The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-29
They Celebrate Birthday ami
versary of State at C. of c.
s'BOrn in Kansas" Proud Boast
of Those Attending.
SUNFLOWER PROGRAM
Mrs. De Witte c. NelIis Ex-
plains Organizations Purpose.
Native Son Governor the Prin.
cipal Speaker at Meeting.

More than 500 people from all over
the state registered at the Chamber
of Commerce today as native born
sons and daughters of the state. The
natives started to gather shortly after
10 O'Clock this morning and by II
O'Clock they were milling around in
the rooms of the Chamber of Com
merce like a flock of busy spring birds.
All the old timers got together and
swapped experiences of the territorial
days and the days of baby statehood
when the times were troublouS and
uncertain in the extreme.
The crowd was finally controlled so
that they could be induced to consider
such mundane matters as eating and
drinking. Promptly afte: the last
mouthful was swallowed the speakers
took possession of the floor.
Mrs. NeIlis Introduces. Governor.
Mrs DeWitte C. Nellis, president of
the Native Daughters of Kansas, took
the floor first to introduce Governor
Capper, the first native born governor
of the state. Mrs. Nellis in her intro
duction outlined the purpose and
cause of the Native Sons and Daugh-
ters of Kansas as an organization.
This is to some of US truly
memorable day-one long looked for
our territorial pioneers and native
sons and daughters to celebrate as a
state family the birthday of our own
beloved Kansas" said Mrs. Nellis.
LAS an organization, our purpose
is to bring into closer fellowship and
social intimacy the descendants OF
our pioneer KanSanS and unite our
state family and thus engender feel
ing of relationship among us, state
wide in it's influence and scope.
Governor Capper hit his stride in
the first sentence he uttered. patting
the gathered native-borns on the back
and congratulating them and himself
on the fact that they were born, in
Kansas. He passed on from congratu-
lation and launched into history OF
the things Kansas has done and Will
do III agricultural and industrial lines.
He stood pat on the declaration that
Kansas is synonymous with intense
and undoubted patriotism. Capper
closed his talk with an apology for his
houghtlessness in making two dates
for a speech on the same day at prac-
tical1y the same hour
In closing Capper placed Sen. w. f.
Wilson in the chair as chairman to
conduct the meeting. Capper is pres
ident of the Native Sons and Daugh-
ters organization and as such is ex-
pected to preside at, the meetings
Senator Wilson accepted the chair
with a neat speech on his personal
pride in being a Kansan and in the
honor he felt at being the presiding
officer at such a meeting.
DR.. sheldon Principal Speaker.
DR.. Charles NJ. Sheldon was the
speaker of the day with talk on war
conditions in England. DIR. Sheldon
gave a close insight into the condf-
tions surrounding our boys as they
pass thru London and England on
their way to the front. The dominant
feature of DR.. Sheldon's talk was his
denunciation of the practice OF giving
LIQUOR to the American soldiers In
England. In pointing out the sale OF
LIQUOR in England DR.. Sheldon said:
No Protection to Soldiers.
Tn nointing out the condensed facts
ahontf Great Britain Doctor Sheldon
says:
The British government does not
protect its soldiers and sailors from
drink. Men in uniform are sold Whls-
XIV and gin in preference to other Gus
TONERS who can buy wine and beer
only.
Britain have been cut from sixteen
to five and one-half hours day Rut
the brewers make ten times the profits
they made before the war.
The Australian, New Zealand and
Canadian camps in their own coun-
tries have no canteen; but the moment
they establish a camp in Great Britain
a wet canteen is imposed on them, and
they have no redress.
There is a ration system on bread,
sugar, butter, COAL tea. coffee and
many other commodities; but there is
no limit to the quantity of liquor any
one may buy
Eighty thousand gallons of whisky
were sent to one camp in France be-
fore Christmas. for English officers.
result iS that drunken Officers are
sometimes in command of very impor-
tant engagements.
The British government claims that
it cannot take the drink away from
the British workman without endan-
gering the munition output. But pleb
iscites taken in workingmen's dis
tricts all over Great Britain prove that
if the workingmen had an opportunity
to vote on the question they would
vote overwhelmingly for absolute pro-
hibition.
The English people have no right to
local option They cannot vote on the
question of whether they will have a
public house or not. The whole mat
ter is in the hands of a board of mag
istrates, appointed by the crown.
Unless conditions are changed in
Great Britain when our soldiers and
sailors begin to go over in the spring.
many of them will be tempted by the
open bar and be invalided home in dis
grace. More than 10000 Canadians
have been sent home since the war,
who have never seen France This is
on the authority of Mr. Newton Wylie
secretary of the campaign that made
Ontario dry.
The most dominant power in Eng
lish politics today is the brewer.
Lloyd George. premier of Great
Britain, has said: -Englind is fight
ff,onfinued on pa 0a TUol