The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-11-01
Charges of Bribery Made Against
Parsons COunciImen.
Missouri & Kansas Telephone
Company Implicated.
COURT TAKES A HAND.
Restraints Company From Work
ing Under Franchise.
Names of Accused City Fathers
Are Given.

Parsons. Kan. Nov. IA temporary
restraining order was issued by Pro
bate Judge Samuel Bowman last night
restraining the Missouri & Kansas Tel
ephone company, its agents, servants
and employees from excayating in the
streets or alleys IN the city of Parsons
and from erecting and maintaining any
poles or wires in the city of Parsons
and from doing any other act or thing
whatsoever under and by virtue of the
said alleged ordinance
Five members of the city council and
the telephone company are charged
with collusion. and the petition makes
collusion charges of bribery and cor
ruption an-l names the councilmen
whom it charges with bribery and cor
ruption.
After reciting the attempts made by
the Bell Telephone company to secure
a franchise the petition goes on to
state that bribery was used Bribery
IN the securing Of the franchise is set
forth in the petition as follows:
Said defendant telephone company
at the same time also learned and well
knew that if it negotiated and dealt
with said mayer and council as a
/ body and openly, fairly and lawfully
to the end Of procuring a franchise to
build, maintain and operate a tele-
phone system in said city, they would
stand by their settled policy and would
not grant said defendant telephone
company q franchise on any better or
more favorable terms than they had
heretofore granted to the company that
was then operating a telephone sys-
tenn in said city, and would require Of
said defendant telephone company to
put In and maintain the Gamewen fire
alarm system, as before described.
With this full knowledge said defend
ant telephone company began to scheme
devise nr,- NH ,f5I7
1t could induce said mayor and council
to pass and said mayor to approve an
ordinance such as It desired and which
would give it better and favorable
terms than said other telephone COM
pany had, and would not require of it
the putting in and maintaining of said
fire alarm system and said indfca tor. .
The petition after alleging discTin-
nation as above then goes on to say
more specfflcallv. ITO that end Il de-
terTnined that 1t would and 1t did re-
sort to briblng and eorrupting said
mayor and certain Of said councilmen,
towit: said F. c. Larsen, said Loren
Writ, said H S. Briggs, said Andrew
b'alconer and said John CLAIM, and that
1t would bribe and corrupt said mayor
and couneilmen, and thereby induce
said couneilmen TO vote for and pass,
and said mayor to approve such an or
dtnance as it desired to have passed by
said councilmen, and approved by said
mayor, and which would give to 1t
( ICttct anu IuUI6 1dNCTd Die terms Cndl
had been given to said other telephone
company and would not require that
1t should put in and maintain said fire
alarm system and said indicator
The petition here takes up the part
/ G. W. McDaniels is alleged to have had
! in securing the passage of the ordi-
nance granting the company a fran
4 chise and makes the following allega-
/ tions:
.And thereafter on or about August
/ ,, last one Q. w. Mechanics, an officer
/ company came TO the city of Parsons
I in the Interest of said company. and TO
/ assist in and further its said fraudu-
lent and unlawful purpose to bribe and
4 corrupt said cOuncilmen and said
mayor, and secure the passage and APP
| prOval of such ordinance as said tele-
| phone company wanted and stopped al
! the Rasbach hotel, in said city, and
/ registered thereat under the assumed
! name of John D. Carson. and remained
/ in said city most of the time for about
/ two weeks, and in that time on several
I occasions, he had said Hyatt and said
! Councilmen Larsen, Writ Briggs and
/ FalcOner and said mayor. Gabriel, al
/ his room at said hotel. and said coun-
cilmen and said mayor were here on
/ several occasions entertained by said
! McDaniels, alias Carson, who furnished
them with lunch, and intoxicating
! liquors, all of which was unlaWfuily
done for the purpose of unlawfully
bribing and corrupting said council
men and said mayor and inducing them
/ to use their influence and vote. and
said mayor to approve such ordinance
as said telephone company wanted
from said city defendant