The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-22
of Justice Will
Clean Up the Town.
Liquor Faucet of LeayenWOrth
Must Be Shut OF.
TOWN DISGRACE TO STATES
John BarleycOrn Revels Have
Made 1t Notorious.
Selling Drinks to Soldiers
Sealed Doom of Place.

Washington, June 22.-The days OF
Drydale, the Barbary coast of Kan
sas, are numbered.
The department of Justice today d.
rected the United States marshals of
Kansas and Missouri TO clean up the
town wherein for many years John
Barleycorn has been intrenched in de-
fiance of laws of the two states. The
action by the government is due to
disrespect for orders given saloon
keepers against selling liquor to SOL
diers.
Officials of the department of JUS
tice have directed federal agents to
make the town bone dry. Plans for
doing this, it was announced, will be
discussed at a conference of federal
officials, including the marshals of
Kansas and Missouri. and Leaven-
worth city officials next week.
Drydale Wet Paradise.
Drydale is a little town across the
Missouri river from Leavenworth. 1t
is connected with the Kansas town and
army post by a toll bridge Practi-
cally every one of it's business houses
are saloons. Because of its nearness
to prohibition territory the saloon
keepers have struggled to the last, de-
flying the Leavenworth officials and
government agents in order to perpet-
uate their existence.
The history of Drydale dates back
to early Kansas prohibition. When
tho state legislature voted the state
dry, a half dozen or more saloonkeep-
ers established liquor houses there,
and ii was in this way that the town
first existed. It's history has been as
stirring as any frontier town. When
it was young, 1awlessness ran ram
pant.
Such events simmered down event
ually to where Drydale simply served
as liquor faucet for thirsty Leaven-
Worth and its adjoining territory, in
Guiding the army post.
Drydale, on a Saturday night, al
ways presented a scene that was sell
dom equaled anywhere in the United
States. Laborers, Mexicans, italians,
business men and army officers min
gled together in revelry. Women were
also there. Their clothes were gaudy,
their laughter shrill.
Cosmopolitan Crowd.
Japanese and Filipinos also sprin-
killed. the crowds with their presence.
They came from the army post where
they were servants for the army Off
GERS Not in all the west could a more
cosmopolitan crowd be found.
Uncle Sam, however, in launching
his plans for the raising of the giant
army for European service changed
his way of doing things to the extent
that he began to look out for his SOL
OTueTS were CIV
en- the saloonkeepers forbidding them
to sell soldiers liquor. The orders
were ignored. Soldiers crossed the toll
bridge as before and came back stag
gering.
Then Leavenworth got busy. No
tice was served on the town that there
might be such a thing as its losing the
army post if Drydale was not aboI-
ished. The city ever since has been
fighting the town strenuously. Re-
Gently, the National Anti Saloon
league meeting in Topeka sent a petit
ton to congress asking the place be
wiped out of existence.
Drydale Friendless.
With the morals and physical well
! fare of American soldiers upon whom
nation is depending for existence at
stake, Drydale didn't have a friend
Everyone turned upon it, cursed it and
| declared it would have to go. Gov
! ernor Capper condemned its exist
| ence.
And so, in the order issued today
/ by the department of justice, there is
the written epitaph of Drydale, the
/ last frontier intrenchments of John
Barleycorn in his siege along the
northeastern border of prohibition
| Kansas