University Daily Kansan Friday, Feb. 22, 1952
KU Students Created Furor In 1908 By Exposing Lawrence 'Speakeasies'
By CHUCK ZUEGNER
The policy of helping journalism students gain practical experience by working on neighboring dailies stretches back some 44 years to the time when journalism was still an embryo course of studies at KU.
On Saturday, April 25, 1908, students of the department and members of the "Scoop club," a campus organization composed of former working journalists, published the Lawrence Daily Journal and started one of the biggest uproars ever to hit Eastern Kansas.
Under a striking block headline, "BEER SOLD HERE," the student writers reported a series of beer and whiskey "joint" that were then operating in Lawrence's East Bottoms against state prohibition laws.
In the left-hand column lead story, the students wrote "... An investigation reveals a condition of affairs concerning the prohibitory laws of Kansas startling in the extreme and much worse than the better class of people have any idea exists in the city."
It was found that a dozen places sold bootled liquor along New Jersey street between Winthrop and Henry, "The astounding aspect," reported the Journal, "is that the sale of booze is in constant daylight hours, and much of the business is transacted with university students."
The story proceeds to give a run-down of the places of ill-repute, pulling no punches in the matter of listing names and addresses.
In addition, said the Journal, there are numerous "nomadic boot-leggers who can be called upon to secure liquors at any hour. These people have been in Pennsylvania streets, the only place where the are lights burn all night."
Managing editor of the special edition was Jerome Beatty, who later became a noted writer in the East. Roy Roberts, president of the Kansas City Star, was city editor. The telegraph editor was Brock Pemberton, famous actor who died in 1948. Mr. Pemberton appeared in the play, "Harvey," in a visit to the campus shortly before his death.
The editorial in the same edition blasted the Lawrence administration for its laxity in cleaning up the vice-ridden joints.
It said "The illegal sale of liquor in Lawrence just now demands renewed vigilance and activity on the part of city and council officials. One city administration after another dump out the drink evil. Administrations in the past have been better than they are today.
"It isn't difficult to get any type of drink in Lawrence, and weekend excursions of groups from a small fraction of the student body have been entirely too common this year."
Editorial writers on the staff-for-
day were Joseph Murray, present
editor of the Lawrence Daily Jour-
nals, Arthur Riddle and Carl
Young.
Also commenting on the scandalous conditions was a 1,000 word poem by Harry Kemp, known as the "tramp poet" of the campus. The poem began:
The Bottoms now I sing, where whiskey flows
And two per cent makes life couleur de rose."
Before printing the scoop story, the student reporter canvassed city officials and printed their comments on the situation.
The mayor was evasive, the county attorney asserted that he knew nothing about the matter, and the police chief admitting knowing the police were operating but said the police force was too small to cope with them.
"We raided some of the joints," the chief said, "but they were empty at the time and we couldn't press charges."
Immediate reaction to the students' disclosure was widespread. The Lawrence World, on April 30, declared itself behind the students because it "knew the facts were true."
The Kansas City Times of April 27 reported the story in detail.
But the April 30 edition of the Lawrence Gazette "didn't consider it news as it all had been published 40 years ago."
The same evening the story was printed, police raided four of the
ROY ROBERTS
liquor stores, arresting proprietors and customers and impounding the stock. Because many of the student witnesses would not return the following year (the "tramp poet" was already vacationing in Bermuda) the
trial was inserted on the docket for the district court for May 12.
In the meantime, the mayor publicly answered a letter in which he said "I have charity for such youthful indiscretion and am opposed to making unnecessary police court records which may annoy them in the future."
A local judge, owner of a house which rented to one of the boot-leggers, reportedly said that any student brought before him on charges of disorderly conduct would be sent to the rock pile for 10 days.
Before the trial, the big question asked on the campus was "Have you been subpoenaed?" More than 100 students had been subpoenaed and were witness fees for a party to be given before the end of school.
The students answered the officials' remarks with a long editorial in the Kansan and distributed it in downtown Lawrence. The Kansan castigated various city officials and once again called for a "dry town."
Most of them were disappointed, however, as the defendants changed their plea to guilty after only two freshmen testified that they had purchased whiskey. The defense attorney later said that the students had enough evidence to send the bootleggers to jail for 20 years.
The battle for justice was won. Some of the men who published that memorable edition have become in the world of journalism today.
Looking back through the old University Daily Kansans, one can find a series of modifications in the format and general appearance of the campus daily.
As early as 1912 the Kansan, then four pages, was only slightly larger than it is now, but with an increase in circulation came an increase in size.
Old Copies Of Kansan Show Numerous Changes In Format
For instance, it wasn't until 1940 that the paper was reduced to its present tabloid size and appearance.
The big change was made in 1917 when extra inches were added to both the length and width, although keeping four pages. That's the way it remained until February 1940, when it was cut down to the familiar size. The deficit in space was compensated for by increasing the Kansan to six pages.
The nameplate in those early editions was spread out in tall, block letters across the top of page one, a practice that remained until 1941 when "University" was set in smaller type and placed above "Daily Kansan." One year later the paper's name was put in script.
Glancing through the yellowed, pre-World War I copies, one notices a neat, easy-to-read page, although not yet in the tradition of modern journalistic techniques. Headlines were small and the absence of subheads gives an excessive condensed-type appearance.
At the beginning of this semester a new nameplate was designed, dropping the word "University" in the two and three column sizes because of space limitations.
In the early days of the paper, campus news dominated. During the
W. A. White's Journalism Library Finds Its Way Back To Kansas
By CHUCK ZUEGNER
One of William Allen White's most cherished possessions, his personal library of journalism, has found its way back to Ka'
The collection of 104 books, plus some correspondence and pamphlets, will be officially presented to the William Allen White School of Journalism and Public Information by George Matthew Adams, book collector and publisher, at the dedication of the new school. The volumes are stored in the Journalism building vault.
The collection includes personal books of William Allen White and first editions he sent to Mr. Adams. The flyleaves of his own works bear witty and entertaining messages to Mr. Adams in Mr. White's own handwriting.
Among the first editions are 17 authored by William Allen White including "Emporia and New York," "A Certain Rich Man," "God's Puppets," "A Puritan in Babylon," "Stratagems and Spoils," and "The Old Order Changeth."
Eight biographies and sketches of the late Emporia editor are numbered in the collection. Edna Ferber's "A Peculiar Treasure," David Hinshaw's "Man From Kansas," and "The Editor and His People," by Helen Ogden Mahin. In addition, there are two works by Walter Johnson, "William Allen White's America," and "Selected Letters of William Allen White."
The rest of the collection consists of works dealing with representative aspects of journalism. Mr. White must have spent many pleasant hours skimming through "The Ethics of Journalism," by Nelson
Antrim Crawford, or Stanley Walker's "City Editor."
The donor of the collection is president of the George Matthew Adams Service, New York City, a newspaper syndicate. For the past 20-odd years, Mr. Adams has contributed his popular column, "Today's Talk," to more than 100 newspapers throughout the nation.
A pioneer in the syndicated newspaper field, Mr. Adams made prominent such features as Kin Hubbard's "Abe Martin," Edgar Guest's "Just Folks," and "Just Kids" by Percy Crosby, who later became famous as the originator of "Skippy."
Mr. Adams also was the first to syndicate the health feature, and to suggest continuity in the comic strip with Ed Whealan's "Minute Movies."
Mr. Adams introduced a new technique into the journalism world by covering big events from the human interest standpoint. He published stories by such writers as Eda Ferber, Kathleen Norris, Mary Roberts Rinehart, and the incomparable William Allen White himself.
After being graduated from Ottawa university, Mr. Adams was employed by an advertising agency. In 1907 he began his publishing business in Chicago and later moved to New York. His alma mater conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Literature in 1940.
Besides his huge, 6,000 volume
collection of rare books, Mr. Adams collects etchings, and presented the works of Alphonse Legras, French etcher-painter, to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D. C. Other painters represented in his collection are Whistler, Lepere, Millet, Zorn, and Rembrandt.
Mr. Adams' library contains mostly first editions of his favorite writers, Joseph Conrad, Lafcadio Hearn, Henry D. Thoreau and Herman Melville.
He donated his valuable George Gissing collection to Yale university and to Tuskegee institute he sent the works of Paul Lawrence Dunbar. The contribution to the School of Journalism represents Mr. Adams' complete selection of books on journalism.
THE WELLSVILLE GLOBE
Wellsville,
1930s, some state and national news crept in, but news coverage was directed primarily toward campus activities.
The five-column, six-page edition published in the 1940s used a greater number of pictures than ever before or since. These years also saw a decrease in the space devoted to advertising.
The Kansan was never slow to develop its headline technique with the changing times. Its format has gradually evolved into the diversified, clean-looking paper it is today.
Congratulations
from
CLYDE LOVELLETTE
SATURDAY 7 p.m.
NIGHTS
Sponsored by
SPORTSMAN'S STORE
Radio's newest hit ... Radio's bring you tops in hillbilly music. Hear the All-American Mountain Man every Saturday night before the WREN basketball game.
Always Dial 1250
WREN
The Journalism School has in the past rendered a great service to both the Lawrence Community and the KC campus. And we wish you the best of luck for continued success in your new home.
Your visits are always welcome so come and see us soon at...
DUCK'S Sea Food CAFE
Where you can eat the finest sea foods and steaks available.
BROILED MAIN LOBSTER
SOFT SHELL CRABS
FLORIDA POMPANO
FRIED SPRING CHICKEN STEAKS OF ALL KINDS
824 Vermont
Phone 2098