The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1912-08-02
WHAT PROHIBITION HAS
DONE FOR KANSAS
And What 1t Will Do
for Tennessee

mn = ~ A9SSS
Some people are saying prohibition is
a failure in Tennessee, that it 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 a political
question, that it should be taken out of
politics, and so on, and on, and on!
If an ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure, thirty years OF experience
with prohibition in Kansas ought to be
worth dozen political campaigns and
OF liquor politicians.
Everybody knows that the liquor in
terests have been working since the en-
actment of the anti-liquor laws in 1909
to discredit prohibition in Tennessee.
On the basis of the lawlessness, which
they have produced, they are working
like beavers to elect legislature, which
they can rely on 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 a single reason, which the liquor
politicians are offering for the repeal OF
these laws, which will stand in the face
of facts. The address, which is published
in the following abridged form, was de-
livered 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 being
made for the repeal of these laws, which
is not completely met in the experience
of the Sunflower State. Let every foe
of the liquor traffic read this address
and re-read it. Let much of it be men,
orized, so that the arguments of the
enemy can be met on the spot The
Ant7Saloon 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 thu
privilege of bringing to this magnificent
assemblage the greetings of the Sunflow
Ell State.
| have been invited to address you
on the subject, what Has Prohibition
Done for Kansas?" With such humble
talents as I possess 1 will approach this
subject not as a temperance lecturer, but
as a student and as witness. Kansas
has been my home for quarter of CEN
tury; there 1 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. | 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 it's borders. have been
in the public service fourteen years, and
connected with the office of the Attorney
General for almost decade.
Cause of Prohibitory Amendment OF
Kansas.
He pTOulOlIOly dHiohuHOhV "iii'i ""A
passed by the legislature in 1879 was
really the work Of the liquor interests, I
The temperance forces of the House OF
Representatives had outlined strong pro-
gram of restrictive legislation and
checked it up to the senate, which was
dominated by the whiskey men. AS
back-fire to this drastic program, the sen
ate pigeon-holed the house bills, and in
lieu thereof passed and sent over to the
House Il resolution to submit a prohib
tory amendment to the state constitu
ton. In so doing the whiskey sympathiz
ers> thought to show their constituents
that they were the true friends of tenn
perance, and that the House members
were the obstruetionists to temperance
legislation. But the temperance leaders
of the House looked it over, and said
This is more than we asked for and bet
ter than we expected, and we will just
take what the whiskey senate has
checked up to U.S. And they passed the
bill. When the Senate learned that tho
House had also adopted the resolution
the liquor men resorted to every strategy
to procure the recall of it, but to nc
avail. And thus the prohibitory amend
ment was submitted to the voters in
1880; and you do not need to be told
what the people of Kansas did on cleo
tion day. They carried the amendment