The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-07-25
MAY Be DOUGLASS
OF Sledge Hammer Fame Who
Will Enforce Law
Among theWhOoping and Howl
ing Wichitans.
ABOUT THE SITUATION
Told By County Attorney Davis
of Sedgwick.
Says He Won't Look for Viola
tors of the Law.
NOT HIS BUSINESS.
Says If the Saloons Are Not
ReOpened
Sedgwick County Will be Lost
to the Republicans.

County Attorney Davis of Sedgwick
county and Attorney General Dawes are
holding a conference this afternoon re-
lative to the appointment of an assistant
attorney general to prosecute the viola
tors of the prohibitory law in Wichita
and Sedgwick county.
Geo. L. Douglass was here fromWichita
last night and held a conference with
General Dawes on this subject and it is
possible that he will be named as the
assistant attorney general for Sedgwick
county.
When seen by a STATE JOURNAL re-
porter County Attorney Davis denied
that he had asked for the appointment of
an assistant attorney general, and said:
81 have at no time refused to do my duty,
and am as ready now to prosecute viola
tors of the prohibitorv law as violators of
any other law. l do not. however, be-
lieve it is my duty to go out and hunt up
the violators of the law"
"YOu think then, that, as county attor-
nor, with the aid of your deputies, you
will be able to enforce the law without
the assistance of the attorney general?"
81 don't say that: we are not al
lowed any pay for deputy county attor-
neys in Sedgwick county"
"How is it in Wichita now, are the
saloons all closed?"
"Yes, they are all closed up Tight
"Will they stay clpsed?''
"That cannot say, but I suppose they
will"
"Have the saloon men made any
threats that they will open again?'
mo, not that know of"
IF they are closed and have not
threatened to open up again, what is this
trouble about?"
There isn't any trouble, only there is
to be a meeting of those who are op-
posed to the saloons being closed at the
auditorium tonight to pass resolutions
expressing their sentiment. How large a
meeting it will be, do not
know. You see some of the prohibi-
tionists want an assistant attorney gen
eral because they think l am not in
sympathy with the law and will not do
my duty"
"Whst do you say to that. Will you do
your duty?"
81 have never refused to do my duty
The trouble is that last fall when l was
a candidate for county attorney the
Temperance alliance people prepared a
paper asking the candidates for county
attorney to sign it, promising that if
elected they would give special
attention to the enforcement of the Dor
signed it, but I refused. I said l would
if elected, take the oath of office to do my
duty, and l would not sign any docu-
ment of that kind. The result was that
while the Republican state ticketcarried
the county by about 700 l carried it by
1900 Now in the face of these facts the
Temperance alliance people do not like
the idea of leaving the enforcement of
the prohibitory law to me-"
"How is thing to end?"
THAT l cannot say, but unless some
thing happens, the Republican ticket in
SedgwicK county will he overwhelming
ly defeated this fall"
"You mean that unless the saloons are
reopened the Republican ticket will be
defeated?"
mo, not necessarily just that, but that
will be about it unless public sentiment
changes between now and election"