The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-09-01
TALKS ON STREET
Ira TerrilI Tells of Kansts State
Prison.
Burden Of Speech Concerning
Oklahoma Prisoners.
SHOULD NOT WORK.
Law Doesn't Authorize Employ
ment at Hard Labor.
Will Himself File $4,000 Claim
Against State.
SHOULD NOT WORK.

! ~ cording to law and not worked as
slaves in violation of the Oklaho-
ma law, III get out Of this state at
once and go back home and get to my
work., said Ira N. TerriH last night
during the course of an address he
made in the open air on the corner of
| quincy and Sixth streets to an audi
ence of about hundred men and boys
Terrill was sent to the Kansas penften-
tlary from Oklahoma for the killing of
George w. Embree on January g. 1891.
AT different times there have been two
separate life commitments against him
and he was finally incarcerated under a
! Il year sentence and served ten years
ana three months. being released on an
oruer from the governor of Oklahoma.
Since his release in June last Mr.. Ter
riil has been making addresses through
out Kansas for the purpose, as he stated
last night, of appealing to the citizens
OF the state for the enforcement of the
law and for giving the protection Of the
law to the 400 prisoners in the Kansas
penitentiary from Oklahoma who are
/ being worked in slavery. I do not plead
for the release of these prisoners 1 am
merely insisting that they be not com
PEELED to work as labor is not q part
of the penalty. for the punishment Of
crimes in Oklahoma
Mr.. Terrill said he had no intention
of participa ting in the political affairs
of Kansas and in the next breath he
said that a brother of his, a veteran of
the civil war, had written letter to
I
about the prisoners case and had never
received reply. My brother is
staunch Republican in this state,' con-
tinued Mr. Terrill, "and although he
did not get a reply to his letter. he
put his shoulder to the wheel and help
ed elect Hoch, but he is pulling back
this year as are a great number of the
members of the G. A. r. and instead Of
supporting Hoch they are going to vote
for W. A. Harris This statement was
cheered by the crowd.
Terrill also told of having written
repeatedly to Governor Hoch and re-
ceiving no reply He also wrote a. let
ter to President Roosevelt on the
slavery being fostered by the state
of Kansas in working Oklahoma pris-
oners against the law and got no reply
to this letter.
"But if there was a negro in peon-
age in southern Democratic state,''
said Mr.. Terrill, Roosevelt would use
his big site kin a hurry, but in Repub-
lican Kansas, he pays no attention to
system of slavery which is more I'M
lawful and more heinous than any
that was ever practiced in this coun-
try"
Mr. Terrill reiterated his repeated
announcements that he was going to
have Ex-Governor Ferguson of Okla
homa, Ex-Governor Stanley, ex-Gov-
ernor Bailey and Governor Hoch OF
Kansas, as we'll as z. B. Jewett. ex-
warden of the penitentiary, arrested
under federal statutes on a charge of
conspiracy. He claims that these Of
ficials at various time have entered
into a conspiracy in violation OF law
by contracting for the working of the
Oklahoma prisoners in the Kansas
prison. 1t was all right for Kansas
he said, to contract to hold and board
Oklahoma prisoners since the legisla-
ture of 1903 passed a law to that ef-
feet but it was unlawful for Kansas
for the laws of Oklahoma did not Inn
pose labor as a penalty for crime.
It is Mr.. Terrill's contention that he
was committed to the Kansas peniten-
tiary on bogus and forged papers and
in this connection he said that the
authorities at the state prison would
commit a man who was brought to
them from Oklahoma. no matter how
irregular the commitment papers
were
s.Thc wardens of your prison. said
Terrill, care nothing about the pro-
cess of commitment so long as they
can get some more Oklahoma slaves to
work in the mines and factories, so
that they can turn out stuff in COM
petition with the free labor of Kan
sas. It is lawful to make Kansas
prisoners work. because. the laws of
your state specially provide fer It. Tt
is unlawful to make the prisoners from
Oklahoma work for the law Of the
territory does not impose this penalty
and in making them work in prison
is a slavery of the worst sort and they
committed to prison called the at
tention of the authorities to the Okla
homa laws and said that / did not in
tend to work and I was told. You can
work or not work, Mr.. Terrill, just as
you see fit. but If you don't work you
Will lie in a dungeon until you starve |
to death I went to work and you ca n
bet it was the hardest work ever did /
-
against the state of Kansas for about
$4,000 for the work I did while in
prison because in the first place I was |
wrongfully committed and in the sec /
nitted It was unlawful for the au-
thorities Of this state to make me |
work. Terrill said that Kansas could |
wei AFFORD to hold and board Okla |
hona prisoners for forty cents day |
each without making them work He |
said that statistics showed that the /
food of the prisoners in the Kansas /
pen cost between ten and eleven cents /
eat 1t you would become satisfied that
it did not cost that much
Mr.. Terrin said that three bills pro
vIding for the erection of a states
prison IN Oklahoma so that she could 1
take care Of her own prisoners. had /
been vetoed. He said that Oklahoma
paid Kansas 100000 a year board for /
her prisoners and that Kansas made /
another $4,000 a year out Of their Ia
Dor and that this was too big a graft to |
let go of easily.
In maintaining this heinous svs-
tenn Of slavery" said Mr.. TerriII. kan /
sas will reap great bitterness which has
been sowm by the seeds of Iawless men.
You are violating the law in foster
ing slavery IN this state. If the law
don't suit you why you can change
the law amend the constitution of the 4
United States and make Kansas a slave
state, but I don't believe you people Of {
Kansas want to do any such thing 1
don't believe that you are generally 1
aware OF the conditions and that IS /
why 1 am going around the state and I
fallinr ahn11f tfaara YVhAr vnl1 find ont