The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1915-11-19
Perfect Kansas
By JAMES G.. KELLY

play up Kansas be the word in the professional
prohibition organization For publicity purposes Kansas
be pictured the garden spot of the word-so dazzling
indeed. deract attention from um-soaked Maine the
black sheep OF the prohibition family. \
No ia the Union has received so much free and nvau
able publicity Kansas since it dry forty years 1t
has been pointed the living proof of all prohibition
promises 1t must therefore have prosperity less intern.
crime poverty and insanity than any sister
In view OF these exavagant Claims the following extract from
recent adce by Edward Huntington Williams NJ d.. noted
writer upon medical subjects. is of great interest:
"A few months ago enthusiastically proclaimed,
prohibition in Kansas could beaccuaey blythe steady
decrease q insanity sod crime We closing poor
houses and ayiuInS thanks to prohibitoy law.
III Kansa show record for thrift So ity- and good
tolerant form liquor legislation all reasoning persons will be
forced to admit that this crm Legislation has earned the right
1t happens that the Census Bureau which has been
investigating these problems has Just issued its report
And almost simultaneously the annual reports OF the various
tor the nSane criminals and pauprs have become
his state with such eastern states as New York and Massachusetts
But obviously his comparisons be of much value should
have been made with states home and nearly like
his own. Nebraska for example, offers very close parallel
being adjoining of the type and having the same
apparent therefore that Kansas should be able to show cleaner
bill of health than Nebraska to make good her claim of ee
But in point of fact the shoe the other foot The
Census Report shows that Nebraska had almost three times
% lOOOOO inhabitants against TO- to be So that
we make the decrease in insanity index good legislation.
Nebraka license law appears to be greatly superior her
sister states prohibition.
"O but badly partisan will claim that
particular form of liquor legislation responsible for the
fluctuations in the numbers of all forms of insanity. Yet
there form of mental unsoundne known alcoholic
insanity that directly dependent upon the consumption of
liquor The number of of this form of insanity in any
community will give very accurate index the and
quality of liquor consumed. So that Kansas actually dry
her parSan claim, she should have of alcoholic
insanity whatever worst should make better showing
than her immediate neghbor
but her official reports show that in the of
insane alcoholics Nebraska has better record To be perfectly
explicit Kansas has cent alcoholic in her asyum
while Nebraska has trie over four. Moreover the number
of cases of this form of insanity has increased each
year for the last three years in Kansas the very when
the prohbory statute being reidy enforced haY
ever, accordn6 to prominent state official Meanwhile in
most of the adjoining with the exception of Oklahoma
(Which is also prohibition ael there pretty uniform
decline in the number of cases of alcoholic insanity.
THE average number OF of insanity 10 that
surround Kansas center 800 per 100000 inhabitants less
than in Kansas Or stated in another way these had
insane capita Kansas they would have 1890
more unatcs than they have. All which does
offer much basis for enthusiasm Kansas method of
le9iSlation.-Adv