The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-09
CLAY CENTER NOW
That City Has Renewed Fight
for Asylum.
Supreme Court Decision Has
Its Queer Phases.
THE END is NOT YET.
Another Injunction Has Been
Asked For at Clay Center.
Fight Has Weakened Admins
tratiOn in Labette.

In view of the dictum contained in the
recent decision Of the supreme court which
seems to indicate that Parsons may
obtain the insane asylum by having the
board of charities condemn the land, the
county attorney of Clay county has
brought an action in the name of the
state to enjoin the board of charities
from proceeding to condemn the real
estate
The petition was filed Monday and
service of summons was made upon R
Vincent, member of the board, as he
was passing through Clay Center upon
a train this morning. The attorneys
representing Clay Center claim that sec
ton 46 of the session laws of 1881 is re-
pealed by the later statute which creates
the board of public works, and gives TO
that board authority to condemn land
for the state institutions. This later act
is chapter $50 of the session laws of 1891
and it expressly repeats all acts and
parts of acts in conflict Herewith.
Temporary injunction was granted by
the probate Judge of Clay county in the
absence of District Judge Glass.
The business men of Clay Center, be-
neving that the decision of the supreme
court effectuaIly depriveS Parsons of the
proposed new insane asylum, have held
a meeting and arranged the preliminaries
for the fight which that city will make
before the next legislature to secure the
asylum for Clay Center.
The Clay county boomers claim to
have the solid backing of the Fifth con-
gressional district which is an assuring
fact in the asylum matter because Clay
Center has heretofore had several rivals
for that honor.
Salina has been an aspirant for this
honor for several years while Concordia
has been in the way of asylum deals by
standing out for state normal school
branch.
The supreme court decision opens the
way for another injunction from Clay
Center and the necessary process Will
soon be served, according to intimations
received in Topeka at this time.
The supreme court sustained the in
junction against the board of charities,
preventing them from paying the vOuch-
ers from the committee which located the
duty of the board to condemn the land.
The court does not enjoin the board
from paying for land which is purchased
In this manner, but does enjoin the board
from paving for land purchased by the
special committee.
The purpose is to delay this matter as
long as possible, permitting the time for
the legislature to convene before the be-
ginning of actual work at Parsons.
This controversy has two or three
phases which are amusing The first is
the bitter enmity towards each other
which has arisen among the people re-
siding in the two counties.
Another is the charge by Labette
county people that Governor Stanley has
against Parsons AS a matter of fact
the governor has taken no part in this
matter eitherfor or against Parsons and
the lawyers who represent Parsons were
indignant, at the outset, because the
governor would not help them.
In a primary election fight which fol-
lowed soon after this trouble commenced
T. N. Sedgwick of the Katy and P. T.
Foley and some of his friends in fight
ing an opposition element circulated the
charges that Stanley had been helping
Clay Center.
This has been taken up since that
time by others and the local Republican
authorities find that the result of the
fight is working against the Republican
ticket, particularly the governor and At
torney General GODDARD.
Various explanations have been offer
ed by the local managers but the real
reason, so the politicians claim, is that
the politicians started the trouble and
are now unable to stop it.
So, this asylum row is becoming a
menace to the success of the Repubh-
cans in Labette county and efforts are
din ected towards reaching some sort of
a compromise which will place the re-
sponsibility for the trouble where it be-