The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-03-30
ALMOST FUNNY.
Charge That Bristow Wanted
to "Get Even"
Talk of a Trap Sounds Rather
Strange.
KEPT OUT OF TRIAL.
No Effort Made to Use 1t as
Defense.
Prosecution Was the Result OF
Law Violation.

The friends of Joseph L. Bristow are
indignant over the intimation of the
hackers of Senator Burton that Burton's
conviction was caused by a desire on the
part of Bristow to get even" They
say the intimation is sent forth in or
der to create sympathy for Burton and
make out that he is victim" instead
of a criminal.
There is no pretense of a denial that
Burton is guilty of the charge against
him, for he admitted the most important
facts at the time of his Indictment, but
the idea of his hackers is to create the
impression that Bristow has been per
scouting Burton and that a trap was
laid for him.
There was. no such defense made in
Burton's trial at st. Louis. The idea
of a trap was not even suggested.
Instead it was told by Burton's own
friends how he had been led into the
Rialto deal because of his earlier asso-
citation with the Weltmer school," an
other fraudulent concern, and because
of his experience in that instance when
the Weltner concern had trouble with
the postoffice department, 1t was
thought he would be valuable man
to aid the Rialto company in its diff
culties-
authorities had that Burton had any
connection with the Rialto company was
when he himself told them and tried to
get information from the department at
the request of the Rialto officers, the
very thing for which he was indicted.
There was no evidence in the trial at
st. Louis to show that Mr.. BriStOw
knew anything about BurtOn'S cOnnec-
tion with the Rialto company until
Burton went to BriStOW and demanded
that Mr.. Dice. the inspector in charge
at st. Louis, be ordered to return to
the Rialto company the books and rec
ordS of the defunct Brooks Brokerage
company. Mr.. Bristow refused to COM
ply with this demand, telling Burton
that the parties who wanted the rec
ords returned should apply to the
United States district attorney in st.
Louis. Possibly thas was a trap" on
the part of Bristow and was where he
got even.''
1t would not be at all out of keeping
with Mr.. Bristow's disposition and
ideas of right if he had pushed the
prosecution of Burton. for his record
in the pOStOffice Investigations indi-
Gates that he is no respector of persons
but no evidence was introduced at st.
Louis to show that he had anything
to do with it, although inspectors in
his department were witnesses against
| Senator Burton for the reason that the
work which Burton was asked to per-
form in the postoffice department Tor
the Rialto company came under Br.s-
! tows department. The prosecution is
a credit to BriStow if he is respOnsi bic
for it.
1t is true that Bristow and Burton
are not members of the same political
faction in the Republican party. They
are exact opposites in many respects.
Burton has no conception of Bristow S
! standard of integrity among public
officials. They had little in common.
| The ottawa Herald, in discussing Id
| itOrially the statements of the Kansas
| City Journal relative to Burton and
duced in the State Journal Tuesday,
says:
''Reviewing the Burton case this
morning, the Kansas City Journal
Burton was technically guilty of vio-
lating the law. but the fact remains
| that Bristow's prosecution of Burton
! has been more for revenge than for the
good it would do the public service.
| This is the familiar excuse of the crim-
| inal who is punished for his crimes
somebody has it in for him. 1t is a
| companion utterance to the Journal $
expression that the prosecution of the
| thieves in the postal department was
the result of pin-headed jealousy in
| Mr.. Bristow's department. 1t is inter-
esting to note how the individual or
| newspaper having no sense of moral
obligation, regarding the public and So
| c1etY as nelQS lOI the CQlllNdt1OH VI
| graft attribute to the course of others
| the motives which govern every action
! of their own. 1t seems to be impossible
for the Kansas City Journal to con-
| ceive how laws may be invoked, OF
crime punished or official obligation re-
uuired. unless a graft prompts the ac-
| ton. To the Journals diseased moral
! conception laws are made to enable
men to satisfy private grudges; more
/ for private revenge than for the gooc
/ - Il 70 i00
prosecution of thieves is the result OF
/ 'pin-headed jealousy; the arraignnleni
/ of a United States senator for trifing
with his obligation is the carrying out
| of private grudge. The Journal is
probably honest in this view-it is the
I Journals way of looking at things; il
reflects the opinion which dominates
/ the Journal In the mind of the public
which has no such peculiar code OF
morals as the Journal, the prosecution
4 of Senator Burton is the result of Sen
ator Burtons violation of the law
According to public view. a senator
who sells his influence as Burton is
found to have done, has rnerited pun
/ ishment for the protection of the pub
! lie interest and for the maintenance OF
| integrity of official service. The fact
| that Senator Burton and Mr.. BristoW
! happen to have been factiona1 oppon-
ents was probably not considered by
the jury which found Senator Burton
guilty 1t has not been considered by
anybody but the Journal, which car
apparently see no reason why laws
should be enforced except in the fur
| therance of a private job