The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-10-28


Impossible as it may seem, it is
nevertheless undoubtedly true that the
adherents of J. r. Burton will try to
make him out a martyr, and, if the
government fails to convict him by
the time of the next senatorial cleo
ton, he viii be a candidate for re-
election If you don't believe this,
read the following from the Clay Cen
ter Times:
The exact whereabouts of the Sen
ator Burton prosecution is beyond
reckoning. When his demurrer was
sustained last week, it knocked out
everything according to common un-
derstanding. The government must
back up, be more specific and observe
the rules of procedure meted out to
common people. The demurrer sim
ply brought to focus the questions,
/ when. where, who with, were in
Vesugations pending; all elemental
according to the ordinary understand
ing. But the government was deter
mined and it's court found him guilty.
IL IS equally determined now and
somebody is as vicious as ever. There
was talk recently to the effect that the
government knew it could Go nothing
I but was going to keep alive the con-
trOVersy by whatsoever means, until
/ Burton's time as senator should ex-
( ptre- In other words, the government
is trying to do political business. If
BufCOn can secure a speedy trial, If
/ the government falls down again, as it
VIII; if he is acquitted, as he will
probably be; if the government forces
! him into the martyr business as it is
doing, he may come back home and
secure reelection Kansas takes
queer notions sometimes, and if it be-
! comes convinced that this prOsecu-
/ ton is persecution and there is organ
/ ization behind it the Lord can only
guess what will happen"
/ OF course the Burton indictment
was quashed the other day on a
/ technicality, and Judge Vandeventer
! ordered a special grand jury to be
| convened as soon as possible to again
! take up the matter of indfcting him
in order to correct the faulty indict-
ment.
/ There is not a particle of question
about BurtOn's hiring out to aid a get
rich-cOncern that was operating
in violation of the laws to swindle
the poor out of their savings. He adj
mits that he was attorney for Major
Hugh Dennis, president of the Rialto
Grain and Securities company, but
claims that he was to help defend
Dennis in the federal court in St.
Louis. Yet in a letter from Washing
ton to another attorney of Dennis in
st. Louis he said: you take care of
things out there and I viii look after
this end of the line" The only thing
to be done at the Washington end
was to keep the postoff1ce department
from interfering with the Rialto COM
pany
Then, too, it was shown in Burton s
first trial that the reason he was rec
commended to Dennis was because he
had had experience in fraud order
cases. One Of the witnesses, an ad-
vertising agent who handled the
RialtO cOmpany's advertising. said he
got acquainted with Burton when the
latter was defending Prof Weltmer
Of magnetic healing fame, and know
ing Burton's success in helping Welt
mer when the postofice department
was after him. the witness had recon-
mended Burton to Dennis to help
Dennis if he should get into a like
predicament, as it was feared he
would. This witness brought Dennis
and Burton together
In the face of these facts Burton
friends propose to try to make him
appear as a martyr in case he finally
manages to escape on some techni-
cahty. Think of the nerve of it! But
then, Kelly was reelected so why
not Burton? If Burton escapes CON
vietion he has as good reason to hope
as Kelly had. They are of the same
stripe.