The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-07-23
THEIR DANDER UP.
The Wichita Police Commits
siOners Come to Town.
They Want an Assistant AttOr-
ney General
TO ENFORCE THE LAW.
The Wichita Rebels Repeal the
Ordinance
Providing for Enforcing the
Law at Wichita.

The three Wichita police commission
ers and the police judge of that city
have been in Topeka today in consulta-
tion with Governor Morrill, and Attorney
General Dawes
The members of the Wichita police
commission are A. c. Jones chairman,
a wholesale clothing merchant; A Z.
Husey, secretary, cigar manufacturer,
and Geo. L. Pratt the Democratic mem
Der, who is a lumber merchant These
gentlemen with Police Judge Charley
Hatton, arrived in Topeka on an early
morning train and after breakfast went
Immediately to the governors office.
The object of their visit to Topeka at
this time was to secure the appointment
of an assistant attorney general to aid
them in enforcing the prohibitory law in
their town.
Just as the commissioners were taking
the train for Topeka last night they were
informed that the city council had re.
pealed all the ordinances regulating the
saloons.
The city government is opposed to the
enforcement of the prohibitory law, and
is doing all in its power to hindOr the po-
lice commissioners in their efforts to keep
the saloons closed.
Police Judge Charley Hatton, who was
with the com missioners, said to a STATE
JOURNAL reporter: "When we were
notified that the council had repealed all
the ordinances regulating the saloons,
said to the chief of detectives who was at
the depot that 1 might as we'll stay a
! few days as there would be nothing for
me to do.
He said Never you mind, we will
have a jail full when you get back k.'When
I asked for an explanation he informed
me of the purpose of the saloon men to
| all open up this morning after the city
ordinances had been repealed, and said
he expected to have the Jail full when
would get back. We have vagrancy
ordinance in our town under which the
i police will work until it is repealed.
This ordinance provides that any per-
son found lettering around any disrepu-
table house, saloon or other place where
liquors are sold shall be fined for vagran-
cy The usual clause for vagrancy or
| dinances without visible means of sup
port is not in our ordinance as it was
gotten up to regulate the COW boys in
the early days when they used to come in
to take the town. They always had their
| pockets full of money and we had to fix
up something to suit their case. My un-
! derstanding is that the saloon keepers
will be arrested under this old vagrancy
ordinance now that the others have been
repealed.
1.-The object of our visit here today is
to ask for the appointment of an assist
ant attorney general. The city attorney
has not been prosecuting, even under the
! old ordinances and the county attorney
wants an assistant attorney general ap-
| pointed.
"Who will be appointed I can not say. -
"Some man like Rudolph Hatfeld?"
suggested the reporter
mo think not, it would be better il
! some such man as George L. Douglass
T. B. Wall or Attorney Smythe would
| take the place. Any man who is straig ht
That is, who is not boodIer and still is
recognized as not being a crank. would
meet with less opposition than an out
! and out prohibitionist"
The police commissioners say it is g
| fight to finish between them and the
| city government and the city has cut of
the revenue from the police force now
that the police commissioners have cut
! off the revenue from the saloons
When asked if he would make an ap-
! pointment of an assistant attorney gen
eral for Wichita, Mr.. Dawes said, II will
say this one thing, the saloons at Wichita
are closed and they must stay closed"