Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-05-16
KANSAS REPUBLICANS AFTER FED
ERAL PRISON JOBS.
B. J. LYNCH WOULD BE WARDEN.
HIS FRIENDS ARE BACKING THE
FIGHT AGAINST FRENCH.
Several Other Kansans Are CandI-
dates for the Wardenship-sen-
atOr Baker Said to BE TAX
ing n Hand Against
the Indinnian.

Washington, May 15.-(Special) Kansas
Republicans have started a movement to
bring about the displacement of James W.
French. an Indiana Democrat, from the
position OF warden of the government peni-
tentiary, located on the Fort Leaven-
worth military reservation. Several patrl-
otic Kansans have volunteered to assume
the responsibility of looking after Uncle
Sans convict wards and to draw the $500
salary connected with the wardenship.
Other pie hunters have applied for minor
positions and a loud demand is going up
for an entire reorganization of the official
force of the institution.
The effort to have a few Cf the offices
placed in the hands of Republicans has
started in earnest since the return of Sena-
tor Baker from the West, and II is under
stood that he is with the boys who are
back of ii.
Bruce ]. Lynch. who was recently re-
moved from the wardenship of the Kansas
penitentiary by the Populists, Is the lead
ing candidate for French's place and his
friends are back of the fight that is now
on to have a change. Oliver HAT. of Leav-
enworth county, who has been in Washing
ton for weeks, looking after matters in
general, could be forced into the warden
ship. John Higgins. with a long record as
an official of the Kansas penitentiary and
a brother of Bill Higgins, of the Santa Fe
road. believes that he could improve the
discipline Of the prison These are from
Kansas, and an Ohio man has cast a long
ing eye on the place. He may turn up at
a critical time with Mark Hanna's o. X.
on his recommendation.
The fact that the Democratic officials
now running the federal penitentiary have
a fight on against them is largely due to
their own actions. Ever since the INSTALL
ing Of the new officials in the department
saF Sfr=ff T
ficers have been bringing all the influence
they could muster to bear to be retained
in their places. The official force of the
prison is supposed to be under civil service
regulations, but the officers know there is
something weak about their position, for
they have been sending in petitions and
letters and acting in manner to attract
special attention TO their condition.
Attorney General McKenna received a pc
tition in April signed by a number Of busi-
ness men of the city of Leavenworth ask
ing him to retain Warden French. The
petition purported to be non-partisan, and
among the signers were Colonel d. X.
Anthony and ex-senator Alexander Cald-
well. prominent Republican politicians. The
petition was not presented through Senator
Baker; he was ignored entirely. This he
did not know until his recent Western visit,
when he learned that a justice Of the su-
preme court was entrusted with the deli
cate mission of placing the document in
tor Bakers friends assert that Warden
French has attempted TO ride over him
from the time he took charge of the prison.
| The senator's friends also feel that the
time for reckoning is close at hand.
The plans to secure the removal OF
French have been agreed upon and charges
will be preferred to bring II about. These
charges have been prepared by former Of
fcials Of the Kansas 9enltentiary and they
that the civil service order covering the
prison officials. including the warden, was
tratic dodge to hold a gang of politicians in
Office. 1t is claimed that the official force
of the prison was made up mostly OF Demo-
Gratis from Indiana and Ohio and that the
men were selected for guards and respon-
sible positions without any regard to fit-
man of the farm, is held by a brother Of
the warden.
II is charged that most of the prison Of
in the campaign last fall. Guards marched
in Demo-Pop parades. carrying banners
and lamp black notices containing insult
ing lies about Major Mckinley and other
prominent Republicans. The names OF
some of the guards engaged in this civil
service" work viii be mentioned; other Of
at night and cursed and abused Republic
Sns and made themselves as offensive es
possible. An instance will be mentioned
where one of the clerks carried on in a high
handed manner while in beastly state OF
intoxication.
officials were given fun sway in this bitter
partisan work by Warden French. who is a
rampant free silver fusionist. He was ex-
tremely anxious for the election Of Bryan
and expected something high up" in case
of the boy orators success. Warden French
was a college chum and roommate of Bry-
an and he felt certain Of getting something
good.
said that French mourned for a few days
following the election, and the happy idea
soon seized him that he would save his Of
fetal scalp by the civil service. He lost no
time in getting to Washington, and after
spending a few days in company with At
torney General Harmon. an order was is
sued placing the warden. clerks. guards and
an officials at the United States peniten-
tiary under civil service regulations. ,
special order was issued for this purpos
his grip on a good fat office. This kind cf
work the Kansas Republicans claim to o
a fraudulent use and prostitution OF tie
Warden French poses as prison o.
former" and delivers lectures on all kiI ds
Of prison subjects. II is stated that WI en-
he arrived in Kansas he brought with m
few months experience as warden of an
Indiana penitentiary, and that he Is OF
Lynch or Mr.. Hiatt. both Of whom h We
had more experience around prisons. ut
are a little bit slow slow IN worklng @ news a.
French is an artist in keeping his name re-
fore the public. and that II is not unus nal
for him to get a column of sloppy taffy in
a Kansas City Demo-Pop sheet and d. r.
Anthony's Leavenworth Times the same
morning Senator Baker thinks French IL
a smooth one to be able to hold the affec-
tions of these two loving papers at the
same time.
II Is said that the management of the fed
eraI prison at this time is not to be COM
mended. A lack of discipline is reported to
be a noticeable feature. Warden Lynch's
friends claim that the convicts are not un-
der proper control. and they do about as
they please. They say this IS due largely
10 incompetent guards Some of the guards
are all that could be desired, while others
get drunk nightly and are not mt for duty
the next day. The charges will mention
about one federal prison guard visiting the
Kansas penitentiary while drunk and MAX
ing an exhibition of himself before the
prisoners of that institution.
Ii is not the intention of the Kansas Re-
publicans to make charges of personal or
official dishonesty against Warden French,
but they will show that he Is a wild free
silver follower of Bryan, has no special
claims 10 the title of ''prison reformer'
and that ii is fraud and an outrage to
misuse the civil service to keep lot OF In
diana Democrats in Offices that many OF
them are not competent to fill. The Kansas
Republicans are united and they will have
help from other sources in securing the re-
moval of Warden French and some OF the
incompetent officials under him.
Anuual Garden