The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-01
Temperance Workers Discover
an Awful Leak Today.
Allows Druggists to Ship in All
Alcohol They Want.
CITIES CAN'T GET At VIOLATORS
Municipalities Have No Power
to Punish BOOZers.
Attorney General VIII Make Eff
fort to Patch 1t.

There are at least two jokers in the
bone dry bill!
Temperance workers have found a
hole in the bill thru which they might
drive the Rumanian army. Today
they are confronted with horrible
nightmare of n return to the old days
of drug store joints and law violations
world without end. A system for vio-
iating the bone dry bill seems to have
been opened which threatens to cause
temperance workers all manners of
trouble.
Another real Joker" the second
one, in the bone dry bill has been
located by City Attorney George Hay
den. The bill to which a score or
more of lawyers pointed proudly as
invulnerable in every detail has a gap
ing joint in it's armor. For the law
makers have neglected to provide for
the passing of ordinances by cities af
the first, second and third classes to
enforce the law.
Under the bill which has passed the
senate and house and is now law.
wholesale druggists are permitted to
buy alcohol in any quantity. There is
absolutely no restriction under the
law. There is nothing in the new en-
actment which compels wholesale
druggists to sign receipts for their
shipments. Likewise there is no
method whereby a temperance work
er may determine the amount of al
cohol shipped into the state. The rail-
roads will not tell and no one can get
to the records of the wholesalers since
they seem to be entirely within the
law.
All of which unfolds a wonderful
system for law violations
The wholesale druggists sell to the
retailers The retailers sell to the con-
sumner. OF course the retail druggist
does not propose to take chances on
a Jail sentence by selling straight 100
! proof alcohol. Nor does the consumer
propose to take a chance by buying
such intoxicants. But the men who
study the loopholes in laws have found
wonderful system.
Compound Own Medicine
Here it is.
| There is nothing in the law which
prohibits the retail druggist COM
pounding his own medicines. Under
the label of 'Whoopela," or .sTummv-
( joy or equally fascinating and de-
ceptive names the retail druggist may
compound preparations which an
swer all the purposes and require
ments of first class drinks and sell
them over the counter. And what
will the bone dry bill do about it?
Seemingly there is great opportunity
ahead for the men behind the pre-
scription counter.
A gallon of 100 proof alcohol will
make several gallons of first class in
of men who know about such things
1 The wholesale druggists may ship the
alcohol into the state. They may
sell to the retailers. The retailers
may compound their own remedies
They may sell them. OF course. such
preparations will contain a very high
: per cent of alcohol. So do a number
| of preparations now on the shelves
of the family drug store. And maybe
! the remedy prepared in the home
drug store will meet the requirements
for colds. the grip, snake bites and
! other misfortunes more satisfactorily
than the medicines shipped into the
state by proprietary concerns.
| All of these things are now being
considered with alarm by the people
| interested in the prohibitory liquor
/ cause in this state. They gave the
matter some concern when the law
passed. A number If strong temper
ance workers were strongly and open
ly unfriendly to the bill at the time
| of its passage. They openly said so.
Thru Old Troubles, Says StahI.
IT doubt whether this law can be
forced now that it is enacted" said
Frank NJ. Stahl of Topeka, one of the
pioneers in the temperance cause in
Kansas and for years president of the
State Temperance union. ITO me II
seems that we must go all thru the
! troubles which confronted us years
ago
This provision against an indf-
ividual keeping liquor in his posses
sion for his personal use sounds all
right. But enforcing the law is some
thing else. i doubt very seriously II
the police arrested a prominent citf-
zen OF Topeka for violation of the
law, whether jury could be impan-
elled which would return a verdict of
guilty. That is especially true If the
man has record as good citizen
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