The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1907-01-02
1RUGLEsS DRUG STORES.
.,ov THE PROHIBITION LAW IS
EVADED IN KANSAS.
o,inine Pill Cannot be Bought of
.bo druggists Who Do the Most
FIourishing Prescription

Business.
Kansas under the prohibition law


Business.
ransas under the prohibition law
-, developed a unique institution
tbo drugless drug store. There are
.,,,ns in Kansas where the drug
rists" who do the most fourishing
s,,sinnss are the ones who serve
.,oir customers behind the prescrip-
.,oo case. and at whose stores you
an oct a mint julep or an absinthe
cocktail, but cannot buy quinine
pill
The prohibition drug store does
,o+ reach it's highest development in
the wide open" towns. Where there
is an open saloon on every corner
- minister to the needs of the man
with a thirst the druggists are
n forced to fall back upon the mental
business of selling spring tonics and
liver pills. The town where there is
some pretense of enforcing the pro-
bbitory law is the one that offers
llCUtSG
nbarmacist One of those towns is
Topeka.
In Topeka a large share of the
rouor business is done behind the
description cases of drug stores. In
some of these stores there are ocm-
nlete bars with everything pertain
ing to a modern saloon. Also some
Of the stores have practically no
drugs in stock, and would be unable
TO supply the most common drugs
10 any customer unsophisticated
enough to call for them.
In the early days of prohibition
the advantages of the druggist over
the Joint keeper were at once OBJ
served, and all over the state drug
store men of certain stamp began
doing a liquor business on the side.
AS the druggist has a permit to
sell liquor, the fact of having made
sales is not sufficient evidence to con-
vict him of lawbreaking. If he OBJ
serves any caution whatever the
chances are that he will prosper long
in his business without being con-
victed in the courts.
For a long time the drug men who
sold liquor did it cautiously. Most
of them required their customers to
90 through the form of filing out
the legal formula, naming the mala-
dy for which the liquor was needed.
Some druggists maintain this rule
even at the present day. The next
step was to the store in which the
safe patrons are allowed to go be-
hind the prescription case and call
for what they want without filling
out the affidavit Last of all came
the drug store with regular bar
behind the prescription case and no
drugs at ALL
There are probably half dozen
or more drug stores in Topeka that
have well-appointed bars. In all of
these establishments the system is
the same The show windows and
the front part of the store present
the appearance of the ordinary phar-
macy. The windows are filled with
drug advertisements and the shelves
bear the same rows of bottles that
are found in other drug stores. U.s.
ually most of these bottles are dunn
mics filled with chalk or flour or
Coored water
Toward the back of the room there |
is prescription case that shuts on |
the view of the rear part OF the
store. The patron goes behind TINS
prescription case without challenge |
and finds himself in typical bar
room, with mirrors and bottles and !
polished bar and white-aproned at
tendant.
A popular custom is to have a
drug store next door to hotel, so |
that the patrons of the hosiery may
have liquid refreshments without
danger to the hotel man. one OF !
these, the best known hotel in Kan
sas, has a drug store next door
known as the annex. A corrldoI
from the main lobby of the hotel
leads through an open door into the |
annex, where the thirsty guest can
get liquids in abundance ana va
rety.
About a year ago the state Doaru
OF pharmacy started CRUSADE
against some of the drug stores III
Topeka for selling medicines without
having a registered pharmacist en-
ployed. The druggists made nOVel
but effective defense-they dlun
sell any medicine, therefore they
were not breaking the law agalnSS
selling drugs without a reglsteregg
pharmacist. An investigation proved
that this defense, at the time d.
least, was based upon literal run,
The state board hired men 10 ~
to the suspected stores and maxi ae
purchases of drugs. At three stores
the men were unable to buy anythins
IN the line of drugs.