Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-02-16
HOW KANSAS Is ENFORCING
PROHIBITION

The claim is frequently made that
in no state where prohibition has been
tried has it been found possible 10
successfully enforce the law. Maine
and Kansas, the two states that are
regarded as leaders in the line OF
prohibition, are frequently held up Is
illustrations of the fact that such leg
islatiOn is largely a a dead letter.
While this was doubtless the case in
Kansas for a number of years cOndi-
tons in that state with regard to the
enforcement of the law seem to have
vastly improved if the statements Of 4
Kansas business man to the Savan-
nah Morning News are accurate. His
interview is exceedingly interesting
just now, inasmuch as in a few
months Georgia's legislature may be
again graphing with the question of
how to bring about obedience to the
law in this state.
We reproduce the interview as con-
tanning information of general inter
est:
Kansas was one of the first states
to take advantage of the allowance
made by Congress several years ago
to give financial aid to state agricu'-
tural colleges" said Mr.. Hessin. The
influence of this institution is state
wide. and the result is that the old
school farmer has become almost a
curiosity in Kansas. Kansas being
naturally an agricultural state the
farmers were quick to adopt the i'm
proved, scientific methods of breeding
grain and cultivating the crops, and
wonderful results have been attained
along this line"
Mr. Hastings was asked about pro-
hibition conditions in Kansas, that be-
ing one of the original states to put
the ban on liquor. There the sale of
Intoxicating beverages was outlawed
by a constitutional amendment, sup
ported by an act of the Legislature.
At first it was only a misdemean0r
with a fine of 500 or a prison sem
tence for violators. The liquor dealers
continued to sell and when they were
caught they paid the fine and coa-
tinued the traffic.
Violations became so frequent the
judges dropped the fines and let the
violators go to Jail when they were
convicted. This had a tendency to
make it harder to get convictions as
many of the jurors who wanted their
toddy would buy it and this made
them feel particeps criminis in a meas
ure, so they were reluctant to convict.
Then, Mr.. Hessin says, a law was
enacted which permitted the jury ven
ire to be purged of those who believed
the prison punishment was too Sc
we're. In this way the panel from
which the jurors were selected were
practically prohibitionists and eXCenc
in few instances convictions would
result. But some of the jurors would
manage to get on the jury even though
they were opposed to Furnishing the
rum sellers by imprisonment, and mis-
trials were very common.
So as a still further deterrent an
other law was enacted permitting
judges to handle the cases by iDjunc-
ton and punish thos who violated the
injunctions by sending them to jail
for contempt of court. Ways of
evading even this process were de-
vised and the result was a law making
the sale of liquor in Kansas a peniten-
tiary Alfonso. More than one convic-
ton has been secured, Mr.. Hessin
says, and the effect has been to en-
tirely free the state from the sale OF
the stuff. Not even in a drug store n
all of Kansas an apint of whisky be
bought, he declares.