The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-06-05
CITY HALL NEWS.
OFFICIALS Complain OF Work Done
by Ex-City Attorney.
Say That Mr.. Dreaming Is Al
lowing Law Cases TO Drag.
ASK AN EXPLANATION
Want to Know Why Case Has
Cost City So Much.
Other Items of Interest From
City Building.

Although ex-City Attorney Dreaming
is out of office there is still big howl
going through the corridors of the city
hall. The City VS.. Gilmore case was
continued in the district court but the
bills for witness fees and the like are
pouring into the city auditors These
bills are. costing Topeka hundreds of
dollars and according to the story of
the city officials it is money going to
waste On account of the poor head
work of the ex-city attorney.
over $50 has been spent already on
an expert from Kansas City who came
TO Topeka through the request of Mr..
Dreaming and was here five days-not
CONG thing. Mr. Dreaming sub
poenaed him and the trial was con-
| tinued. Dreaming knew for four days
OF the postponement and he did not
telephone to Kansas City and stop the
trip of the engineer. If he had per-
formed his duty in this manner he
would have saved the taxpayers of this
| city $50.
Mayor Green said this morning that
there were several other fees which
were unealled for and they were d.
rectly in violation of the economical
policies of the present administration.
Taken all in all the last postponement
| of the case and the recent points in
the trial have cost Topeka hundreds of
| dollars when they were altogether un-
necessary and could have been can
celled.
Then there is another bill which
| cost the city exactly 500 not long ago.
| In order to show the jury some of the
strata in the vicinity of the sewer in
question the ex-city attorney had a
| ditch dug in an alley behind the barn
| of a prominent man in the city. This
| ditch was worthless as it did not carry
a point It cost $S5 to dig it and a
bunch of money to fill it in again.
After it was filled the job was done in
| such poor shape that the city had to
pay SIS damage to a teamster who had
his team mired in the mud hole and
| injured them to the extent mentioned.
The city was lucky to get out of this
| alley ditch proposition as easily as it
did. The dirt from the ditch was
and for five days during the cold
weather a valuable COW was forced to
| stay out of doors in a critical period.
If the COW had received injuries of any
kind it would cost the city another
hundred dollars together with extra
| expense and trouble.
1t is the opinion of number of the
city officials that the postponement of
has been dragging along is unneces-
| sary. 1t has been costing the city
money for over three years and as
one of the officials said this morning
TT was handled by the former city at
torney in such a manner that no one
| knew of the points connected with it
and it was absolutely necessary that he
| take it up again after going out of Of
| fee. Mr.. Ralston has been criticised
| for not taking up the case. There is
no man on the face of the earth who
could take UP this work the way Mr..
Dreaming left off with it. 1t is in
terrible condition for any other man
| to handle and the city is piling up ex-
| pense every day
The matter will probably come up
before the council meeting some time
in the future. This trouble was first
started under the Davis administration
when Councilman Jordan started an
investigation of crookedness in connec-
ton with the sewer. This was the time
that a bogus engineer was hired and
the matter Smoothed over at the ex-
pense of the taxpayers of Topeka.
The present administration is not go
ing to stand for the expense and they
have declared war. This battle flag
has been sent to the mast and will be
kept there until something is done for
the relief of the city treasury.
There was a big time at the head
quarters fire station this morning
when the tag girls came around to
collect from the firemen. The first
warning came when two of the men
were washing windows out near the
Quincy street entrance. They saw the
girls emerge from the auditorium and
dropping their rags and brushes they
| flew for the inside of the station. This
went like a flash through the building.
Engineer Robinson curled up with his
head in the fire box of his engine and
waited patiently for the passing of
the storm. Captain Hanlon and the
crew of the aerial jumped for the big
wagon and slid themselves in be-
tween the ladders peeking out of the
cracks. Captain Robinson of the
hose wagon heard the alarm and
straightway had duties in the hay
room above Just as the reporter was
leaving the empty fire station there
was a scuffle from above and down
the slippery brass poles came Fire
Marshal Wilmarth with his assistant,
Mr.. Babcock. They hit the floor run
ming and when last seen were beat
ing it, for the wilds of the East side.
"A fire alarm at this time would have
been bad thing" said one of the
fremen after the threatening clouds
had passed away. The horses would
have been in their places all right.
but it would take a general alarm to
get us out of here Last year an
alarm came in while the girls were
hunting for the firemen and the girls
were so scared at the bells and gongs
that they flew for safety.
There should have been a meeting
of the ways and means committee
| last night but Chairman Hughes fail
ed to show up. There are number
of very important salary recommen-
| dations in the desk of the general and
the applicants are waiting patiently.
There will be trouble when the COM
mittee makes its report
! There will be a fight worth going
miles to see in the council chamber
| Monday night when the city aldermen
meet for their regular June session.
| The fight will be waged over the au-
| tomobile ordinance which has been
| before the counci1men for some time
and has alwaySE been laid aside for
some future period when the alder
men have more time and more fight
| ing blood. The council meeting Mon
| day night is not in . c.owded condi-
! ton and the auto ordinance will be
brought up the first thing and