The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-06-28


Of the women apologetically.
You should not make such charges
unless you are sure of your informa-
ton, said Governor Stanley
'fWen, what are you going to do about
the joints in Topeka, governor" asked
Mrs. Hedges.
Il have appointed an assistant attor-
ney general for you, and that's all the
law gives me the power to do replied
the governor. why don't you go to
him? have no more power to enforce
the laws in Topeka than any other citi-
zen, except through other officers. can
not bring prosecutions. The law does
not let me do that Prosecutions must
be brought through the officers whom
you elect. If your county officers Will
not bring the prosecutions, go after
them"
we used to have the law enforced
here Why isn't it enforced now?'' ask
ed one Of the women.
Why is it?" repeated Governor
Stanley Why do you people elect a
county attorney and a district judge
and mayor who eonnives at such
things The county attorney is the man
whom you must look to. Every prose-
| cutiOn must be started by him.
W ny don't you put officers out of
office who refuse to do their duty2" ask
ed one of the women.
The law gives me no answer to do
such thing. replied the governor.
ou have to go into the supreme court
to do that. An action has to be brought
there. It is no easy thing to do to i'm
peach public officials, but it can be
done if they refuse to do their duty
Don't you think it is your duty to
! do that2" asked Miss Boies.
NO, 1 don't. If I did it, it would be
as a private citizen, and I think it is
more the duty of citizens of Topeka to
bring complaints against their county
officers than for me, for they have a.
vote here and DON'T
We'll. do you believe the law can be
! "a off xrrf1o in,
favor of it2' asked Mrs. Hedges
I most certainly do said the govern
or "Hou kept the joints closed here
when you had men like f. B. Welch for
county officers. Why don't the men-the
talk and pass resolutions and then let
! you women go out and act Why when
they were talking about raising $1,000 to
push the enforcement Of the law, some
OF them came here to me and asked me
! to pardon Mrs. Nation said all right.
! go and raise the money for her fine and
I'll pardon her. Ii only required $50 or
sues matter-Ive forgotten just how
much-and they didn't do it
well YOU are with Us, governor, amt
you2" said one.
Yes. am said the governor. heartily
Il presume things are in bad shape here
don't know anything about it from per
| sonal knowledge, because I never go
around joints and I never drank a glass of
! liquor in my life. I appointed an assistant
! attorney general to close these places. but
that's all the law let's me do. Anybody can
bring a complaint If you get the evidence,
but you have to get your county attorney
] TO start lH6 prosecution. 1nen you can
hire any lawyer you want to to help pros
ecute it, and the county attorney can not
/ dismiss it without his consent This law
was passed by the last legislature
DO we have TO taste the stuff in order
to get evidence2H asked Mrs Hedges.
No. not if you can prove otherwise that
it is liquor. All you have to prove is that
! it is liquor and that it was sold If you
suspect that liquor is kept in a place con-
trary to law you can serve a complaint
] and have it searched and the liquor
/ seized
well. things are getting awful bad here
! governor said one Of the delegation. II
/ wouldn't believe it till I saw it myself
! We saw them sell the stuff with our own
/ eyes and saw people in these places
] drinking-men and women, and boys
I some of them no larger than your boy.
/ governor; We have been praying about
/ this matter, whether we should sit down
/ 70 the bad, or Try TO do something TO save
''Wen you can go to any lawyer you
I have confidence in and he will tell you
( the same as I do" said Governor Stan
! ley. "C1o and consult them, and If there
/ is anything can do to help you I'll do 1t.
But don't take somebody's S word such
talking about Consult some lawyer and
/ then if there is anything I can do, come
back and tell me-"
Then the delegation filed out
I'VE didn't come to make trouble, said
one of the women to a State Journal re-
porter as they left the governors office.
We had been told a lot of things and we
wanted TO find out Tn glad We came.
several OtH6FS ecnOeu tLleSt S6tlliuielltSf
but Miss Boies held different view. She
was not satisfied with what Gov. Stanley
had said. She thought he was lodging the
question
The governor said he had no more pow
er to enforce prohibition than private
citizen" commented Miss Boies. Now.
isn't there a contingent fund whereby the
governor can offer a reward for the cap
ture and conviction of all violators of
criminal law. especially murderers. in
cluding the InurderOus liquor business2
And why has he kept still about being
attorney for that Wichita woman. if it
wasn't true2 II it hadn't been true, why
/ didn't he deny it then2|
4'They are evidently sincere. Well-mean-
ing women said Governor Stanley after
his visitors had gone. But. somebody has
been giving them a lot of mistaken notions
about what the governor, can do Then
they took for granted that Dixie Lee
story The truth was that Vermillion, my
! old law partner in Wichita was attorney
for Dixie Lee. not in a joint case. but in
case in which they We're trying to get
some of her property for the Missouri Pa
cific and I didn't have anything more to
do with it than these women. was never
attorney for a jOintist before I became
I let alone since -