The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-14
HANGED IN EFFIGY
Attorney General Coleman 0iVeh
a Warm Reception.
Clay Confer People Resent HIS
Action.
He ONLY LAU G Il S
Himself First Discovers Dummy
in the Air.
Action of Home People Doesn't
Worry Him, He Says.

rv1sx,= Center kan. Aug. 14.-C- G
Coleman. attorney general of the state
Of Kansas. was hanged in ef1gy Ia the
court house square here at his nome
town Monday night, by citizens OF tIle
town who are indignant at MT. Cole-
mans action in allowing himself ds
attorney for the electric light corpora
fiovl al C1av Center, to use the name
,of tho state in an injunction suit fled
IN the Clav county district court 10
defeat citv ownership of the electric
sight plant
The hanging took place some time
during the night. and this morning
the dummy labelled, Coleman, attor-
nev general" swung in the breeze
from the top of a telephone pole al
the corner OF the court house square.
ATTORNEY. General Coleman hinseh
was one of the first to see the eIhgy'
He got up early to take the O'Clock
teain for Topeka, and passed py lfe
amy before the majority Of people
---e awake.
q had the fun Of laughing ABOUT ~ IL
all bv myself" said Mr. Coleman ms
morning. at his office in the sta1s
house Nobody was anywhere arouho'
when I discovered what had been done,
and lust stood there and laughed
why didn't you take it down ?"
II didn't care enough about it to
take the trouble was his repIy-
those Deople up there don't do any
thing more astringent than hanglhs me
in efdgy. we win win our case
The hanging of General Coleman III
ehigy is the elimination OF months o.
constantly growing bitterness on lhe
part of Clay Center people dselilSe
coleman and his law partner, r. L.
xS7if1ian7s- coleman and Williams are
ATTORNEYS for the electric nght com
nanv. The people of Clay Center nave
voted overwhelmingly to issue poAus
to build a city electric light plant, a.
the franchise Of the ola con- lLls l34-i4S f4r,i
abollt To expire Coleman ana " IL
liarns both fought the proposition pc
Tore election, and for time succeedeu
In blocking the registration OF the
bonds with the state auditor,
Made His TOwnsmen Mad
A4ssrfir7a the people of clay Center
started a case before the board OF ran
road commissioners to secure Jobblng
rates for some of the manufacturing
interests of that town. The railroad
commissioners refused to hear the case
until September. The mayor ana leau-
ing citizens of Clay Center appealed 10
the board to advance the case Del
Valentine telephoned to Mr.. Coleman,
Who was at Topeka, to 60 before the
board and simply endorse the appllca-
ton for advancement. without DIS
cllssine in any way the merits of the
case Mr. Coleman refused on the
Ground that he had been studiousIy
ignored in the proceedings, and would
have nothing whatever to do with
them This attitude of Mr.. Coleman
served TO greatly embitter the feeling
against him
The climax in the controversy came
on Monday, when Mr.. Coleman, as at
tOrney general, allowed Mr. Coleman,
as attorney for the light corporation,
to use the name of the state in an in
junction suit brought in the Clay coun-
ty district court to restrain the city
council from letting the contract for
the erection of the proposed city cleo
trio light plant.
This action seemed to convince the
people of Clay Center that they were
in for fight to the finish with Mr..
Coleman and Mr. Williams, and the
hanging in efigy was one of the mani
festatons of popular dislike.
Coleman Defends His Action.
Mr. Coleman said today in discussing
the controversy. This hanging in
ef1gy does not worry me, for I have
simply done in this case what I have
done in ten or fifteen other cases which
have come before me. 1 have al
lowed the attorneys for the electric
light company at Clay Center to use
the name of the state to test the
validity of the Clay Center bond issue.
a test which could not be made with
cut the use Of the states name An
important question is at issue which
ought to be settled. The case will he
heard on August %. and if at that time
1t is decided that the injunction can
mot be made permanent, 1t viii end it.
The QuesctiOn is purely a local one
and We have had a good deal of excite
ment about it during the past few
months. Public feeling is pretty strong
and certain paragraphs printed In the
Monday evening paper at CLAW Cenrer
probably aroused a certain element n
go to work last night and hang me in
efhgy. This paper said that il was very
convenient that I happened to he at
torney general so that I might enable
my client to use the name of the stats
say rather that it would be a great
misfortune If a client of mine should
be barred from using the name of the
state simply because I am attorney
general
During my term of office L have oniv
refused the use of the states name ia
three instances. One was the Kansas
City drainage case, when the railroads
applied for permission to use the states
name; the other was a verv unirnnort-
ant bridge dispute in MONTGOMERY co,1n-
ty and the third occasion I don't re-
cau just now. / have allowed the 11se
-. AtAI SesslN . Adlue III cases from CLAW
Cloud Dickinson. Miami Sel5s1rioif
and other counties"
What Clay Center Dispatch saws
The following are the paragraphs n
Monday evenings Clay Center ~
which, according to Mr. Coleman. have
stirred up the hostile sentiment Of Clay
Center.
This seems to be another Katy. case
ln which the state is trustee for .fI,f
Interests and the name of the stare ~
It's attorney general. is to be used Il
promote private and corporate inter.
--tas
common comment is that II i.
s@aF7nient that Mr.. Coleman happen: