The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-16
A WAR OF WORDS
City Attorney Drenning Quar-
rels With Mayor Green.
run My Office just as Il
Please" His Def.
BECAME VERY ANGRY.
Resented Suggestion From the
City Executive.
Refuses to Account for Money
i'm Regular Way.
City Attorney Threatens to Sue
Chief Eaton.
BECAME VERY ANGRY.

H.
Dreaming, city attorney, this morning
in the office of the mayor.
I'll run my office just as I please
will dismiss appeal cases when L Zee
like it and I will run the city attorney
Il. office to suit myself as long as am
Z there" shouted the city attorney to the
mayor.
well, I guess you won't" responded
the mayor.
II tell you I wil1,'' said Drenning
pounding chair with his fists.
mo. sir, you will not came back the
retort.
''WelI, I just will. I'll do just as l
please. I'll show you whether 1 can't
run my department"
We'll, you just won't. You are not
the whole push
Il will,'' came back from the city at
torney as he strode angrily from the
office into the corridor.
You would like to be the head man
of everything if you could but you can't,
though you think that you are" called
the mayor after him.
The. dispute came up over a conversa-
ton regarding the cases that Drenning
had settled by allowing the plaintiffs
fined and sentenced in the police court
permitting them to go to an appeal into
the higher court
You have no right to make these ar
rangements with these parties and col
lect the money yourself" said the
mayor to Drenning. You should have
the men pay the money into the police
court and let the police judge make the
payments to the city treasurer instead
of collecting it yourself and turning 1t
into the city treasury
LraT a of
and any man that insinuates that 1
took any of it is liar" said Drenning,
thinking that the mayor intended to in
sinuate that he kept some of it.
81 turned it right over to the city
treasurer. Chief Eaton re-arrested
this man Schaefer this morning hear,
and with that case dismissed. What
kind of business is this?"
mo one said that you kept any of
She money said the mayor. But
this is no kind of business for the city
attorney to make these collections.
That belongs to the police court and
the money should be turned in from
there. This matter should be handled
in the regular way"
well, I'll collect this money if I
please and dozen mayors and coun-
ellis can't stop me either l am not
afraid of any mayor or council on
earth,'' shouted Drenning bringing
down his fist upon the top of chair.
The mayor flushed up at these
words. After that the bombarding
came hot and heavy. Both men were
thoroughly aroused
Insists on Following Regular Order.
Following Drenning's departure
from the private office of the mayor.
the mayor said with a laugh to a re-
porter, well did you get that all
DOWN."
Nobody thinks for a minute that
Dreaming is dishonest or would keep
hl
''There is no question how this money
should be handled or where it belongs.
This money should be paid to the po-
lice judge and the money turned in
by him to the city treasurer. That is
the regular way and that is the way
it should be DONE. Drenning wants
to make record and that's the reason
>he collects this money; he wants to
wants to make showing too and he
has a perfect right to give the ac-
counting for this money.
"I am not seeking any trouble but
I want Drenning to do things in the
regular way that he should. Dren-
ming has been continually usurping
duties that don't belong to him. If he
keeps monkeying around he is liable
to get his fingers burned. No criticism
Is being made of the dismissal of the
appealed cases, that's not where the
difficulty lies
Dreaming May Sue Eaton.
What Chief Eaton says is the
veriest rot" said Drenning. 'If he
keeps this up will sue him for crimi-
nal libel. P won't stand for it, He
then intimated that the chief of police
was a liar and that the latter knew
he was telling an untruth in giving out
statements to the newspapers
The city attorney also lodged a
complaint against Chief Eaton with
the mayor because Eaton gave out an
interview to the newspaper reporters
regarding the manner in which the
city attorney had handled the dismiss
sal cases.
The Disputed Cases.
The following are the cases over
which a dispute exists in which a
settlement has been effected and
money paid into the city treasury by
the city attorney as shown by the
records:
Aug. 81 city VS.. J. A. Walker 61.oOt
Aug 2S, city VS.. Frank Raynor 75OOi
Sept. 80, city VS.. Roy Dutton. 200
Oct. 10, city vs. Henry Schaf-
Oct. 12. city VS.. H. G. Wolfe. 10000
Oct, IA, city VS.. ]. SNYDER. 1901
Oct Is, city VS.. T. M. Adams 25OOI
The total amounts to-. $40S5O
Some of the members of the coun- !
ell when they afterwards heard of the
mix up that occurred were in favor of |
disciplining the city attorney. Under
the city charter act the city attorney
Am supposed to be under the direction |