The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-28
DIR. Charles NJ. Sheldon Tells of
Prohibition in Kansas.
Fight to Enforce Eighteenth
Amendment Can Be Won.
ODDS WERE AGAINST KANSAS
Maine and Kansas Were the
Pioneers in Movement.
Press of sunflOwer State Helped
Win the Big Fight.

-
In the current issue of the Chris
tian Herald, of which he is editor in
chief. DR.. Charles NJ. Sheldon pre-
sents an article dealing with the his
tory of the prohibition movement in
the state OF Kansas. which was
pioneer state in that movement.
Touching first upon the immensely
of a detailed history of the overthrow
Of the forces of liquor in the state.
DIR. Sheldon refers to his article as
an outline of a chapter in the history
of Prohibition III the United States.
DR.. Sheldon was thoroly familiar
with the battle of prohibition in Kan
sass having been closely identified
with It in al gifts stages.
The article is as follows:
The story of Prohibition in Kan
sak has never been told and probably
never will be told in all its details be-
cause 1t is too large a canvas for any
picture. Kansas is 400 miles long; 200
miles WIDE 1000 miles deep, and IL
contains 100000 persons, the over
whelming majority of whom believe in
the prohibitory law. If the future
historian wants to cover that much
territory he is free TO attempt it, but
he will probably run out of color be-
fore he has filled in his perspective.
Historically the prohibition move
nent in the United States will always
be 1QentiI1eQ with Two states. maine
and Kansas. But Kansas largely on
account of its geographical position in
the middle OF the United States, was
the center of interest and of attack
on the part Of the combined forces or
the brewery, the distillery and the
organized saloon, For that reason
the following outline of the chapter
that Kansas wrote in the volume
which is now bound up with the title
of national prohibition is drawn.
1t is not necessary to say that this
is not the Kansas history in full, but
this outline may prove useful as
sketch of what for some future his
torian will be the most fascinating
hunting ground not for fiction but for
the most remarkable tragedies of
actual life ever recorded in the his
tory of a commonwealth.
Constitutional state prohibition in
Kansas went into effect as a result of
a direct vote of the people, on May
!. 1881 But long before that date
the preliminary educational campaign
had been carried on. There were five
principal factors in that campaign:
the Woman's Christian Temperance
Union. the Kansas State Temperance
Union. the Churches. the Press, and
the farmers.
on one farmers ranch there was
an annual picnic every Fourth of
July to which every Sunday school
in the adjoining counties was invited
In the little grove down by the creek
permanent stage and platform were
built. and 5000 people, old and young,
would come in, bringing their dinners
and stay all day. The young people
were drilled beforehand by Kansas
school marms'' to give a temperance
play in the evening. These boys and
girls of Kansas farmers learned their
parts and acted them often with a
zeal and ability to which it is only
Tas tn n O M
aggeration to compare it all with the
atmosphere Of the Passion play at
Oherammergau The orator of the
occasion. chosen from among some of
the best known public men of the
l state. always had for his theme Pro-
hibfion, and TIE whole day on that
plain farmers ranch. twenty miles
from a railroad, sowed seed that fin
ally helped TO grow the constitutional
amendment.
Press Helped in Fight.
The press of Kansas, from the very
first, with a few exceptions, advocated
prohibition. and at a time when not
one single gCeat daily in America was
in favor of ia on the contrary, scores
of dailies and most of the leading
magazines forty years ago were carry
ing full-page advertisements of whis-
ky and beer, and throwing ridicule on
the fanatical citizens of Kansas. If
the dailies published during the
period when Kansas was struggling to
defend herself from the lawlessness
OF the LOU men and her own faith
less officials, he will find that the
editors of the great dailies were con-
stantiy throwing contemp. on the
Kansas law and helping It's enemies
by receiving their advertising. If the
brewers and distillers had actually
owned every daily in America they
could hardly have done any more
than the press outside of Kansas did
do to discredit and condemn the law
of 4 sovereign state.
The fact hat in the face of all this
attitude the press of Kansas upheld
the law and created public sentiment
for it is a fact which is significant
and must always be counted as an
important part of the fierce fight
which went on for more than half q
century.
Practically all churches of all de-
nominations stood for the law, and
ministers without exception worth
noting, preached and agitated and
called mass meetings and took UP
collections to help defray expenses OF
law enforcement. The churches OF
Kansas were a unit and a powerful
factor in the History of the conflict.
The organization known as the
Kansas state Temperance Union was
a compact, we'll organised body
working along the lines of the Anti
Saloon League, raising money, gath
ering evidence of law violations, pub
fishing a vast amount O. matter In
the papers to keep alive the interest
in the subject and serving thru pub
lie lecturers and in many ways to
establish the law in the hearts and
customs of the people. The fact that
the presidency of this Union was con-
sidered so great an honor that enc
Kansas citizen who afterwards re-
fused to be elected to the United
states senate was twice elected as
the Unions leader. is an indication
OF the power which the organization
had over the state.
And yet. when the final history OF
Kansas prohibition is written it will
probably be found that the most pow
erful factor in the whole dramatic
conflict was the daily prayer of the
Woman's Christian Temperance
Union- Historians have never taken
this force into account for the reason