The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1912-08-16

the presence Of the state government ma
! always rendered the exaction OF license
fines impossible the rate OF taxation ha.
always been less than in Leayenworth
which took heavy monthly toll from
the liquor traffic for twenty years. SO
too, in Hiawatha, Lindsborg, Newton
and other Kansas towns which have en-
forced the law, taxation has been inva
riaby lower than in Pittsburg, Wichita
aud Coifcyville, which had to be cuige,ed
BY the supreme court into conformity
with the law and to abandon the license
lining system. The town of Newton is
4 railroad center, with 5000 inhabitants
and Santa Fe monthly pay roll of $751;
900, and only one policeman. And he
has nothing to do! Can any high license
town in America make more satisfac-
tory showing in the mere matter of re-
cepts and expenditures from IA license
system? How many policemen and Jail
ors and jailbirds and court costs would
Newton have to support with eight or
ten saloons, to say nothing of the effect
upon the men who would patronize themf
Kansas City and How It's Business
Men Were Convinced That Pro-
hibition Helps Business.
While | have always personally be-
lieved in total abstinence and in the
prohibitory law, never felt very strong
ly about it, nor absolutely sure that
there was not some merit to the other
side of this question, until Attorney Gen
eral Coleman started to abolish the Ii
cense-fining system in Kansas City. You
will understand that there are two cities
there-one on each side of the state line
between Kansas and Missouri. And there
is considerable rivalry between the two
municipalities which comprise that great
metropolis.
In the Missouri town the liquor bust.
ness has the sanction of law; in the Kan
sas town it had, until 1906, the sanction
of the county and city governments and
the liberation of the state government,
High license was in vogue in both towns,
in the Missouri town by law, in the Kan
sas town by the system of monthly fines.
In 1906 there were in Kansas City, Kan
sas, two hundred and fifty open saloons
when the law enforcement campaign
began.
Kansas City Business Men Pro
tested Against Enforcement of
Law.
Within a few days, a large dele
CATION of Kansas City politicians came
to Topeka to persuade the attorney gen.
eral to drop that project, because the
city could not live without the saloon
revenue. 1t was urged that the closing
of the saloons was driving all sorts OF
business over to Kansas City, Missouri;
that store buildings, vacated by the sa-
looms, were standing empty, and that
his policy was running and would inevi-
tably ruin the town. Politically it would
bring defeat and disaster to the party in
November; and you must consider that
Kansas City and Wyandotte county bear
SOllcWHdJ lue Sdue lcldtaOu W hdHsds
politics which Chicago and Cook county
do to Illinois. And there in the attor-
ney generals office were the most power
full and determined politicians in Kan
sas City-bankers, lawyers, real estate
dealers, merchants, manufacturers and
Others. Their portrayal of the impend-
ing ruin of their town made strong inn
preston on me. | wondered if we ought
not to have exceptions to our statewide
prohibitory law, and permit local condi
tions to control. Attorney General Cole
man listened patiently to what they had
to say, expressed his sympathy with
their predicament, but firmly informed
them that there could be no retreat
the law would be enforced. An angrier
bunch of politicians and business men
you never saw. One year later, my fei
low assistant in the office, Mr. Jackson,
succeeded Mr.. Coleman, and as the wish
is the father to the thought, the sympa'
thizers with the liquor traffic circulated
the idea that the new attorney general
would not continue Mr. Coleman's Wig
orous policy Of law enforcement in Kan
sas City.
After Twelve Months of Law En-