The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-12-26
LIQUOR INTERESTS
LOSING GROUND
IN KANSAS

TOPEKA, Kan, December H.
Wholesale liquor houses and breweries
of other states have abandoned tenn
porarily their fight for open saloons !.
and joints in Kansas and are quietly !
removing all their bar fixtures and
saloon paraphernalia from the state.
For nearly three years now they |
have Leen in a running fight with the
state administration and have lost
ground steadily. The recent state elec- F,
ton was the final blow that paralyzed 1,
them. They linked their fortunes with
the Democratic party and lost. The
new Republican governor has served
notice that he will continue the war
fare until every saloon and joint is
driven from the state or into the Mis-
souri, river" as he puts it.
For many years the prohibitory law
was dead letter in about twenty-five
counties of the state. Many of the
large towns had just as fine saloons as
Chicago and they were run just as
openly. So brazen became their work
that the conscience of the people was
aroused and Gov. Hoch and Attorney
General Jackson began to clean up
the state.
The state adopted the injunction
method of fighting and later supple
mented it with the paddock system. To-
day there are perhaps 500 buildings in
Kansas padlocked and the sheriffs have
the keys. Whenever the owner of a
buildings gives bond that he will not
rent his place for saloon purposes and
1 pay the costs of the paddock proceed
ing the sheriff turns back his building.
One year ago there was a saloon
frontage of us feet on the principal
strict of Wichita Today that 'front.'
age is occupied by firms engaged in
legitimate business and the owners are
receiving more rent than they did from
the saloon men. Wichita is now dry
town and glad of it. Kansas City, Kas.,
is still perhaps the largest town on
earth without a saloon. Atchison is
dry for the first time in a generation.
The wholesale houses dealing in
liquor and beer at Wichita, Atchison,
Topeka, and Leavenworth have all
sought refuge in adjoining states.
However, the only two breweries in
the state are still doing business. The
Atchison brewery claims to be manu-
featuring beer for medicinal and scien-
tific purposes only, while the Leaven-
worth brewery claims to be manufac-
turing per cent. The attorney gen.
eral is keeping close tab on them.
Governor Elect Stubs intimates that
he will drive the two breweries out OF
business entirely during his term. 1t
will take some additional law to do
that, though.
When the law enforcement crusade
began the fixtures in the Kansas sal
oons were nearly all owned by the out
side wholesale whisky houses or brew
cries. They would fit up a saloon
! most anywhere for man, with a con-
tract that he should buy all his stuff
of them. Then when the man was
arrested for violating the law, if he
ever was, the wholesale dealers would
go into court and replevin the bar fix
lures and stock of liquors on the
ground that it belonged to them and
not to the defendant
But the attorney general changed his
tactics and began to confiscate their
property. Then when the election went
wrong and they found that they were
up against losing fight for the next
two years at least they threw up the
sponge and are now removing from the
state the last vestige of their saloon
property.