The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-02
WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH
WOLFF


fed under three general heads, as fol-
lows
l. His drinking habits
?. His ealiber as a man and council
man.
8. His connection with suspicious
condition of police affairs
The Committee of Two Hundred, at a
sparsely attended meeting. made
strictly ex parte investigation of these
charges, and completely exonerated Mr..
Wolf The investigation does not sat
isfy the mass of people, who want both
sides of the case to be heard.
Mr. Wolf is therefore the avowed, ac-
credited candidate of the prohibitionists.
His record must be viewed from this
standpoint
In the first place. Mr.. VOLTS personal
habits are not those of a temperance
man. There is an overwhelming mass
of evidence that Mr.. Wolf not only
drinks. but drinks hard. This charge is
not seriously disputed except by VOLTS
most radical partisans. City officials
who are intimately associated with Mr..
Wolf, business men who have repeated
ly seen Mr. Wolf drinking in joints, and
flood relief workers to whom Wolf and
his bottle were a familiar sight, unite in
the declaration that Wolf practices an
entirely different theory from what he
breaches.
Mr.. VOLTS small caliber may best be
illustrated by his conduct during the
distribution of flood relief funds. Wolf,
by lowering like a vulture over the
North Topeka unfortunates, by issuing
and signing orders on his own hard
ware store, almost swept the board of
this class of business, securing $3,440
worth of business, in addition to a. good
many hundreds given to the North To-
peka store in which he owns a third in
terest. Not satisfied with getting all
the business. he filed his orders, in
some cases at least, with inferior goods
thus increasing his profits. His record
in the city council has been character
lied by the same grasping methods.
Mr.. VOLTS known avarice for finan-
cial gain, Illustrated by his flood re-
lief deal, is perhaps responsible in part
for the bad odor which has been aris-
ing from the police department of the
city of Topeka. VOLTS conduct as
member of the police committee has
been such that the suspicious of the
other two members of the committee
have been aroused. One of Mr.. VOLTS
colleagues on that committee declares
that he will not serve on that COM
mittee again, because of the unsavory
reputation which the committee has
gained. Wolf boldly claims the honor"
of Chief McCollum's appointment He
and McCollum have virtually con-
trolled the police department, since
Mayor Bergundthal publicly surren-
dered the charge of the department
to McColIum. Under their adninistra-
ton, the joints are running more bold
ly and openly than they did under
Mayor Parker and Chief Donovan.
Gambling houses are prospecting. That
the jointists are satisfied with the
Wolf McCCllum regime is shown by
the fact that all OF the king bees in
the unlawful business are working,
either openly or quietly, for VOLTS re-
election, with the hope that he will be
retained as a member of the police
committee. Those who are in close
touch with the situation assert. posi-
lively that some sort of an understand
ing exists between the police and the
so-called beer combine" While such
an unholy alliance would be a very
difficult and perhaps impossible thing
to prove, yet the circumstances are so
very peculiar that people who really
favor prohibition are justified in OPP
posing Mr.. Wolf, even if he is the
regular Republican nominee" with all
the party machinery at his back.
Never in the history of Topeka has
such a peculiar condition existed as
exists today in the Third ward, where
the law and order faction and the
whisky faction are both putting up
money to aid in the election of the
same man.
on the other hand, the opposing can
didate, William Green, is a real law
and order man. a temperance man in
practice and principle, an exemplary
citizen in every respect. Not one word
of criticism is uttered against him. A
council of such men would give the
city a model board of aldermen. He is
a successful! business man, has not
sought the office. but consents to &C
| cept if elected. as matter of duty.
through the urgent request of the best
people in his ward. Such man should
be elected by reclamation. His op-
ponents make no charges against him
can make none-but they accuse his
supporters and friends with being in
league with the iointists and whisky
| element and gamblers.
The friends of William Green will
resent at the polls the announcement
4 by the Wolf supporters that the cam
paign for Green is conducted by joint
lists and gamblers.
The marvel of the situation is that
certain good people, and there are
many of them, too, like Mrs McCarter,
DR.. Stewart E. B. Cowgirl, and others,
can be hoodwinked and deceived by a
hypocrite like Wolf sailing under false
colors
HIGH SCHOOL OF CRIMINoLoGY
TFrom the Chicago Tribune.J
The Emperor William is preparing to