Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1914-07-16
Kansas Ruined
By Prohibition.
From the American Issue.)

on holding up the State OF Kansas as
a horrible example of the ruin wro't
by prohibition. The temperance peo-
pie are perfectly willing to acc ept this
challenge. The conditions in Kan
sas according to the liquor tratfic's
own statement are produced largely
an account of the people having elm
mated all the distilleries, breweries
and boozeries.
The state of Kansas is one of the
richest in the Unionr There is more
than 5000, 100000 deposited in her
banks. Her crops annually bring in
more than S325,0O0, 600. There is
1856, 900, 600 worth of live stock own"
cd by the citizens and in the past
year in spite of the drought SIS, OOo,-
600 has been added to the taxable
personal property OF the state.
Instead of the state being plasterad
from end to end with mortgages own
ed he Eastern capitalists as had been
the case a few years ago the Kansas
people now own something like sixty
seven million dollars worth of these
securities. This is an increase of
more than 500 per cent in five years.
When the panic of 1907 had Wall
street thrown and hog-tied Kansas
FASTENED to her assistance. She for
warded to the New York banks $50
600, 900 to help Wall street out of
hole. This is the same Kansas that
used to be held up to dcrision by peo-
pie everywhere.
We agree with our friends, the liq-
nor traffic, that what has happened
to Kansas has been largely on ac-
count of Prohibition. This clause OF
her constitution explains many OF
these things: THE manufacture and
sale of Intoxicating liquor shall be
forever prohibited in this State. "
The people who settled in Kansas
were of the same stock as those who
settled in the neighboring states. The
neighboring states had every advan-
tage over Kansas but with a large
percentage of the population using
the major portion of their earnings
in buying mansions for brewers and
distillers, automobiles for wholesale
liquor dealers and diamond studs for
saloonkeepers and bartenders, not
much, therefore, of their earnings
were left to add to the material pros
perity Of their states.
For a quarter of a century the pro-
hibition provision of the Kansas con-
stitution was fought and evaded in
many localities. 1t is only within
the past five years that Prohibition
has been successfully enforced in all
parts of the state. And the same
prohibition now well enforced has
made it possible for Kansas to haunt
a 100000, 900 bank account in the
face of partial crop failure and one
of the severest droughts that ever
struck the state. The average annu-
al consumption OF intoxicating liquors
in Kansas is 81 AS per capita, The
neighboring state OF Missouri with
much of it's territory dry under local
Prohibition and the rest of it under
the iron rule whisky ring, the annual
consumption is $24.OO per capita.
Thus Kansas has S22. 50 more per
head to put into the material resources
of the state than has its neighbor
across the kaw. Not only does it
have this clear cash gain but it doubt
less saves at least that much more on
doctors, fines, jails, poorhouses and
insane asylums.
Not only is Kansas the richest state
per capita in the nation, but prohi-
bition has made living conditions SO
splendid there that the people are
practically refusing to die. Her
death rate is I per l 900 population
which is the lowest in the nation.
They are SO busy going to church and
Sunday School and riding over their
magnificent roads in automobiles,
falling in love and getting married
they do not have time to 60 to Jail
and positively refuse to 60 to the poor
house. There being no drunken hus-
bands raising ructions in the home,
wives and mothers have quit going
crazy as the following clearly proves:
Kansas has 1O5 counties-in 81 of
these there are no insane; in "a there
are no feeble minded; in 96 there are
no inebriates and in the nine remain
they are SO scarce as to constitute a
curiosity. Thirty eight county poor
houses are vacant and have been for