The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1907-08-12

matter ihrbhehout the civilized vorldH
tnego H general Awakening 10 ihe
criminal nafgrc OF the traffic 81 ln
toxi,allag hQuofs as o beverage. That
the liconscd American saloon with rs
train OF evils Is the open headed sore
of our Sghrlsialu civilization. is now
almost universally recognized
m considering tiis great subject
Wa must admit that tacfe is no hope
of sscccssfat STATUTORY prohibition
until ths M e and ultiunal govern
mentr shall No b. not 5s o business
a bad husih, ,-Ahni as q crime.
ID is moro cruel than death more
dcstruciige than war Thequestion Of
prohibition To be voted anon in Sep
tombcr does not take laio account the
right 10 drink liquor but the right
% sell intONicants as beverage
Personal liberty is not licensed 90 do
wrong or 20 ongagt in a business tha,
rs a crime. but liberty 20 do right
rhe dceal0gue. a pfDhibitory code and
an Unfaliible guide SAYS. in regard %
tAe evil. Thol shalt n0tN IN han
mony with this the government has
q settled. well directed policy against
an kinds of evil except the liquor
traffic
This policy OF the government IS
as old SIS Sinai No good thing can
be said about the saloon IL was
stated Ia The secular papers some
mouths ago that aboH hlty persons
within two years had been murdered
as the fruit ct the notorious Corners
saloon near the Seminole aalion.
The last victim was a gin thirteen
years OF age The murderer was lead
to iail by mis- own father
The voters Of this new state shall
decide oh September l7ih whether
tais state 0f things SHAH continue
uader state license and sanction. or
whether state wide prohibition shall
prevail There Is no middla ground
between right and wrong. To be neue
tlal Is to be criminal
But It IS said that prohibition does
not prohibit and that the revenue
from the saloon license is necessary
to ahe success Of a town OF city
Kansas is frequently referred TO
as proof OF the failure of prohibit
bitiOn J call attention TO some Items
from Governor Hoch's message to the
Kansas state legislature as evidence
In the case.
"The devil never invented a bigger
lie tnan That revenue from illegii-
mate sources Is necessary to the
financial success of amy towa or city
Such contention Is an insult to 10
any community ia Kansas. Where
this theory finds Endorsement by local
Authorities, doodle and graft and ex.
trayasance follow naturally and iuew.
! tably Many leca illustrations uf
the faliacy that revenue from this
! traffic is necessary codld be given.
I but ! viii cite only 2 few
Mayor David n Shields of Sllina.
says "Whel took office one year
/ ago this spring. (lg06) business men
of Salina said that business would
! be ruined and the city bankrupted
hut. according to the city treasurer
report for March, 1906, there Was IN
the general fund OF the city at that
time $3,41G9O The same report for
this month. 1906. shows $7.76949. aa
increase Of over si.0c0 and this In
spite Of the fact that The city tool
in over $4,000 from the joints the
year before aad less than 81 900 this
year IN legitimate fines The merch
ants claim that this has been the best
year ia the history Of Salina. More
goods have been sold and moro busi
ness done than in any other twelve
months Of the citys experience"
a great many business men al
Kansas City Kansas. cherished th,
same delusion that was cherished hl
the basiness men OF Snlina. but th,
POO joints IN the city have beer
enectually cloaed aud yet Il Is tile al
most universal testimony that IN,
city was never more prosperous
THE prohibition law has never ha,
fair chance III Kansas 4 has bat
lied against che zoe intrenched in th
appetites OF an extensive c0asntu
cncy, fortified by legal sanction
throughout many centuries of th
worlds history and made powerful
) boy the enormous wealth OF eesrmou
prohts
Every state Surrounding ns ha
been opposed 90 oar policy aud hav
constituted ln every way 10 its fai
? ure Il has been like farmer strl
J ing 10 keep his farm clean OF noxi0u
( weeds while his neighb0r farmer
permitted their farms go become fol
= and SOW his iann tAick With aeea
with every waiting Sind hat blel
1 his way from their premises On
] success under these adverse cond
g tions have been remarkable. The al
3 aard contention tAat more hQlor
S being sold ia prohibition Kaagas the
S Ia license states shoul4 deceive %
& one II IS made chiefly by those VIII
e would be entirely content With pr
. hihitim policy II their statement
were true. hnt official figures abunl
D. antly reflue the ridiculous statemen
Uncle sam Is 70 pretty good hoO
% Keeper and pretty good collecto
e Compare prohibition Kansas with 9l
y neighhOr. license Nebraska. for ID
. stance Nebraska has about one-thii
2 less population than has Kansas bl
Uncle Sam has collected about - .00s
;. coo a year less tax from thte peop
d OF Nebraska while he has ben ab
= 10 get ab01t 100000 from Kansa
. The am1unt of fcrmeuted liquor So
in Kaasas Is from 5000 TO 10000 bz
! rala a YEAR in Nebraska from 200fi
+. % 100000 barrels. and Ina Nilsson
% from 100000 40 aVOO0 barrels
Whenever or wherever ule laws a|