The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-31

thing, must admit that prohibition has
not prevented this marvellous develop
ment, this universal and uniform pros
perfty, this prevalent, widespread and
largest measure of happiness enjoyed
by any like number of people the wide
world round. Prohibition has not pre-
vented or hindered anything under the
sun which can in any way contribute TO
the sum total of human happiness;
Il desire to say something ABOUT
prohibition as compared with high IL
cense. There is no relative value. High
license is not a means of abonshlns
the evils Of intoxicating liquor the
only solution of the liquor problem is
it's total suppression. High Incense IS
first of all a confession that the liquor
business is 4 bad business. 1t is
bad business, and a tax upon bao
business, a cruel. vicious and wicked
business, means that the state says 10
the rumseller, You are corrupting the
morals of my people, you are under
mining the manhood of my young men,
you are robbing the cheeks of my
young women of their bloom, you are
poisoning the blood of my babes, you
are wrecking my home, filling my Jalls.
You are at tire back of all the villain
les of the age, and are turning my peo-
pie into drunkards, lunatics and sui
cides, and you make a very large
amount of money out of this infamous
business and I shall require You to
siderable portion of this dirty money
which you are making in this villain
our fashion High license! The money
of blood and tears, Such money is
accursed. 1t does the state no good.
Taxation is necessary for the sup
port of government. Our ideas of
equity acquiesce readily in the doc |
trine that Iuxuries should bear a heav- |
Ter rate of taxation than necessities. |
But intoxicating liquor is neither a |
luxury nor a necessity. 1t is a vice |
and the fountain of vice, and we have |
as a source of revenue. Luxuries are |
to be taxed and vice should be sup |
pressed. 1t can be shown from a |
myriad of proofs that the license sys- |
tenn is not revenue producer. 1t is
not even what it pretends to be. In |
cities where the prohibitory law has |
been enforced and the revenue of Ii
censes or license fines shut off, the in
cidents of the liquor business, court
costs. pauperS, dependent and neglect
ed children, and kindred public ex-
penses shrink also, so that the loss OF
the license revenue does not affect the
ordinary taxpayer. In our capital city
of Topeka where the presence of the
state government has always rendered
the exaction of license fines impossible
the rate of taxation has always been
less than in Leavenworth, which took
a heavy monthly toll from the liquor
traffic for 20 years.
Must Have Men Behind.
at is often said that prohibition does
not prohibit. And that is true. Neither
does a gun shoot, nor a ship SAIL nor
4 piano make music of its own accord
II takes a man behind the gun to make
it shoot, a sailor to sail the ship and
an artist to play the piano. So too with
he prohibitory law. 1t will sleep away
he years within the musty tones of a
aw book and never prohibit anything, |
lnless there is a prosecuting attorney
who will dust off that law book and
70 to doing business. This is an es-
ablished fact and has been demon |
,trated in Kansas many times.
81 desire to call your attention to |
another matter-the saloon is always
IN the wrong side of every public ques-
ion. What value is it in the scheme
IF civilized society? What human need
loes it alleviate? Does it add thrift
@ any farm, skill in any mechanic, |
1rilliancy to any brain, nobility to any
character? None, absolutely none. |
Bankers help to reform banking laws
md to prosecute embezzlers. Lawyers
administration of justice. Doctors
AVE been foremost in legislation
Lgainst medical malpractice.
mo, friends, the licensed saloon, |
Ugh or low, is never an a1Q IN any ,
contest between right and wrong. 1t
leither can nor will help to abolish
he liquor traffic or any of the evils
which flow from that traffic. 1t is a |
,ad business and somebody has said | .
The proper place to curtail a bad
business is just back of its ears
kansas stands as a living proof of
he benefits of prohibition. Nor does :
he stand alone. Several other states ,
re following the path which Kansas | {
las blazed. The mills of the gods 8
;rind slow, but they grind exceedingly