Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-19
KANSAS METHOD OUTLINED
Z. W. Trickett Tells How Prohibition
Was Accomplished.

=. W. Trickett assistant district at
torney of Kansas City, Kan, addressed a.
large meeting at the Church of Our
rather, 18th and L streets northwest last
night upon the improvement of conditions
IN Kansas City since the closing of saloons
IN That place. His address related solely
TO temperance, and he advanced the ar
gument that the existence of saloons Is
illegal and whoever conducts a saloon is
conducting a nuisance
he SAID when he went into office and
started his crusade on saloons he was
laughed at. His friends told him the en-
10 tei cement tt OF the law and the prohibition
vi the sale OF liquor were impossible ac-
c0rdlng TO all authorities. The entire pop-
u!ation was opposed to the enforcement
OF the law, and those who were lukeWarm
We're even afraid to say So Every ono
seemed to be with the saloonkeepers He
SAD there were go saloons, 400 gambling
houses and Joints then every one of
Wh!ch has been wiped out within the past
two years. f
In bringing this about, he explained. he
began by getting out writs of abatement
and selecting four saloons as test cases
oestroying the costly fixtures therein and
enJoinlng the saloonkeepers, in all of which
the courts upheld him. These various
methods, however, did not prove very ef-
fective, and then the contempt method
was was resorted TO- the civil arm of the law
being used only He stated that he did not
venture jury trials, knowing that most of
the jurymen would be friends to the liouor
people and would Illustrate his chances of
victory Barkeepers were arrested and
jailed. but even In the contempt method
the real success was not attained.
Then the overlooking of the Kansas river
furnished the means of success. 1t brought
United states marshals into the juris-
diction to protect a bridge from being
blown up by the citizens; and Mr. Trickett
argued that If the marshal could have
authority to enjoin the citizens from blow
he chnr 81
could have the Same authority to enforce
the laws and prevent the saloons from
operating. The sheriff of Wyandotte
county was given authority to act under
the instructions OF the district attorneys
office, which resulted in the passing of the
paddock decree which DEGREES that all
saloons shall be locked in front and in back
and any one seen conducting liquor busl-
ness on the premises shall be arrested.
Those who did not have padlocks were
placed under guard and were prevented
from selling liquor.
Business was up in arms over the clos
ing of saloons and the saloon men united
In their fight against u.s. he said. 1.-THE
business men declared that by closing the
saloons the city would be ruined; people
would move across the city to Kansas
City, Mo-, where there are twenty-six
saloons to a block.
"As a matter of fact" Mr.. Trickett said
closed. 1t was plainly shown that the citi-
zens did not move away. but stayed in
town, and they had more money to spend
and what they sauandered on rum is spent
in legitimate manner. and today every
business man in the city claims he is
doing more business than he ever did. The
collaterals that the saloonkeepers were
compelled to forfeit during this temperance
war swelled the revenues Of the county
treasury and paved the way to an
enormous school appropriation and other
municipal improvements"
The hight cost the city nothing he said
as every saloon man was convicted and
| thereby had to stand the cost Of the trial
Not only the business but the morals of
the community improved, said Mr.. Trickett.
Crime is almost unknown today in Kan
sas City, Kan. When the court Of appeals
| met last spring there was not a criminal
case in the docket for it to try, for the first
time in the history of the county.
This address was given under the
auspices of the w. c. T. U.