The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-18
SAYS IT'S A FAILURE.
Mayor Billiard Sticks to Statement
About Prohibition.

In answer to the charge made this
morning that Mayor Billiard was at
tempting to misrepresent the prohibit
ton situation in Kansas and to give
Topeka a black eye, in writing a letter
about the liquor question to New
Zealand, the mayor said this after
noon that he thought too much of To-
peka and Kansas to make injurious
charges
II am not trying to give Topeka and
Kansas black eye," said the mayor
Il am trying to give the prohibition
hypocrites in Kansas a black eye. Pro-
hibition in Kansas is a complete fail
ure-the worst kind of a failure. And
when I say that 80 per cent of the
people of Topeka drink / mean tin
Guiding medical purposes. 1 will say
that SO per cent of our citizens drink.
And the fact that they do drink does
not make them violators of the law.
Mayor Billiards. letter follows:
Topeka, Kan, July 1, 1911. Mr.. F.
J. Quinn. Dear Sir: Your favor re-
ceived a few days ago. Thank you for
congratulations and good wishes. Yes,
feel proud of having been twice elect
ed mayor of the capital city of Kansas,
which is the banner Republican
tProhibition'' and religious city OF
fight that was made against me- All
the temperance organizations, the min
isterial union, the churches, the
preachers, the Republicans, the politi-
clans, the governor and state admins
tration supported by the two influen-
tial daily papers of the city, were unit
ed against me and did everything that
could be done to defeat me; but they
failed. Yes, I am opposed to prohibit
ton and to all laws that deprive men
of their natural rights and liberty
Prohibition has been a farce in this
state for thirty-one years. The law
has been enforced as we'll as laws can
be enforced, and especially so during
the last ten years. The state and the
cities have lost many millions of reve-
nue. during that time and have spent
many more in trying to enforce the
laws. Many good citizens have been
prosecuted, arrested, fined, put in jail
with real criminals. They have been
degraded, their families disgraced.
Many more have left the state in dis
gust.
what good has all this done? Drunk
enness has not be stopped, has not
even decreased. Just as much and
probably more liquor is being drunk.
People will obtain the liquor in some
way. If they can not buy it legally
they get it from "bootleggers'' or ship
it in from other states; but they get it
some way and drink it. I believe that
fully 80 per cent of the men use liquor
and evade or induce some one to vio-
late the law to get it. The law is a
farce and a disgrace to any civilized
community. 1t creates a disregard for
law and for public officials, and thus
has a demoralizing influence in the
community. Worst of all. it makes
''grafters" of most public officers who
have anything to do with the enforce
ment of the law, all the way from po-
| licemen and deputy sheriffs to attorney
generals of the state. Nearly all coun-
ty attorneys and attorneys general go
out of office wealthy from the fees
they get from liquor cases even in a
regular way; but many make much
more by letting off easy those that
have money to put up, then give them
a chance to violate the law again and
| make them put up again, and so on.
Hope your people will not be SO foolish
as to adopt similar laws.
Yours very truly,
J. B. BILLIARD, Mayor.