Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1912-09-05
WHAT PROHIBITIONH HAS
DONE FOR KANSAS
And What 1t Will Do
for tennessee

Some people are saying prohibition Is
failure in Tennessee, that il does not
prohibit, that it cannot be enforced in
the large cities, that it Is breeding law
lessness, that it is retarding the progress
OF the State, that it is not 4 political
question, that it should be taken out OF
politics, and 50 GU, and on, ana on.
II an ounce OF prevention Is worth i
pound OF cure, thirty years OF experience
with prohibition in Kansas ought to be
worth dozen political campaigns and
the arguments and theories Of an army
of liquor politicians.
Everybody knows that the liquor in
terests have been working since the ell
actment of the anti-liquor laws in 1909
to uI-crcdt prohibition in Tennessee
On the basis of the lawlessness, which
they have produced, they are working
Ike beavers to elect legislature, which
they can rely Oh to overthrow the will
of the people and repeal the anti-liquor
laws.
The Anti-Saloon League wants every
voter in Tennessee to know that there
is not single reason, which the liquor
politicians are Offering for the repeal OF
,.rsc ItNs. which will stand in the face
Of facts. The address, which is published
in the following abridged form, was de-
li,errd in April of this year in the
Auditorium Hotel, Chicago, by Hon. j.
S. Dawson, the Attorney General of
Kansas.
There is not an argument, now beng
made for the repeal OF these laws, winch
is not completely met in the experience
o. the Sunflower State. Let every foe
of the liquor traffic read this address
aud re-rcad it. Let much of it be mem
orized, 50 that the arguments OF the
enemy can be met on the spot. The
Anti-Saloon League will be glad to fur
nish this in pamphlet form to those
friends of Temperance who would like
to distribute it among their friends,
especially in those counties where the
legislative fights are hot:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
| am pleased and honored with the
privilege of bringing to this magnificent
assemblage the greetings of the Sunfiow'
er State.
l have been invited to address you
on the subject, What Has Prohibition
Done for Kansas" With such humble
talents as | possess l will approach this
subject not as a temperance lecturer, but
as student and as a witness. Kansas
has been my home for quarter of a cen
fury; there | grew from callow youth
to manhood. | have spent my time on
the farm, in the school room as student
and teacher, as lawyer, prosecuting attor-
ney and public servant. l have been in
every county in Kansas except two
there are one hundred and five counties
and | have been in most of them many
times. | know the state as well as any
man within its borders. | have been
in the public service fourteen years, and
with the office of the Attorney
General for almost a decade.
Cause of Prohibitory Amendment of
Kansas.
The prohibitory amendment which was
passed uT the legislature in 1879 was
really the work of the liquor interests. |
The Temperance forces of the House of |
had outlined strong pro
gram of restrictive legislation and
checked it up to the senate, which was
dominated by the whiskey men. As
Dack-fire to this drastic program, the SEN
lte pigeon-boled the house bills, and in
leu thereof passed and sent over to the
House resolution to submit a prOhib-
tory amendment to the state cOnsttu-
ion. In so doing the Whiskey sympathz-
,rs thought to show their constituents
hat they were the true friends of tenn
we're the obstructonists to temperance
cgislaton. But the temperance leaders
# the House looked it over, and said:
This is more than we asked for and bet
er than we expected, and we will just
axe what the whiskey senate has
hecked up to u.s." And they passed the
ill. When the Senate learned that the
House had also adopted the resolution,
he liquor men resorted to every strategy
0 procure the recall of it, but to no
vail. And thus the prohbitory amend
nent was submitted to the voters in
$50; and YOU do not need to be told
What the people of Kansas did on cleo
ion day. They carried the amendment
o victory with thousands of votes to
pare. That was in November, 1880, and
he legislature which met the following
anuary enacted laws in harmony with
he amendment and to prescribe punish
lcnt for its violation.
he Statewide Prohibition Law of
Kansas-How It Was Violated
in the Cities for Years.
The an rdment reads:
THE nufacture and sale of ntoxi-
,ting liql RS shall be forever prohibited
this state, except for medical, scientific
nd mechanical purposes"
The new law took effect May I, 1891.
office was served upon the saloons to
o, and not to stand upon the order of
Ieir going. There were about 1900 sa-
IONS in the state. Eight hundred OF
lese closed their doors never to reopen
lem. The others, located in about score
towns which were controlled by liquor
tmpathzers, remained to fight the new