Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1909-03-25

newspaper press concerning the sue
cess of prohibition in Kansas City,
Kan. But there was statement
recently in the correspondence of the
Chicago Record-Herald by William f.
Curtis, which brings the matter up to
date, thus confirming all previous
statements.
New York, January 2S.-When |
asked a Senator from Kansas, the
other day, whether the enforcement
of the prohibition law in the state
had been injurious to business and
whether II had retarded the develop
ment of the state, as has been fire.
quently represented he referred me
to C. w. Trickett, the assistant states
attorney. Kansas City, Kas.. has an
extensive grain and -four trade, eigh-
teen elevators, large smelling and re-
fining works, Rock Island railway
shops, and several other important
industries. The population is about
100000. For many years the city
government was elected by the liquor
element, which controlled the voting
population, and were able to poll
1000 majority for a mayor whose
campaign platform was:
Damn the constitution and the
laws of the state of Kansas. The
saloons shall run"
Mr.. Irickett, having been appoint
ed assistant states attorney, was in
structed by Governor Hoch to close
up the saloons and enforce the prohi-
bition law in Kansas City, and be did
1t. When | asked him to tell me
how it was done. Mr.. Trickett said:
''On June Is, 1906, there were 256
saloons in Wyandotte county, Kan
sas, of which Kansas City is the seat;
there were 200 gambling houses and
more than sixty houses of evil rapute
On July 3, following there was not a
saloon nor gambling house nor a
disorderly house in the county, and
there has been none sine. Today
Kansas City, Kas., is the largest city
in the world without a saloon, a
gambling den or bawdy house.
recall that when the fight started in
our county, delegation after delega-
ton of business men protested and
said that If we closed the saloons it
would stop our growth destroy the
business of the merchants, etc., etc
One day delegation composed of
two bankers and three merchants
came to my Office and spent an entire
morning presenting these arguments
and begging me not to enforce the
law. | told them that / had taken
an oath Of Office to enforce it and
intended to do so even if it made
a desert of Wyandotte county and
turned our fiourishing city back into
field and forest.
The mayor, who declared that the
saloons should run, was turned out
OF office and fined 81 900.
What has been the effect on bus
iness?" | asked.
Have you heard of Kansas City,
Kan, being wiped off the map" re-
piled Mr.. Trickett.
Il can show you a letter from the
president Of the largest bank in our
city, who was a member of the COM
mittee that came to protest in which
he says that within one year after
the whisky joints and gambling dens
were closed his deposits increased
81, 100000. He says in his letter:
We think we have the accounts OF
more than 80 per cent of the business
men in this city and have talked with
a large numer of them about the
effects of the closing of the saloons
! on their business With a few ex-
ceptions they have stated that they
are pleased with the results
Il can show you a letter from the
| president of the Home City Bank,
saying that its business has increased
| 46 per cent as a result of the en-
forcement of the prohibition law. He
says that when people are not per-
mitted to spend money for bad pur-
pose they will invest it for a good
purpose.
"One of our business men who was
asked his opinion, wrote to a friend,
saying: i have been in business in
Kansas City, Kan, for seventeen
years, and there are more houses,
and good houses being built; more
people are buying homes, and good
homes, and seeking investments than
in any year since have lived here.
"Ofiicial records show that during
the year alter the closing of the
saloons, from July 1, 1906, to July 1 /,
1907, Kansas City, Kan. showed an
increase of 209.7 per cent In building
operations-the largest of any city
in the union. The next largest gain
was n per cent.
THE effect upon crime and disor-
der has been similar. The closing
OF the saloons has reduced our court
expenses $4,000 year, which was
formerly spent in the prosecution of
criminals. During the time the sa-
looms were open there was never a
term of court that did not require
from six to eight weeks to try GRIM
inals. Since then no term has been
more than three weeks, and one term
We did not have single criminal for
trial. / have a letter from the po-
lice Judge of our own city showing
that day after day goes by without a
single arrest.
81 have here letter from the COM
missioner of the poor farm, stating
that there has been a wonderful re-
duction In the sending of old people
over the hill to the poorhouse Their
sons and daughters are taking care
of them instead of making them OBJ
jects OF charity.
Every saloon was closed on July
3. 1906. Less than three months
after that our schools opened. In
former years we had to employ from
six TO eight additional teachers by
reason of the increase in population