were. hard ,
shake off. And, (not that l think lie,
of my native state or county,) in IN
heart thanked God that myself an
family were not surrounded by sue
influences.
But rs stated above 1t is being col
stantly kept before the people that
spite of the prohibition law o. Kans,
there is Ms much liquor drunk in Ksl
:, sas as in other States. having NO pr
hibition laws.
/ propose to let the manufacture
answer this question and give q dire
:, lie to their own reports sent all ov,
the United states through the pres
The latest figures at hsnd are the.
given in the Brewers Journal of Jan
sry, 1900. And for the sake of comps
n, Is on l will give the amount, in barrel
of liquor sold in this and adjoinir
States for the year above mentioned:
Colorado. on the west ........ s5s.3.yb
Missouri. on the east------. ..-..--3 3,5is.aA
Nebr aska, on the north ..---- lss.s75
kansas----------------- si2
u 1t seems 10 me- That these hgur
q taken from the official liquor orgs
should forever answer ihe question,
x 10 whether the prohibition law of Ka
d sas is doing any good or not.