Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-07-05
CARRIE SALOON SMASHER
Militant Temperance Advocate Fig
ured in Lively Episodes.

Militant Temperance Advocate Fig
ured in Lively Episodes.
Mrs. Carrie Nation. the saloon smash
er of Kansas, who died recently, re-
garded herself as a woman with a mis-
sion. She declared that hers was the
right hand of God and that she had
been commissioned to destroy the rum
traffic in the United States. The en-
blem OF her mission was a Ratchet,
and her campaign against the saloon
was country wide. She suffered i'm
prisonment, abuse, ridicule, was even
called insane and at the end of nine
years retired with money enough to
enable her TO buy a farm in Arkansas.
A good deal of her money was derived
from the sale of souvenir hatchets.
Whatever view one may hold of Car.
rie Nation and her methods, ii is not
without interest TO note that since she
appeared on the scene as a saloon
smasher a prohibition wave has swept
through southern and western states
and the anti-sa loon element has gained
the support of thousands of voters,
with the result that scores of new ex
else laws have appeared on the statute
books. 1t is possible that Carrie Ma
ton did not little to focus public at
tention upon the evils and abuses OF
the liquor traffic.
Outside Of her Own circle few people
had ever heard OF Carrie Nation, who
lived in Medicine Lodge, Kan, until
June 6, 1900. On that day she went
into her back yard and picked up half
a dozen bricks. These she wrapped
separately IN old newspapers and, add
ing four heavy bottles to the collec-
ton, set out in her buggy for Kiowa,
where she smashed three saloons with
her ammunition. She would have
smashed others had not proprietors
locked the front doors. Then Mrs. Ma
ton stood up in her buggy and in
formed the crowd that the law had
been violated and somebody ought to
be ACKNOWLEDGMENT or the authority
which permitted saloons to run in vio-
lation of the law. After this chal-
lenge she drove back to Medicine
Lodge. Next morning. when the news
was scattered abroad. the country
realized that a new reformer was at
hand.
Since that day Mrs Nation had been
in jail at Wichita three times, at To
peka seven times, at Kansas City once,
at Coney Island once. at Los Angeles
once, at San Francisco once, at Scran-
ton twice. at Pittsburg three times, at
Philadelphia once, at Bsyonne, n. J.,
once and at Cape Breton once, making
. nfoI Of cha ha
paid penalty for taking the law into
her own hands. She understood the
art OF publicity, and whenever she
started on a smashing tour her man
ager-she always had one-took care to
notify the newspapers.
In 1903 she created q disturbance at
the White House in an effort to reach
President Roosevelt and was elected
by two policemen. AS she was being
escorted from the building she shout
ed at the top OF her voice: II am go
ing to pray for q. prohibition president,
and we VIII have one-one who Will
represent the people and not the dis
tillers and brewers. You may put me
out Of the building. but IL a brewer
or Ilouor dealer were here he would
have been admitted at oncer
Afterward she went to the capitol
and disturbed the decorum OF the sen
ate Finally she was arrested and
lined SIS. with an alternative OF thirty
days in Jail II she did not pay. She
promptly appealed for assistance and
easily procured the amount Of her fne
by selling hatchets.
Mrs. Nation toured Great Britain IN
1e0S and attracted a good deal Of at
tention TO her propaganda She visit
ed public houses in many cities, gaze
advice to barmaids AID magistrates,