The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-01-21
HENRY STEELE
Will Be TOpeka's Next Chief of
Police.
The Governor Makes This
Statement Today.
TOPEKANS VISIT HIM,
And Present Names of Police
Board Members
That They Would Like to See
Appointed.
TOPEKANS VISIT HIM,

Appointed.
ct have not yet decided who shall be
appointed police commissioners in To-
peka, and they will not be named until
next week. but I can say one thing and
that is that whoever is appointed, Hen
ry Steele will be chief of police
| That is what Governor Leedy said to
a delegation of business men selected
last night by a non-partisan meeting to
suggest names for police commissioners.
Governor Leedy said nothing else to
the delegation, but those few words
means volumes. 1t is the announce
ment of the breaking of the slate ar
ranged by G. c. Clemens and one or
two others. That slate would have re-
tanned Police Commissioner Holiday on
the board and have named Wilson
| Keith and F. s. Stevens as the other
members.
L. T. Yount. ex-police commissioner,
was to be made chief of police and w.
E. Atchison, a young Democratic law
yer was to have been made police
Judge Until recently there was no in
dication that Governor Leedy would do
any thing else but ratify these selec-
tions.
Yesterday G. G. Clemens told a Jour
nal reporter that he would have moth
ing more to do with the police COM
mission fight in Topeka and he said
that ne had seen Governor Leedy and
informed him of that fact.
1t is probable that Governor Leedy
did not like the looks of things as they
were being fixed and concluded to take
a hand himself. Hence his bold an
| nouncement to the delegation this
morning.
The delegation which waited upon
Governor Leedy this morning was COM
posed of ]. B. McAfee, F. H. Foster, A.
B. Whiting, NJ. c. Holman, w. J. Reeks,
NJ. L. NilspauEh, H. A. Warner, Frank
Curry and G.. J. Graves.
The gentlemen endorsed for places on
the board of police commissioners at
the meeting last night are follows:
William Green, Democrat, First ward.
T. NJ HanIey, Democrat, First ward.
Z. B. Cowgirl, Populist, Third ward.
f. NJ. Newland, Populist Second ward.
NJ d. Henderson, Eopulist, Fourth
ward.
w. c. Parker, Populist, Second ward.
The meeting decided that a board Sc
lected from these people will be perfec-
thy satisfactory and they told Governor
Leedy so.
The meeting was made up of dele
gates from the Topeka churches and
there were 35 present. There was a
spirited contest in the meeting over the
endorsement of William Dransfeld, the
| grocer, for a place on the board, but a
| motion to endorse his candidacy was fl
nally lost by a vote of to Is.
J. B. McAfee was the first speaker
when the delegation was given an au-
dience: I've come to you" said he,
representing the moral and business
interests of Topeka which are tired of
the present situation. There should be
a change in behalf of good order and
decency and the sooner the change is
made the better.
although a Republican. say frank
" that the course pursued by the pres
ent authorities has been demoralizing
and it was fifty rebuked at the recent
I Of Il DnVaIr Nh ifzear &
who did not vote for E. N. Morrill, for
| governor.
I'VE understand that the plan is to
appoint two PopuliStS and one Demo-
crat on the board of police commission
ers. All we ask is that men be appoint
ed who will enforce the law and who
will conduct the affairs of the city in
| the interests of law and order.
A. B. Whiting, chairman of the dele
cation discussed the situation and said
that the majority of the people OF the
| city were opposed to the perSent cOnOl-
| ton of things.
Until two years ago" said he. sit
was very difficult to get at the gamb-
| lers, but the officers managed to keep
| the city comparatively clear of gamb-
| ling resorts, but now the city is filled
with gambling dens of the worst order
| However, we are here to ask for the
appointment of a board of police COM
| missionerS who will enforce the prOhib-
| itory law as we'll as the law against
gambling
| f. II. roster, eX-preSlQenC OF the IOe-
publican board of police commissioners
| said: Il appear here as a Republican
and as such I take the ground that we
have no business to urge any one for
| these positions merely for the sake of
| getting job. but our only object is in
getting people who will do their duty
without regard to personal interests So
we deem it unwise to make any choice
among the men recommended ANY OF
| them will be satisfactory to us.We want
to see men appointed who will enforce
| the law. I was appointed on the board
of police commissioners and afterWard
removed because l insisted upon the en-
| fOrcement of the law.
IF the question of a chief is to be
considered 1 want to say a word for
| Henry Steele. Many years ago when
was connected with the police depart
| ment in the capacity of public prOSecu-
| tor / met Mr. Steele who was then on
| the police force and 1 have known him
| ever since. 1 have watched him for ten
years and 1 am satisfied that there is
no one in the city so well fitted to be
| chief of police as Henry Steele.
| when 1 was on the board l tried to
| get Steele on the force although he was
| a Democrat. 1 was interested in secur-
| ing good men, but could not secure the
| consent of the Democratic member nor
| my Republican colleague"
| w. j. Reeks spoke in favor of L. T.
| Yount for chief of police. He said that
| he had been a POpulist ever since the
/ party was organized and had made a
| good record as police commissioner. He
| thought that it was due to Mr.. Yount
i that he be given the place.
DR.. Warner spoke in favor of W. c.
Parker for police commissioner He
| said he was one of the original 13 in his
precinct in the Second ward who voted
| for Willis when to be a Populist was
| considered almost a disgrace.
NJ. c. Holman of the First ward. ad-
| vocated the appointment of NJ. d. Hen
| (lPrSOTl on the board. He told ahOnf