The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-08-19
Reputation Of Fairest City In
Kansas at Stake.
Only requires Watchfulness Of
the People.
is NO TIME TO LOSE.
Friends of Progress Must Not
Be Idle.
Threats of Men With Personal
Grievances.

The reputation of Topeka is al stake.
viii the people permit the city to be
made the laughing stock of the whole
state just because Tom, Dick or Harry
has a grievance against some one?
Topeka must build a city hail or for
ever take a back seat and admit that
progress is dead.
1t may as well be realized right now
that the city is in danger. It rests
with the young men and the wide
awake citizens of Topeka to sustain its
reputation. No man who believes in
the best city il Kansas should fail to
register.
The issuance of $4,000 in bonds
amounts to little to the tax payers. It
is a drop in the bucket and no city in
Topeka.
The money for the city hall will all
be expended in Topeka. 1t viii go to
the labOring men and will furnish the
means to support families and beauti-
fy and purchase homes
No man who expects to make Topeka
his home can afford to stand in the
way OF progress. What benefits the
city in some measure helps every citi-
zen.
This is time when men of all class
es should sink their personalities and
unite for the good Of Topeka. Nothing
can be accomplished by a continued
jangle.
different. The progressive people are
largely in the majority but they must
be alert and not forget that eternal
vigilance is necessary to keep the car
of progress moving
The jointists who were boastfng that
they would do all they could to defeat
the city hall proposition in order to
have revenge on the city for the pas
sage of the search and seizure ordf-
nance by the city council the other
night. have suddenly become quiet.
Several influences brought about
this change. It was through no in
herent goodness in the jointistss them
selves, but fear of the consequences to
a great degree. Some~of them openly
Dragged that they could control a large
vote. and that they would show the city
council whether or not it could pass
ordinances against them with impuni-
ty- Some also blamed the Commercial
club for not interfering before the
search and seizure ordinance was pass
ed, and using it's influence against it
The Commercial club could have de-
feated that ordinance if it had wanted
to- declared one jointist. IF they don't
want to help US we will show 'em that
we won't help them"
When the attitude of the jOintiSts
was reported to some of the friends of
the city hall who are also not antagon-
istic to the jointists. there was consid-
cradle wrath floating around
'They are going to fight the city
hall. are they?" said one man who is
said to be a patron of the joints and
who knows all of their workings. IF
they do it will be the SOrrieSt fight they
ever made. If that city hall PROPOSE
tion is defeated and the jOintists helpto
do it, there won't be q joint left in To-
peka- They can make a fight of that
kind If they want to, but they won't
stay here to make any more fights
That's about the kind of a crowd
one would expect to line up with the
Knockers" said another man who is
neither for nor against" They
never pay a cent of taxes nor do any
good for a town in financial way.
imagine it will go mighty hard with
them if they try to put up a fight on
the city hall"
A number of remarks of this char
acter came to the ears of some of the
jointiSts who had been against the city
hall proposition, and they began tG
weaken a little. They discovered that
they were not strong enough to dictate
the politics of Topeka yet, and any at
tempt of this kind would be disastrous
to them. The result is that they have
either stopped talking openly against the
proposition, or they have come out for
it. There is no more open talk of re-
venge. They may secretly vote and
work against the proposition on cleo
tiOn day, but if they do and the prOpO-
sition is defeated, people who have
been their friends before promise to see
that they are run out of the city.
1t is said that preparations are now
being made to have a grand jury called
because the jOintiStS have said they in
tended to defeat the city hall project
It is necessary to secure the names of
100 taxpayers to d petition for a grand
jury before one can be called, but that
number can easily be secured if the
saloon element attempts to dictate in
the city hall matter OF course, this is
a bluff The people would not stoop
to such means of retaliation.
When it was reported to President
Brigham that some of the jointists held
the Commercial club responsible for
not defeating the search and seizure
ordinance, he said:
They must think this club is polit-
ical organization. We have nothing to
do with what the city council does.
even if our disposition lay that way.
This club does not assume to dictate
to the city council in any matter, much
less mix up in a matter of this kind.