The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-01-19
PROHIBITION AN
IRRIDESCENT DREAM

Many of my good friends, and neigh
bors, who believe that compulsory pro-
hibition means total abstinence, are
now sitting up nights rejoicing over
the hope that we are at last going to
have real simon-pure, dyed-in-the-wool
prohibition here in Vinita. They say
that now every man, woman and child
in Vinita, shall--when the pipes thaw
out-drink nothing but water. They
appear to think that when we reach
this goal of perfect prohibition, we
will have found the real, genuine
Uetopia at last; we will then consti-
tute the truly blessed of this world;
and thouga we have not as yet seen
Paradise, We feel that when we put
our finger IN the map of the Indian
Territory part of Oklahoma we have
touched the next thing to Paradise.
But in sober earnest, is this true?
Does common, compulsory prohibition
work all these wonders? My own per-
sonal experience answers, mo"
have lived in county in Kansas,
where, after twenty years of hard la
Dor, we secured the absolute enforce
ment of the state prohibitory law. No
poor laborer or mechanic can buy one
glass of beer in that county now; in
fact, he has no money to buy it with.
The weather. people, Of course, still
buy it by the barrel, as they did in
the old boot-legger days. In these
twenty years the little county lost
2,400 in population (2,000 of these NOV
ed to Oklahoma, then license state)
and the county seat lost about 20 per
cent. The county seat town is forty
years old, and today it has far labor
employing manufactures, one corn
mill, which is run only on Saturdays S,
and is run by the miller's wife; the
mill owner having to work as a farm
hand, to earn living for his family
There is not enough work in the town
to support one laborer's family the en-
tire year.
All the ttme'our courts were prose-
cutting boot1eggers, our court officers
we're busy assuring the taxpayers that
the immense fines collected paid all
the expense of prosecuting the cases.
doubted this, so went to the county
records, and took as a sample, the hVe
years when we had very honest and
conservative county attorney (now
assistant attorney general of Kansas),
a man who would not grand stand, or
persecute poor, ignorant paupers, in
the name of the prohibition law; nor
would he enter case unless he felt
reasonably sure of securing a convic-
ton. / collected, and published, an
exact. itemized statement of what 1t
had cost that little county to prosecute
liquor cases in these five years. found
that the county had paid for court costs
and boarding liquor prisoners, $6,958
and had collected only $500 in fines;
less than ten per cent of the cost of
prosecuting.
SO now, when l read of the magniti-
cent fines, (they read like First Ma
tional Bank statement) assessed
against Craig county bootleggers, it
makes me feel good until | stop to
think about the vast difference there
is between the big fine. assessed, and
the littl amount collected from Craig
county bootleggers. Then when | be-
gin to rejoice over the good roads
work we are getting out of the bootleg
prisoners; the Bluejacket newspaper
comes out with an item stating that
the county is paying house rent there,
and for two hired guards, to work one
little prisoner.
In the old territory days the male
citizens were divided in three nearly
equal classes; one third bought liquor,
and another third sold it to them:
while the last third (the present bull
wark of the G. o. P in the Indian Ter
ritory) we're employed to arrest and
prosecute the liquor sellers. Then
Uncle Sam paid all expenses, made
money plenty, and we were all happy
Now the expenses are paid by the far
mers who raised no oats or wheat, and
but little corn last year. money is
scarce, and all are complaining OF
high taxes.
Before concluding | will give you an
example of real estate values in this
prohibition Kansas county, | spoke Of
In one town in the county situated on
a main line of the Santa Fe railroad
in a fine farming community, bought
for $40 a store building and lot on
the business street The building was
in good order; size 16 by S6 feet, with
14-foot ceiling; and IL foot paving in
front. It had been for sale tor nine
years, but ! was the first sucker tc
hite One wear later I sold it az cost