The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-05-28
What Prohibition Has Done i'm Kan.
SaS.
(From The Adult StudentO

General Of Kansas, delivered an ad-
dress at Chicago. April 1912, on
What Prohibition Has Done for
Kansas" The CONSTITUTIONAL amend
ment prohibiting the manufacture and
sale in the State. of intoxicating IL
auor except for medical. scientific and
technical purposes was adopted in
November. 1880. 1t has therefore,
been in operation long enough to
! afford reasonable test of the effects
of Statewide prohibition. Mr.. ,Daw-
son acknowledges that for quite
number OF years the law was open
ly defied in many of the larger towns
and cities 1t took long and bitter
fight for the people of Kansas to con-
vince the law defying liquor interests
that they were really in earnest about
banishing the infamous traffic from
their State. But they are convinced
at last and for some time the pro-
hibition laws of the State have been
as consistently enforced as those
against other common forms Of GRIM
inal conduct. In estimating the results
of prohibition, however, allowance
must be made for the delay OCCASION
led by this protracted battle against
anarchy, and yet, in spite of this.
these results, as summed up by the
Attorney General, are thoroughly
convincing. Here are a few OF the
more important Of them:
| /. llliteracy has been reduced from
4s per cent to less than 2 per cent
and this is confined almost entirely to
the foreign element in the southeast
portion of the State.
2. Eighty-seven OF the one hun
dred and five counties of the State
have no insane. fifty-four have no
feeble minded, and ninety-six have
no inebriates. There is only one
pauper in every three thousand popu-
lation. Thirty-eight poor farms have
no inmates. In July 1911, three
county jails were empty. and sixty
five counties had no prisoner serving
sentence; some counties have not call
ed jury TO try a criminal case in
ten years. and q grand jury is so un-
common that half the people would
not know what it is.
3. In 1880 the bank savings in
Kansas were $50, 900. 900; today they
are $2OO.O00.00O. The State is now
the richest per capita in the Union,
the average wealth being sl,7OO,
whereas the average for the nation
is only $1,000. Missouri, which ad-
joins Kansas and is rich in natural
resources, has an average of less than
$500. During the panic of 1907 Kan
sas sent $4,000. 600 to New York to
relieve the money market, while Mis-
souri, sent nothing
4. In 1880 the death rate in Mich
igan Wisconsin. Iowa and Kansas was
practically the same, seventeen to the
thousand. Since then the death rate
Of Kansas has gradually fallen till it
is now only seven and one-half. while
that Of the other States has slightly
increased.
S. The per capita cost of intoxi-
eating liquors in Missouri Is $24; in
Kansas is $1.4S.
6. 1t has demonstrated that the
saloon Is not u business, but parasite
on business.
Z. 1t has taken politics out Of the
saloons and the saloons out Of poll
tics. Every political party in Kan
sas now stands for prohibition, and
Keeping joints. dives, and brothels out
of cities Is as much the business
policy of the average city as keeping
the streets clean. water pure, and the
public parks attractive,
In answer to the question as TO the
relative value of prohibition and
high license as a means Of abolishing
the evils OF intoxicating liquors. Mr..
!
value. High license is not q means
of abOlishng the evils OF intoxicating
liquors. The only solution OF the Ii
quor problem ID its total suppression.
High license is first OF all a confession
that the liquor business is a bad busi-
ness. 1t is bad business, and a tax
upon "a bad business, a cruel, vicious
and wicked business. means that the
state says To the rum seller: You are
corrupting the morals of my people,
YOU are undermining the manhood
OF my young men. You are robbing
the cheeks OF my young women of
their bloom, you are poisoning the
'~'& q er-r." .,