The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-04-11
CALLED TO TIME.
Police officers Before Mayor and
Council Committee.
Chief Ramsey Must Enforce Or
dinances or Quit.
JOINTS TO BE CLOSED.
Mr.. Drew VIII Address Police
Force Tonight.
ALI Members VIII Be Given Their
Choice.
MAY RESIGN PLACES.
Lively Session in Council
Chamber Last Night.
Will Himself Quit if He Cannot
Close Joints.
Mr.. Drew VIII Address Police
Force Tonight.
ALI Members Will Be Given Their
Choice.
MAY RESIGN PLACES.
Lively Session in Council
Chamber Last Night.
Will Himself Quit if He Cannot
Close Joints.

Mayor Drew has given it out that the
Joints, gambling houses and disorderly
resorts in Topeka must be closed, and
that Immediately. If the present police
force can not close them a new force
will be given a chance to try The
mayor will meet the policemen at the
police headquarters at s o'clock this
evening when the night and day forces
change and tell them so.
Complaints have been made TO mayor
Drew that the police department has
not been trying to close the joints, ana
the removal of Chief Ramsey has been
demanded. Onl- few days ago a h
Vance and H. r. Hilton called on mayor
Drew and told him that practically no
effort was being made by the police de-
partment to enforce the nuisance or
dinance against the joints ana disorder
~ houses Mr.. Hilton is the editor or
the Good Citizen" which made charges
against Chief Ramsey a month ago Tor
which Ramsey threatened to bring SUIT
for libel against Hilton The removal
of Chief Ramsey was demanded by MI
Vance and Mr.. Hilton.
Mayor Drew told them that he thought
the chief of police could only oe re-
moved after a trial by the council, and
that if they would prove their charges
against Chief Ramsey before the coun-
ell he ought to be, and would be, re-
MIR. Vance said that the entire pozSsa.
of removal of any member of the ,poAce
department lay in the hands ofs the
nayOr alone. Mayor Drew said pnat II
this were so he would himself take ac-
ton but he would like to have MT
Vance and Mr.. Hilton meet Chief Ram
sey and the other city officers ia whose
hands the enforcement u the law lay,
/ ard he appointed las-Tks Anz tot Jas
In the meantime Mayor Drew asked
! City Attorney Bird for an opinion as to
his power to remove Chief Ramsey II
| he deemed it necessary, and MI. Blru
| cOrrOborated the opinion OF Mr.. vance
At the conference last night Inere
| were present besides Mayor Drew, the
/ members of the police department com
! mittee of the council, consisting OF FREQ
Roundtree, W. F. Weber. s A. Swend-
! son and S. c. Miller: Chief Ramsey,
| Sergeants Donovan and Belts. and De-
| tective Gilmore, of the police force; Po-
| lice Judge Magaw, City Attorney Bird
and his assistant, D T. GregS' VINO
| looks after the police court cases; ana
| A. H Vance, H r. Hilton, W. IL
| Cowles, J. B. McAfee, Frank Foster, T.
| P. Rolmar and DR.. Stewart
| Mayor Drew said that he was satis-
/ fed that there We're a large number or
| Joints running in Topeka. and that as
| soon as they are pulled" anu their
| stock confiScated beer wagon drives
| around to their back door and stocks
| them up again He said he had asked
| the citizens who were complaining OF
the inactivity of the police department
| to meet the officers of the police force
| the enforcement of the law
| In the discussion which followed Mr..
| Vance said that he thought the ponce
| men ought to go right into the JOINTS
| and secure the names Of people VINO
| were there This the policemen nave
| not been doing under orders, because
it was tried several months ago. anu
the TEMPERANCE people lodged COM
plaint after complaint with Mayor
Drew because police officers were seen
ssfreuuenting joints" At one time last
summer Mayor Drew gave orders Tor
the policemen to visit a certain noto-
rious Joint and secure the names OF the
parties who were inside, and INSIDE oL
! two hours after the officers Went lhtO
the place the mayors telephone pesa1
ringing and all day people telephoned
in complaints against those two offlcers-
| ON this account Mayor Drew told the
policemen to keep out OF the Jollls- -.
City Attorney Bird said that the CITY
I had undertaken a laborious task TO en-
force The entire prohioltofy law, WnSiI t
the legislature clearly INTENDED tiat me me
county officers should do 1t, pul aS inc
: county attorney would do nothing, II re-
mained for the city to enforce the NUS
ance ordinance against joints, gafnpiins
houses and disOrderly places
! .TTbis idea that a policeman ought To
! ! keep out of the joints is all rot A po-
: lcenlan's place is where there IS CRIME
or- where crime is apt to be committed
2 SThe noiiee ought to go into these places
I and drink if necessary to get evidence
against them Since the county oInceIa
are doing nothing toward enforcing tAc
prohibitory law it might be a good ldea
for the policemen to leave the other
state laws to the sheriff and look afteI
| fhe nuisance ordinance especially. On
: the docket of the next term of the dls-
l l | trict court there are 29 city cases aP-
! / pealed from the police court All Dut
! ! | of them are liquor cases. On the same
docket are Is state criminal cases, anu
only one of them is a whisky case II
is harder to secure a conviction in the
. district court on an appeal from the po-
lice court than it does in state case
: and it takes more evidence to convict IN
a liquor case than it does in a murder
= Chief Ramsey had little to say be
: yond asking few questions OF MT
: what power" Chief Ramsey asked;
d sshasa police officer to go into a place ana
i raid it simply upon seeing the para
e nhernalia there without a warrant
y Il do not think Mr.. Vance replleu'
e that a place could be raided without
4 warrant simply because the stun S w.
/ there but if anyone one was drankihs W
e or if there was any act to indicate lsl th5-,
e a sale had been made the officer WOuIo
o be empowered to arrest the parties ahC
r confscate the liquors without a wa
e rant Then he could get his WafIais
y and secure the other paraphernalla Al