The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-13
ORR To STUBS.
Says That Bill Vetoed Had No
Joker.
Furthermore Written by AttOr-
ney General Himself.
DEFENSE OF HIMSELF.
Says Governor Has Not Treated
Him Fairly.
Never BOaSted of Open Saloons
in AtchiSOn.

respect to Governor Stubbs in regard
to the latter's veto of the Orr bill do
ing away with the fee system in the
attorney generals office Mr.. Orr con-
tends that his bill had real merit, that
its principles were endorsed in the
governors message to the legislature.
that the attorney general himself fa-
vored it and was congratulated by
many house members on his stand and
that, further, the main reason for the
veto was that the bill was introduced
by Orr. The Atchison representative,
in a letter to the governor, says:
Hon. w. r. Stubbs, Governor of Kan
sas.
"Sir: While 1 have not seen the Of
ficial document sent by you to the
house of representatives vetoing house
bill No. S82. which was an act relat-
ing to the salary of the attorney gem
eral and certain assistants and en-
ployees of that office, I have read in
today's Kansas City Star and Topeka
Capital-two papers whose friendship
for you will not be 1isputed-what
purports to be correct copy of it and
assume you are correctly quoted. In
it you state:
This bill on it's face is intended to
increase the salary of the attorney
general from $2,500 to $4,000 per
year; also to increase the salaries of
two assistant attorneys general from
$1,000 and $1,000, respectively, to
$2,40 each per annum,' etc.
"In the Topeka Capital, in connec-
tion with copy of the veto message,
you are quoted as saying:
"'It is my opinion said the COVER
nor yesterday that this bill is the first
step in the direction of destroying law
enforcement in Kansas. The author of
the bill has used his personal, politi-
cal and official influence to discredit
and break down the enforcement of
the prohibitory law in the state. He
boaSted on the floor of the legislature
this year that while he was mayor Of
Atchison there were more than twenty
open saloons running in violation of
the law
'It seems almost incredible that one
holding the exalted position of COVER
ernor Of the great state of Kansas
should make such staten lent, unless
he had first assured himself that he
was at least stating the facts, and I
am convinced that you either knew alb
solutely nothing of the authorship of
this bill or you purposely intended to
mislead the public.
1.-The facts are, Attorney General
Dawson prepared this bill-at least, he
came to me with it already prepared
and asked me to read it and, if it met
my approval, to introduce it. He stat
and observer Of public affairs-that
the Office of the attorney general was
called upon to enforce antitrust,
banking, insurance and railroad laws
of the state, in doing which the at
torneys of such office were required
to meet the best legal talent of the
state, and the salary of the attorney
general ought to be such a figure as
would induce the best lawyers of the
state to accept the position. Nothing
was said about the enforcement of the
prohibitory law and, SO far as I am
concerned, If it occurred to me at all,
assumed that the farcical enforce
ment of that law would De left where
it now is-in the hands OF assistant at
torneys general, who have used 1t only
to enrich themselves and parole the
defendants.
''I stated to the attorney general that
heartily agreed with him and would
be pleased to introduce the bill and
urge it's passage. Later on. when the
bill came before the house to be acted
upon, it, like all other bills at that
time, came up for consideration in the
committee of the whole house and, as
was the custom, the author of the bill
was called upon to explain its pro-
visions. 1 notified Attorney General
Dawson and he was present when the
bill was before the committee of the
ole house. and / referred to him in
nv discussion of the merits of the bill
and stated that although under the
constitution it could not and, by its
terms, would not take effect during his
term of office, yet il met with his en-
tire approval, to which General Daw-
son assented, which was really the rea-
son for it's passage through the house
took no part in securing the passage
of the bill through the senate.
You have been quoted as stating
other occasions, as you have in con-
pectiou with this biII,-SDeakinp of ma
that he boaSted on the floor of the
legislature this year that while he was
mayor of Atchison there were more
than twenty open saloons running in
violation of the law but you do not
have the fairness to state the connec-
ton in which statement was made by
me.
of your appointees-a member of the
house-felt called upon to interrogate
me among Others, and I was asked if,
in my opinion, the prohibitOry law was
not now better enforced than it was
when 1 was mayor of the city of Atch-
ison and / answered that I did not
think it was, that had inherited from
a long line of Republican predecessors,
in the office of mayor, 20 open saloons
and that although they were run open
ly the law was better enforced then
than now. because a man, under those
conditions, would buy one drink and
go home and now he would telephone
across the river, to Missouri, and buy
a quart, a case or keg and it would
become necessary to carry him home
did not state this boastingly but re-
lated a condition that existed and gave
it as my opinion that the cause of tenn
perance was better served with open
saloons than under the present condi-
tons Notwithstanding this, both you
and ex-Attorney General jackson have
been quoted repeatedly as stating that