The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-06-09

VI A1AA NA1NkCAkO. u u IN Il
would bind Mr.. sunny. and if made
could not be enforced I stated to
him that what Mr.. sunny evidently
meant was that he would retain Mr..
Maunsell in his present position as
superintendent of the. plant at the old
salary. $500 per month, and that he
had better be content with this, as it
was a, good salary and hard to dupli-
cate. He said he thought my advice
was good; that he would try to forget
it. meaning Mr. Sunny's alleged prom
Use. After that when we met he
always seemed worried and talked
much about his dissatisfaction with
his position under the new manage
ment He had a great deal of trouble
with the customers of the company,
and there was much complaint about
the rates charged. He frequently said
to me, however. that the rates charged
were as low as they could be made,
and that the company could not live
under lower rates. Almost every
time we met he would complain be-
cause he had to write so many letters
and make so many reports to the
president, Mr.. Myers. He seemed to
grow more dissatisfied all the time,
and finally suggested the possibility of
this might be done by buying the city
electric lighting plant and getting the
street lighting as a basis, and said
that If we could do this we could
make some good money. I at once
told him that such a plan would be
disloyal to his present employers. and
that I would have nothing to do with
IT. I told him that while he re-
manned in the employ of the Edison
company he had no right to think
or talk of such a thing. He, however,
mentioned it several times afterwards,
always in connection with his failure
to get $4,000 or $4,000 worth of
Edison company stock, which he
claimed Mr.. Sunny had promised him.
Finally, about the middle of March
he met me in the Bank of Topeka, at
the south side entrance, and there so
boldly disclosed his plan to start
rival company that I said to him
would hear him no longer; that he
must do one of two things that day
either settle his differences with Mr.
Sunny about the stock, or quit the en-
ploy of the company. and that if he
failed to do so 1 would be forced to
report his conduct to the company and
to Mr. Sunny I said to him that it
was not honorable to draw a salary
from the company and at the same
time plot its destruction. He then
promised me that he would go to
Chicago at once and see Mr.. Sunny.
He told me afterwards that he had
written Mr.. Sunny, that a meeting at
the NOdlSS mouse naQ resulted. at
which he demanded $4,000 worth Of
Edison stock, and had told Mr.. Sunny
that if he did not give it to him he
would make the stock of the Edison
company worth a great deal less than
it then was. He said that Mr.. Sunny
had contemporary refused to com
ply with his demands and he had re-
signed. Mr.. MaunselI's statements to
me concIusively convince me that he
plotted the destruction of the Edison
company while he was drawing its
money, and his deal with Mr.. MoIler
convinces me that he was willing to
sell out his present associates for
$40, 600 IN cash If this was not his
intention, why did he make such a
proposition in writing"
If Mr.. Afaunsell IS not in league with
the gas interests why did he want Mr.
Moller 0. KID. as Anthony Brady's man
before he would sign the agreement
made in his own handwriting by which
he was to sell 1870 shares Of stock in
the new company for $40 900 in cash
cannot believe that the good reputable
merchants of Topeka fully comprehend
the purpose of Mr.. MaunseI to turn
them and the new company over to the
gas interests or they would hesitate to
pass resolutions Of confidence in Mr..
Maunsel. Mr.. Holiday is too closely
identified with the gas interests in To-
peka to make so much noise as he is
making 1t does not look we'll for him
" 1cSfAC SOCu active IlLGfeSl III lIylDB
by kilograms to Identify Moller and
find out if he was really Bradys man.
His antipathy to Mr.. Myers may lead
him too far. He charges that Mr.. Ny
ers Is the author of Moller's statements
as to what Maunsell said to him. These
statements Of Maunsen maligning re-
putable men of this city cannot be put
on Mr.. Myers, by a bare statement of
the representative Of the gas company.
TWO of the most prominent and repu-
table men of this city and state know
all about Moller's affidavit and its pre-
paratiOn and Mr.. Holiday will do well
to restrain his enthusiasm in malign-
ing Mr.. Myers. The real issue in the
present controversy is whether the
franchise asked by Mr.. Maunsell is to
be sold to the gas interests and used
as a sandbag to destroy one of the
most substantial Industries of the city
and create a complete monopoly of
the gas and electric light service Of To-
peka This is the question at issue and
the public and the city council will, I
believe reserve their opinion until they
know the facts. This is all we ask"