The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-06-29
STATE SIDE SHOW.

The plan of Warden Jewett and the
board of penitentiary directors to make
a sideshow of the state penitentiary by
charging ten cents admission to visit
ors, is not being received with favor.
The Western Life, a Leavenworth mag
azine, has an editorial on the question,
in which it advances a queer reason for
the order 1t is scarcely possible that
state officials would be guilty of such
a smallness of spirit as it suggested BY
the editorial. which is as follows:
There is a great deal of indignation
among those who have visited the peni-
Tertiary lately and have had to pay ten
cents admission 1t is understood that
Warden Jewett is not responsible for
the change; Chief Clerk Barnes is en-
titled to the credit 1t was on his ad-
vice that Warden JeWett and the board
of directors acted It may be that it is
very annoying for visitors to be al
lowed to go through the workshops when
the cOnvictS are at work. But it is not
necessary that visitors go through the
workshops every day in the week
There is no reason, however, why Wis
itors cannot be shown the cells. the
dining room. the chapel and places of
that kind any day. When the charge of
ten cents was Hrst made it was stated
that the fund would be used for buy
ing books for the cOnvicts; afterwards
it was announced that the money would
be used for hiring extra guards for
taking care Of the visitors. In the first
place. there is no law authorizing the
warden and board of directors to make
any charges for admission to the peni-
tertiary; and In the second place. there
is no law allowing them to hire extra
guards.
If the warden ana directors do not
want the people of Kansas. who are
the owners of the Kansas state peni-
tertiary, to have the privileges they
have had in the past. let them issue an
order prohibiting all parties from Wis
lt1ng the prison Delaware township
has always been Republican until the
last election. when it went Democratic
Governor Stanley is the first COVER or
that lost the vote Of that township. and
we do not hold the governor resp n
sible for the people voting the Demo-
cratic ticket, but it was the acts of his
subordinates that brought about the
change. Warden Tomlinson and the
board of directors agitated the question
for the state to build it's own houses
for the guards. This Lansing property
owners objected to; and then Lansing
Is a prohibition town. the guards 1T the
penitentiary patronized and protected
the only Joint IN Lansing, and they also
had whisky shipped direct to the prison
in demijohns. The people of Lansing
protested against this. but to no pur-
pose These were two of the things
that made the people Of Delaware
township vote against Governor stan
le--.
A-atl@iliS people are very proud OF
their little town. they have been look
ing forward to an increase Of visitors.
and have provided good restaurants.
ice cream parlors and places of this
kind. and the question with them now
IS, Has the ten cents admission fae
been established to keep visitors from
coming to Lansing?' Is that the plan
the administration has adopted to nun
ish the people of Lansing for voting the
Democratic ticket2 If So it is a very
poor one. and It certainly viii not ka
any Republican votes. Not only viii il
drive the people of LeavenwOrth city
and county against the Republican ad-
ministration, but every man and wo-
man who has to contribute ten cents
to the great state of Kansas before he
ing allowed to visit the penirentiary.
VIII become an enemy of the nepubH-
can party