The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-05-08
Pastor of First Methodist
Church Visits One.
Heard Clink of Glasses But
Didn't Pass Partition.
OFFICERS.
Preachers Have Good Words for
Topeka Situation.
Rev. Charles Nj. Sheldon Prays
for Governor HOch.

Dr. W. c. Evans, pastor of the First
Methodist church, told the members OF
his church Sunday morning of a visit
which he paid the Saturday previous
upon one of the city's joints. I went
into a joint Saturday for the first time
in my life" said he. 1T will probably
not be the last time.
There were a number of billiard ta-
bles in the front part and a number OF
loafers were sitting about and others
were playing at the tables. I passed
them and went on back to the rear
where noticed a door There was a.
plain wall cutting off the entire rear OF
the room and you could scarcely per
ceive the door as it was covered with
the same wall paper which covered the
rear wall. went up to the door and
listened. I could hear the clink of
glasses. Then one of the men who had
been sitting in the front part of the
room came up to me and I said: What
have you got in there? He said: A
saloon Do you want something to
drink? said no. and then I tried the
door. What do you Want?' he said I
want to get in and take a look at it
1 said. He looked at me and then hap
pened to notice the golden cross on my
watch chain. You ought to have seen
the entire change of expression uDOu his
face. He said: No, you can't 20 in
there I can't sell you anything but I
can give you something. But after II
o clock can't give or sell anything at
/ all No. I said and when we get after
you, you won't be able to sell or give
| anything away at y o'clock or any 9th
/ er time I then just locked his arm into
mine and we walked together to the
/ front of the building and when 1 turned
| to leave him said:
IS You ought to be ashamed to engage
in this kind of business. Quit it. -
The joint which was visited was the
Sixth street billiard hall at lis East
| Sixth avenue.
Dr. Evans indorsed the present oity
! administration and announced that his
! support Of the administration would be
! extended He said: There has been
a great deal of talk as to what this ad-
ministration was going to do. I am not
hasty In condemning and until they
+ have fallen down on something they
1 have avowed their intention Of doing /
! shall reserve my criticism. The pres
4 ent administration has done a good
work don't see why they didn't IN
4 Sert the mayors name in these resolu-
1 tiOns praising the work of the county
/ attorney and the chi,E of police"
/ The resolutions calling for the en-
/ forcement of the prellibitory law were
/ then read and the Members of the audi
] ence were asked to express their en-
4 dOrSement by a rising vote. The mem
! beTs composing the large congregation
4 arose en- masse with the exception Of
4 two or three, among the latter being A.
/ D. Bauer. one of the managers of the
4 Davis campaign and spoken of previ-
4 Gus to the appointment of Chief of Po-
I lice Goodwin, as a. probable appOinee
of the mayor as chief Of police. Cover
nor Hoch was in the audience but the
/ governor showed no hesitancy in rising
to his feet
DR.. Evans quoted the sentiments re-
garding temperance as expressed in
three different speeches made respec-
lively by Governor HOch of Kansas,
/ Governor Folk of Missouri and Cover
nor Hanley of Indiana. He also read
extracts from the old metropolitan po-
lice law and the later law which an
nulled that act.
L would" said he. that we had
this old law in force again. 1 would
1 that the governor had the appointive
/ power of all the police commissioners
/ in cities of the first class in the state''
/ The members of the church were
urged to write a commendatory letter
/ to Justice Burch of the supreme court
for the character of opinion which he
/ handed down in the Durein case.
! In closing DR.. Evans said: Il believe
i there is no man who loves these United
/. States. this state, the most Christian
/ commonwealth in the country, who
/ loves his family and his children who
4 favors the violation Of the laws on the
( statute books"
Israys for Courage in Hoch.
Grant that Governor Hoch may have
the courage to live up to the profession
/ of Christianity which he has made to
the people of this state"
This was the prayer of Charles NJ.
! Sheldon at Central church Sunday
morning. The tenor of the sermon
/ which Mr.. Sheldon preached showed
that he is fully convinced that Cover
nor Hoch is the man, and the only man,
4 who can close up all the saloons in the
! state, and that it is squarely on the
+ governors shoulders to enforce the law.
! Mr.. Sheldon stated that he had sew
! eral texts all meaning about the same
! thing. One Of them was from Proverbs,
as follows: righteousness ekalteth a
nation: but sin is a reDroach to any
people,
The prohibitory law can be enforc-
/ ed" said Mr.. Sheldon. 7 was in a
Kansas town of 1000 people not long
/ ago, where there is not a single saloon
/ or whisky drug store The law is gen
But we have almost settled down to
| think that the law can't be enforced
i in Wichita, Leavenworth, Atchison and
/ Kansas City. To my mind the saddest
I thing about these towns is the fact that
there is no longer any protest IN those
/ communities. It is better to pass reso-
lutions than to do nothing. The trou-
/ bic with Wichita and these other towns
is the loss of the spirit OF protest. Inc
| ministers and the churches seem 10
+ have given UP the fight. Protest alone
will keep alive public sentiment Here
in Topeka three-fourths of the popala-
tfon want the law enforced unuer-
| stand that there are only about 200 men
in this city who are actively lighting for
/ the notification Of the law. And yet
once in a while these zoo men can con-
troll the election.
s~Tbere are three reasons why the
prohibitory law is so hard to enforce:
First, 1t Is directed against one OF
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