The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-13

PARKER.
Ex-Mayor Talks About the
Joint Situation.
Says There Are More Than
When He Was Mayor.
WILL BE NO LET UP.
Mr.. Bergundthal Determined to
Keep Up War.
WILL BE NO LET UP.
Evidence of Conflict Between
City Attorney and Mayor.

Ex-Mayor Albert Parker is one man
in Topeka who views with considerable
complacency the vigorous and vain eff
forts of the present administration to
choke out the joints, gambling houses
and places of bad repute.
Il guess they're finding out" said Mr..
Parker today, that old Parker wasn't
so very far off, after all. They abused
me frightfully because 1 made the joints
pay the city well for the privilege of
being let alone, but now they have got
just the kind of an administration they
want, from top to bottom; and we have
more joints than we had when I was
mayor, and the city is paying out thou
sands of dollars in perfectly futile
effort to suppress them
There's no one in Topeka who would
better like to see every joint in town
smut up than myself. But have be-
come convinced that it can't be done,
ana [ think that the results of Mayor
Bergundthals efforts will convince eV-
erybody in Topeka that there is an OPP
portunity for an honest difference of
opinion on this question A man isn't
necessarily a bum and thug simply
because he believes that the city should
compel these joints to pay over $25,0OO
A wear toward the running expenses of
There are more joints in Topeka
right now than there ever were under
my Administered ton. Why? Simply be
cause then we charged such heavy
monthly fine that only the big places
could afford to run. The little JOINTS
were all obliged to close up. Ihey
could not afford to fight us without
the aid Of the big joints, ana the Dig
Joints preferred to have the little ones
closed. So we had the business confined
to a few places, and could see to 1t that
these places were properly conducted.
Now there is a little joint in every mole
in the wall along Kansas avenue ana
the big ones are all running just as
wide open as they have ever run IN the
history of the city. Anyone VINO mas
been about town little knows this. "
be a fact Mayor Bergundthal IS nay
ing lust about the kind of a time ne
can expect to have as long as ne 'raes
to follow this policy.
In snite of the strenuous fight which
is being made on his plan OF hansuils
the joint situation. Mayor beIs ~
is standing firmly in favor OF a con
tinuation of the fight on the joints. lie
III won't do a bit of good to talk to
me about licensing the joints; l Moa.u
no more think of entering into part
nership with these joint keepers 10
allow them to run under the License
system than I would think of opening
| Joint myself.
| ing and annoying question IL axes
M the ii, e of CITY officials who should
he left free for other things. 1T means
constant fight so long as we have the
rrohibitorv law There will be no let
up But l can't see any better way
tIlan TO keep on fighting, and make the
| Joints all the trouble we can.
Mayor Bergundthal emphatically as
serte that there will be no radical
changes IN the police department ''Ne
are going to change four or five OF the
ratroImen. said the mayor. ''as soon
| as we can find better men for their
places. but so far as q radical shake-up
or Changes of the chief Officials. the
public might as we'll give up expecting
! that .
While so far the members Of the police
committee and the other parties to the
recent administration conference nave
future policy, it is stated on good au-
| thority that the radical differences be-
| tween Mayor Bergundthal and City At
| tornev Spencer have not been patched UP.
| tanned by Councilmen Howe and Wolf in
| demanding a continuation of the cam
paign of harassment against the joints
while City Attorney Spencer insists thal
| the only sensible way is to accumulate
| a lot of good evidence against joIntist
before making any arrest. Neither Mayor
Bergundthal nor City Attorney spencer
| will admit that there is any lack of har-
monv but the trouble is liable to break
out openly sometime when the present
somewhat aggravated condition is older
sonal feeling in the matter. for 1t is no
| doubt true that Mayor BergundthaT :
| chances for denomination and City Attor-
ney Spencer's prospects for future polltl,
cal preferment at the hands of the law
and order people depend considerably on
which one can throw the blame for the
existence of joints onto the other shoui-
| dels.