The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-09-12
1T LOOKS GOOD.
Finland Representative Likes
Prohibition Situation.
Making a Campaign Against the
Liquor Evil.
TOLD STRANGE STORIES
One Was That Crime Was
Rampant in Kansas.
Matti Helenius-Seppala One Of
Four Investigators.
TOLD STRANGE STORIES

Matti -seppala. of Helsing-
fors arrived in Topeka today from Fin
land to investigate the prohibition stu
alton in Kansas.
Anyone who thinks that Doctor Hell
enius-Seppala is getting out Of his
sphere is respectfully requested to note
that he bears credentials signed by &
]. Stahlberg. the suomen senaatin
kauppst-ja Observation-Disclosures pa
alli<ke. beginning as follows:
s'Valtiotieteen tohtori Matti Helenius
Seppala, Helsinsin kaupengista, matklls-
taa sucmen observation-disclosures waltz
ovaroista saadulla matkarahalla
That is enough to satisfy any average
citizen that Doctor Helenius-S eppala IS
entitled to much consideration
Dr. Matti Helenius- Seppala is the F.
D. Coburn of Finland He is a moral
politician, and is one Of the head men
of the Finland state temperance union
He has very little use for the demon
rum, and his visit to America is for the
purpose of getting facts with which he
expects to drive the said demon out of
Finland. He travels with subsidy re-
ceived from the Finnish arch-dnchy,
and a translation Of his credentials says
lLAdL ne IL mere 10 I1dAC 4LillSO4L Ia
miIiar with the laws which are valid
there IN several states for prohibition
against alcoholic drinks and the effects
of these laws
In spite of the fact that this is the
doctors first visit to the United States,
and that he has been here only four
weeks, he talks very good English. He
says he learned what he knows of Eng
lish in England seven years ago.
Il am only one of four people who are
coming over here to investigate the pro
hibition question. The temperance peo-
pie are going to send over an attorney
to study the law, and the breweries are
planning to send representatives to get
their side of the case.
What the temperance people OF Fin
land want is a law prohibiting the man
ufacture, sale OF Importation of liquor
into that country At the present time
the laws prohibit the sale in the smaller
towns, but in the big cities every brew
cry is allowed to maintain one place in
the town for the sale OF liquor The
wine shops already in existence are al
lowed to continue, but no more wine
shop licenses will be granted What we
want to do now is to drive the nquor
out Of the cities
THE brewers are making a big fight
against us. They have circulated alleg-
ed statistics, which are calculated to
prove that in Maine, Kansas, and other
prohibition states in this country, the
people are poor, that the death rate is
very high and that crime and want are
on the increase We must get facts to
disprove such reports. We were very
fully convinced that the statistics were
false, because they referred to certain
books, etc, which We found did not ex-
list.
7 have come to Kansas almost direct
from the state of Maine. In Maine they
have a commission especially appointed
to enforce the prohibitory law, and from
what [ have learned, the law is much
better enforced than in Kansas. This
state commission has the authority to
take hold and enforce the law whenever
It finds the local authorities are neglect
ing their duty. I understand that in
this state the governor has no such au-
thority, and I believe that the Maine
I have been around some here i'll
Topeka, and have not seen any saloons.
It is very clean city-a beautiful city.
They sell whisky in drug stores here
! for medicinal, mechanical or scientific
! purposes. That is amusing No ply
| stefan would prescribe raw whisky. It
/ has no medicinal value. 1 suppose the
people who buy It need it for scientific
purposes.
Il want to get statistics here about
poverty and crime in Kansas, and about
1 the death rate. It seems that such sta
| tistics are hard to get I will go from
Kansas to Colorado, and then to Cali
fornia and Portland, Oregon. Then l
go back to Boston to address the Wo-
mems Christian Temperance union
Il believe that your prOhibitory law
is better than the plan we have over
| there in Finland. Even in the cities
over there the sale of liquor is arranged
| so that the state gets part of the profits
and this part is applied to public pur-
poses"
Asked concerning political conditions
I in Russia, DR.. Helenius- Seppala said:
Finland has had q greater degree OF
| political liberty than other portions of
Russia. The czar is our ruler, and signs
the laws. passed by our parliament. but
we have our own government. So we
are pretty well satisfied
Il regard the car as weak man, who
allows himself to be controlled by the
court II he would throw off this con-
troll. and give the people their liberties,
the people would love him. Every re-
volt or general strike is more difficult
for the car to resist, and believe the
time is coming when the people Will
either get their political liberty or the