The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-06-19
DRENNING MAY SUE.
City Attorney Doesn't Want Chief
Eaton's Expenses Paid.

F. G. Dreaming, city attorney, is go
ing to sue mayor and council-that is.
provided he can persuade three
worthy citizens of the city to petition
him to bring the suit.
The suit is to be based on the
ground that the mayor and council
has no right to authorize Chief of
Police Eaton to make a trip to Min
neapolis at the city's expense.
A resolution was introduced at a re-
cent council meeting permitting Chief
Eaton to attend a meeting of the
heads of the various police depart
ments of cities in the United States at
Minneapolis. the expense of the city's
portion of the trip not to exceed $50.
Mr.. Eaton is still absent on this
trip and no claim has therefore been
presented to the cornell covering the
amount which the city is to bear.
81 am ready to bring the suit if 1
can get petition signed by three citi-
zens of Topeka" said Mr.. Dreaming.
Il can't bring the suit on my initia-
tive and I rather hate to bring it for
such a small amount as $50 because
l am afraid 1 couldn't get it up to the
supreme court on an appeal. The
council dillydallies with the .city's
money too much, paying out for this
and for that. The city should not pay
out money except for expenditures
authorized by the law and there is
warrant paying the travelling expenses
of chief of police to go way up here
to some town to attend some sort of
meeting or other. If 1 can get the
this trip and the money that the city
is figuring on paying out for macad-
amizing East Eighth avenue, why 1
wouldn't hesitate very long"
THE claim hasn't been presented
yet and / don't know that it WILL said
n Tow
back yet. I think the council was
perfectly justified in passing the reso-
luton. The meeting up there is of an
educational value and Mr.. Eaton will
learn things that can be used here.
The council has to do a lot of things
that are not strictly according to law
and 1 don't know what we should do
if we had to follow the very letter.
II presume the claim will be al
lowed when it is presented said
ways and means committee.
I'VE have never asked Mr.. Dren%
ming for his legal opinion on the mat
ter and he only expressed himself in
cidentally one evening to the effect
that an appropriation of that kind was
Illegal said Mayor Green.
Hinged with this is an appropria-
ton which the council will make of
$415 for macadamizing East Eighth
evcnue. The county commissioners
East Eighth avenue leading into the
city and asked the city to pay one
half. The city finally agreed to pay
for a certain amount of yardage fig
ured up by the city engineer. The en-
tire cost of the Improvement was
something over $1.400 and after the
city engineer had submitted his fig
ures the city council believed that
$415 would about represent the prop
er amount for which the city would
pay. The ways and means committee
at a recent meeting at which Mr.
Howe was absent disallowed this
claim of $415 and has so recommend
ed back to the council but it is stated
that a reconsideration of this recon-
will be adopted and that
the claim will be allowed. The city
says the action of the council,
If it attempts to pay this amount of
is illegal also.
There is entirely too much of this
sort of thing" said Mr.. Dreaming.
At the same time Mayor Green and
Councilman Howe are inclined to
think that the city attorney hews too
closely to the line and that law or no
law certain appropriations will have
to be made for the greater good of the
greater number.
Wheeler to STAY i'm California