Graham guardian., 1914-10-16
OVERRIDING KANSAS
c. D. Cohn Takes Exception
to Kansas CIergyman's
Article on Prohibition

issue of The GUARDIAN and signed
by Kansas clergyman is strangely
at variance with official records of
the State and United States census
reports, as well as with the published
statements of Mr. Rineheart, VINO s
running the prohibition campaign
in Arizona. Mr.. Rinehart has "e-
peatedIy stated that prohibition in
Kansas was only nominal until five
years ago, when the prohibition law
was amended in order to prevent
the selling of alcohol for medicinal
purposes. The Supreme Court of
that State decided last August that
nothing which can produce intoXi-
cation can be sold in the State and
placed under the ban, Jamaica ging-
er, vanilla and lemon extract, and
various other extracts, and medlcI-
nal remedies.
There are a number of obvious
misstatements in the article. The
most absurd was that declaring that
drunkenness had decreased 1000
per cent. If drunkenness had de-
creased 100 per cent, there would
be none. Any school child can verify
that by his beginners arithmetic.
Practically all of the statistics
presented in the article are false or
distorted. We will discuss them
briefly, Regarding the claim that
many Of the county jails are empty,
the report of the prison commits
sioners for 1912, shows that more
than $4,000 prisoners had passed
through the county jails in 1911.
Comparative figures as obtained
from the United States census re
ports of 1910, 1912 and 1918 show
that wet" Nebraska has less crime
of all classes than dry" Kansas,
particularly crime that is commonly
believed to be melted by liquor.
Census reports show also that in,
sanity has decreased in Nebraska
three times more than in Kansas.
According to these official records,
Arizona has a better record for in
sanity than Kansas. That State, &C.
cording to the last census had 172
insane per 100000 population in
State institutions, while Arizona had
1853. There is also less paupcrism
and juvenile delinquency in Arizona
than in Kansas and many other
wet" States have better record
than the chief dry" State. Ari-
zona also has a better divorce record
than Kansas. That there is little
pauperism IN Kansas is an old claim
of prohibitionists. This is explained
by the Kansas system OF farming
out their poor, allowing from $1,000
to $25. 90 for their care, thus keep
ing them out of public institutions,
and, incidentally, out of the public
records.
AS to the proposed prosperity of
Kansas, compare it with Arizona.
Our State has more savings bank
depositors in proportion to popu!a-
tion than has Kansas and the aver
age deposit of Arizona is $539 90,
the third highest in the country,
while that of Kansas is $4,000 two
hundred dollars less than the aver
age for the United States. Kansas
paid $46,0 90 in income taxes to the
government, the lowest paid by any
State in the Union. Does this look
like great prosperity? DR.. Locke
says that the per capita wealth of
Kansas is 100000, but the last re-
port of the United States comp.
troller of the currency gives Kansas
per capita wealth as 81, ,448 90, con-
siderabIy lower than wet" Ne
braska.
Prohibition in Kansas, apparently
has not been conducive to church
going as the United States census
reports give Arizona place above
Kansas for number of church MEM
bers in proportion to, population.
DR.. LOcke's statement with ref
erence to Colleges is interesting, in
asmuch as the Russell Sage Founda-
ton survey places Kansas twenty
fourth in public schools of the
United States. Arizona spends
much more per pupil for educa-
tional purposes than Kansas.
DR.. Locke's statement that the
saloon has been entirely driven from
Kansas is contradicted by the re.
cent article of William Allen White,
Kansas editor and prohibitionist,
who admits that they still flourish
in the five most thickly populated
counties of the State.
Admitting that every claim for
Kansas made by the prohbtionists
is true, it is still an uncontroverted
fact that it took the State thirty
three years to bring about that al
legged ideal condition. Is Arizona
ready to engage in thirty-year
war for such doubtful results?
c. D. COIN.
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