The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-17
WANT HIM TO RETURN
KANSAS CITY REPUBLICANS ARE
AFTER JAMES vi. JONES.
An Agitation Begun Upon h Occa-
sion of the Recent Visit of
Kansas City officials.

w men the party OF hdnSdS GllN OlllGAdlS
and business men came TO Indianapolis car
nival week as the guests OF Hugh ]. Nc
Gowan, president, and James NJ. Jones. vice
president and assistant manager of the
local street railroad company, one of the
chief subjects Of conversation when the
men were left TO themselves was the re-
sentiment they feel towards the city Of In
dianapolis for drawing away from Kansas
City two OF its most prominent and best
liked citizens in the persons of Mr.. Nc
Gowan and Mr.. Jones. Many of the party
went so far as TO declare their belief
that Mr.. Jones, or Judge Jones as they de-
light TO call him, will in the near future
return to his old home and consent TO re-
sumo his former position at the head of
Republican politics in the city on the
banks OF the Kaw.
Mr.. Jones's former neighbors and friends
took keen pleasure in recounting while
in this city the interesting history Of the
struggle to nominate and elect their ia
vorite TO the position. first of city judge.
and later mayo of Kansas City. The
story dealt also with the relentless war
waged by Judge and Mayor Jones against
two evils that once made life almost I'M
NoA III bA0 0bg7SdAADltlS SAO AhA
fianism.
Prior 10 the year 1894 Kansas City was
cursed with a gang Of rowdies, led by a
character known as "Reddy' O'Brien, and
by an army Of gamblers and policy sharks,
commanded by a man named Ed Findlay.
1t was difficult to tell which was more Sc
curely intrenched in his lawlessness,
O'Brien or Findlay. They possessed a
secret but magic pull with successive ad-
ministrations, and their careers continued
unchecked until at last the better element
in the city rose up in arms against them.
In 1894 a Committee of Seventy was or
gained and James NJ. Jones, at that time
comparatively unknown, was put forward
as the independent candidate for city judge.
After a contest, the bitterness Of which
is still wildly remembered. he was elected.
For two years Judge Jones waged relent-
less war against O'Brien and Findlay and
their cohorts until he succeeded in landing
a majority of them in the workhouse for
long terms.
Mr.. Jones's record as city judge won him
public commentator to such an extent
that at the expiration of his term he was
put forward without dissent as the nomi-
nee of the Republican party for mayor Of
the city and triumphantly elected. He soon
found himself confronted with the neces-
sity Of waging fresh warfare against the
men he had thought conquered into SUBJ
mission. The situation came about from
the fact that two of the three members of
the board of police commissioners. Of which
he was by virtue of his office the third
member and chairman. were Democrats
and apparently in sympathy with the gam
bling elements of the city. Mayor Jones
at once set about to collect proof of his
suspicious that his fellow-commissioners
were not doing their duty and that gam
bling was again iourishing in the city.
and at each weekly meeting of the board
he made his associates squirm by bringing
forward evidence he had thus obtained.
Finally the mayor demanded of the up-
per branch of the State Legislature a
"Lexow" committee to investigate the sit
uation in Kansas City. A committee from
the lower branch, however, came instead.
and after several weeks of partisan inves-
tigation slipped out of the city one night
and never returned. The cause of the COM
mittee's sudden exodus was a clever coup
d'etat of the mayor. The chief of police of
the city had boldly asserted during a ses-
sion Of the Investigating committee that
there was no policy game in existence in
Kansas City. Mayor Jones at once dis
patched one Of his emissaries to a policy
shop for a ticket. When the messenger re-
turned the mayor struck CONSERVATION to
the hearts of the prejudiced Investigators
by showing them the evidence of the police
chiefs prevarication.
Later a Senate committee came to Kan
sas City and made a fair Investigation. sus-
tanning every contention OF Mayor Jones.
and as a result Of their report the Senate
voted against a confirmation of the ap-
pointments Of each of the other two police
commissioners Mayor Jones was re-elect-
ed in 1898 in the face of the fact that the
Democrats placed against him in the race
one of the strongest men in the city. After
serving his second term he declined TO re-
enter politics and took under consideration
a number Of fattering business proposi-
tons made to him. Among these was the
offer of the vice presidency Of the Indian
apolis Street-railroad Company, made by
Hugh ]. MCGOWAN, between whom and Mr..
Jones exists the closest friendship.
DO you wonder that we want Judge
Jones back in our city?' said one of the
Kansas City officials enthusiastically. I've
need him and we are going to have him."
THE BOSTON CONSCIENCE,