The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-02-19
Society Trouble Settled
by a Lawsuit.
Case of Whether Old Officers
Should Hold Over.
HAD A LIVELY TIME.
Decision Went to the Regulars
Unanimously.
Insurgents Made Threats but
Finally subsidized.

OOAAA
of the Topeka high school was trans
formed from a work-a-day school room
to a tribunal of justice, where the priIi-
cipal of the school and the teachers sat
in high backed chairs, looked wise and
assumed the roles of chief high justice
of the court and jurors, respectively.
Principal L. D. Whittemore acted as
judge of the court and Miss Viola
Troutman, Miss Elizabeth Davidson and
J. W. Stout were the members of the
jury.
The jury was unanimous in its deois-
ion announced this morning in favor OF
the first election held on February 3.
Immediately a few of the dlSgruntled
members of the Philomatheum society,
forgetting the original agreement &c
abide by the decision of the court trial,
called for a special meeting with the end
in view of Withdrawing from the society
and thereby diSbanding its organization
A speech from Principal L. d. White
more had the effect of making the mem
bers of the defea ted faction see the mat
ter in a more cheerful light and with
draw their support from the movement
to disband.
A meeting will be called soon when
amendments to the constitution may be
considered to prevent a recurrence OF
the trouble that arose at this election.
The question before the court for trial
was on the legality of an election held
y W
were elected to the two literary socic-
ties of the school. The members of the
four upper classes are required to be-
long to one of the two societies and tic
take part in the rhetorical exercises 1t
has always been customaryfor the three
highest classes to organize and elect. Oh
ficers for the two societies before the
time that the members of the sophomore
class were qualified as sub-juniors
thereby making them eligible to all the
privileges as members of the societies.
Approximately Cne-nalf of each of the
classes belong to each society. The two
strongest of the three higher classes US
ually unite in nominating a ticket in
each society, and those candidates are
always elected
The sub-junior class of this term, al
though not qualified as sub-juniors I'M
til after the time the election was held,
chafed under the knowledge that they
had no voice in the election of the OIL
GERS that were ito preside during The
term and breaking the traditional rules
of the societies attempted to establish
d precedent by a motion made in open
meeting in the assembly room to re-
Scind the election of February and to
hold another election at the next reg
ular meeting day on February II.
The coup of the sub-junior class came
as such a surprise to the junior and
Sub-senior class members, who had
combined against the seniors, that oe-
fore they were aware the motion was
seconded, put to vote, and by reason
of the fact that the sub-junior and
senior classes outnumbered the junior
and sub-senior the motion was carried
Another election was held and an en-
tirely different set of officers for edch
side named At the trial at the nigh
school yesterday arguments were pre-
scented by members of the two factions
who acted as attorneys for their
Clients the officers, to show why eacn
set of officers should remain in Office.
Ranged about two great tables the
attorneys" for the two factions sat
and glowered at their opponents. Piled
high on the tables were law books and
reference works of recognized author
ity. These We're referred to from time
to time. and citations made from the
decisions of various judges in substan-
tfation of the claims put forth by the
attorneys"
Shortly after o'clock the attorneys"
for the plaintiffs in the case came
marching into the high school building
loaded down with law books from
which f1uttered hundreds of page mark
ers. The young men marched directly
to the assembly hall and deposited the
books on the table.
They were followed soon after by tie
attorneys for the defendants. They
carried nothing but their briefs and ar
guments. Soon after the session of the
court began two messenger boys came
trudging in, burdened with heavy
load of law books.
The case was opened by the reading
of a lengthy brief by Hugh Larin1er,
who comes from a family of lawyers,
in which he stated the ease and re-
gument after argument, pro and con,
for fully two hours, interrupted now
and then by the objection of the coun-
sci of the opposing side. The young
lawyers very nicely initiated their ED
ers in receiving the decisions of the
judge in sustaining or overruling, tie
objections, by retaining their usual
and not displaying by out
ward emotion their opinion of the de-
cisions of the Judge.
The contention n AIDE by the attor-
neyS for the defense was that the sec
ond election was void in view of the
language of the constitution of the 1T
erary societies, and that the first cleo
ton, made in accordance with the rules
of the societies, was legal The officers,
they claimed. could only be ousted from
office after impeachment.
The argument of the attorneys for the
plaintiffs in the case was that the sub
juniors were Disseminated against, and
that in all justice they should be al
lowed to vote for the officers of the
society. In bis arguments in opposition
to the precedent esta blished by former ,
classes, Orlando Deever asserted that
the Yankees had eliminated the word
precedent" from their vocabulary.
TIE answer of the defendants to this
was that if they We're con-
WINGED of the Injustice of the constitu-
ton of the societies to the sub-jun1ofs,
they had recourse in forming an amend
meat to the constitution that would
the evil; that the trial of the
case in court to determine the legality
of the election was not the proper place
to determine the justice of the consti-
tuition of the societies.
The attorneys who n ade the plead |
ings for the defense were Hugh Lari- /
mer. Ralph futile, Harry Figby and
Hinkle Guy.
TIE attorneys for the plaintiffs. or the
officers last elected, were James Nc