The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-10
WORST IN STATE.
Topeka Joints Boat the Lcaven-
worth Saloons, Says COdding.
Clean Up the Capital City Before
Legislature Meets.
THAT Is THE "SLOGAN"
Preachers Visited Joints and
THAT Is THE SLOGAN
Visited Joints and
Brought Topeka Booze.
Saw Some Things Which Made
Good Sermon Material.
Big Congregations at Churches
Heard Prohibition DiscOurses.


About half a dozen visiting ministers.
who came to Topeka to attend the open
ing of the temperance crusade started
by the State Temperance union. visited
a number Of Topeka joints Saturday
night, purchasing whisky, beer and 9TH
er drinks over the bar. During their
Sunday sermons at the various Protest.
ant churches, these ministers spoke OF
their experiences in the Topeka Ten
derloin,' and exhibited samples of the
whisky they had purchased.
The ministers were steered around on
their tour OF Inspection by local clergy
men and churchmen, who were so well
known in the city that they did not at
tempt to enter the resorts with their
guests, for fear of being recognized and
elected by the keepers of the places. IN
their sermons at the churches Sunday,
these ministers did not give the location
of the places they visited, but some of
these places were so accurately describe
ed that they will be readily recognized
by frequenters Of the wet district"
Rev. M. L. Laybourn, of Marysville,
Kan, visited number of places, and
bought liquor in each place In one
resort" said Rev. Labourn, I'VE had
made our purchase, but after doing so
the. bartender seemed to suspect US and
said: 1 Will be to church tomorrow, all
right In another place, which I have
been told is a combination joint and
disorderly house, we were refused ad-
mittance on the grounds that the house
The last place we visited, they had a
bar, card tables, billiard tables and
lunch counter. Half a hundred men and
boys filled the rooms, and less than a
dozen of them were mature men. The
other were boys between, the ages of Is
and 20.
THE worst all-round place we visited
was in North Topeka where we found
a disorderly house, a gambling den and
a joint under one roof and presumably
under one management We could hear
1crl7f G1-f ~ >, h
thin partition, and the liquor for sale
ranged from the cheapest kind of beer
to whisky at rs cents per drink.
In one place we wanted to buy some
whisky, but man who was only par
TALLY dressed jumped in through a rear
door and gave the bartender some tip.
Then the man said he was out, and re-
fused to make the SALE
Rev. John Wesley, of Council Grove,
who was also in the inspecting commit
tee, said: We found one place where 80
men and boys were keeping the bar
tender busy serving drinks.@Two as
sistants were kept on the jump serving
drinks to those who sat at tables. This
resort was in the heart of the city and
there is little doubt that the city Off
Gals know about it. The door was un-
locked and we walked in without trou-
bic
I'VE did not see any women ming
ling with the men in any of these re-
sorts. except one place where a negro
woman came into a joint run by a
clusively by negroes"
Another member of the inspecting
party was Rev. David Shields. recently
elected mayor of Salina. He did not
visit the joints with the others, but
called on Chief Donovan and a num-
Der of Oatrolmen to see what informa-
ton he could CLEAN from them. They
assured him. he states, that there were
no open joints in the city.
Rev. ]. NJ. Dunleavy,. of Pittsburg.
also took a part in the purify To-
peka' cam Daign. He visited the Joints
and secured data for his sermon Sum
day.
John Marshall. of Winfield, assist
ant attorney general. spoke at the
United Presbyterian church Sunday
He referred to the findings of the
of Topeka joints. and also said that he
was proud of his part in what he
called the final struggle for suprem-
acv between the church and the LIQUOR |
dealers. THE relation between the |
church and the saloon,'' he said, sis |
al antagonistic relation. Tho one will |
not win until the other has been put |
out of existence.
THE plans of God Almighty shall |
not be thwarted by men who want to /
deal in Intoxicating liquors. and the |
Church of God will not be vanQuished |
in this fight"
Rev. Shields. the dry mayor of |
Salfpa. who took part in the hunt for /
Information on Saturday night, in his |
sermon at the First Christian church, /
charged the Topeka officials with re- !
ceiving money from the liquor traffic |
He followed this with the statement /
that his city. Salina. is enjoying I'M
usual prosperity under his admins
tration, Notwithstanding that the reve-
nues derived from the joints, amount
ing to about $4,000 a year, have been
cut off entirely and the joints wiped
out.
J. X. Coddlng, attorney for the !