Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1912-10-22
TRUTH ABOUT KANSAS
ATTORNEY GENERAL eTATEe
FACTS ADouT PRoHisi-
TON THERE.
Enormous Prosperity Following the
Destruction Of the saloons In
the SunfioWer State.
Thy John s. Dawson. Attorney Gen
eral of Kansas.1

eral of Kansas.
But what Is the net result OF thirty
years Of prohibition? That 10 the test
Of it's value. How has the state and
its people thrived during the main
tenance of this system? Let US see.
According to federal statistics drink
Ing and drunkenness has shrunk 1000
per cent In Kansas as compared with
Missouri.
In thirty years Kansas has forged
ahead from an insignificant place In
national affairs to one of front rank.
Our frontier villages have grown into
splendid cities. with clean paved
streets, cement walks. modern homes.
with municipal light and water plants.
Every town has its high school. Al
most q third OF the entire population
is enrolled in public or private schools.
We have$1S. 10000 worth Of school
buildings and public endowment funds
of SIC. 100000 more. / know about
this because 1t Ia part OF my public
duties to keep these funds invested.
The growth and extent of the private
and UNCONVENTIONAL schools ID cores
pondingly large. With over seven
hundred newspapers and magazines In
Kansas. less than q dozen carry any
whiskey advertising Whatsoever. IL
literacy has been reduced from ~
per cent to less than per cent and
that trifiing amount 10 almost entirely
among the foreign element in our min
ing regions Of the southeast.
With one hundred and Eve counties
in the state eighty-seven Of them have
no insane. fifty-four have no feeble
minded. ninety-six have no inebriates
and the few we do have come from
the cities which defied the law to the
very last. Thirty-eight county poor
farms have no inmates. Only one
pauper to every three thousand popu-
lation. In July. 1911. nfty-three coun-
ty jails were empty; sixty-five coun-
ties had no prisoners serving SEN
tence. Some counties have not called
a jury to try criminal case In ten
years. and grand jury is SO uncom-
mon that half Of our people wouldn't
know what 1t is. In my home county
in western Kansas, there has never
been but one grand jury in its its his
tory and that was twenty-five years
ago.
In 1880 the bank savings deposits
were 330,00O,000. To-day they are
5000. 100000.
In 1880 when prohibition was
adopted and prior thereto Kansas was
an exceedingly poor state. During
some of those years collections were
taken up In the east to keep some of
the people from starving. We have
had prohibition for thirty years. and
during that thirty years, 1t has become
tho richest state In the union per
capita. In this state the assessed
valuation Of property for taxation is
suficient to give every man. woman
and child in the state 31.700. The
average wealth in the nation Is only
$1,000, and In Missouri, q valuation
is less than $500 per capita. as against
thirty years Of prohibition had some
thing to DO with this!
Agsin prior to 1880 the death rate
In Michigan and Wisconsin, Iowa and
Kansas was practically the same. viz
seventeen to the thousand. After
thirty years of prohibition in Kansas
our death rate was dropped to seven
and ons-half while that of the other
states has slightly increased. IL II not
fair to say that thirty years OF prohibit
ton had something to do with this?
The statistics at Washington show
the consumption OF intoxicating liquors
in Kansas to be s1.4s Ter capita. in
Missouri $4,000.
Prohibition has taken politics out of
the saloons, and has driven the saloon
out OF politics. 1t has made our poor
houses a liability instead OF an asset.
1t has abolished illiterscy. 1t has
made US the wealthiest state per
capita. II has demonsti tied that the
saloon is not a business. 1t has
demonstrated that while the saloon
at night time with its bright lights,
its nude and lewd pictures, with its
men going in aud out nay look like
business when the inventory is taken
at the end OF the year, it is not a
business. II is q gold b.ick. Prohibi.
ton has demonstrated that revenue
from crime and license Is a bad bust.
ness proposition.
Such are some OF me results of thir.
ty years of prohibition. That progress
and our uneQusllsd prosperity have
been wrought largely by prohibition
Ao man can deny. It lie apparent and
self-evidsnt. 1t cannot be duplicated
elsewhere where liq1cg selling Is per.
mitted. Prohibition has developed
side by side with our farms, our
shops. our banks, our factories, our
packing houses, our mines and mills
and warehouses and railroads. 1t is
rooted down to bedrock with our
homes. our schools and colleges and
churches and institutions of charity
and correction.
These are In a deficient and partial
degree some Of the results Of what
prohibition has done for Kansas. And
to those who think prohibition is q
bad thing, you must admit that pro.
hibition had not prevented the mar.
yelous development, this universal and
uniform prosperity. this prevalent.
widespread and largest measure of
happiness enjoyed by any like number
of people the wide world round. Pro-
hibition has not prevented Or hindered
anything under the sun which can In
any way contribute to the sum total
of human happiness.