The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-07-08
RAP FOR GOVERNOR
Kansas Executive Gets Rebuke
From Attorney General.
Warned Not to Interfere With
His Office.
Do AS HE PLEASES.
Governor Can Not Dictate in
Liquor InquisitiOn.
Has No Right to Tell Who Is to
Testify.

Governor Stubbs and Attorney Gen
eral Dawson are engaged in a contro-
versy over the law enforcement cam
paign. Under date of July 1 the gov
ernor wrote directing" the attorney
general to subpoena Jay House, n news
paper writer, as a witness before the
inquisition- Dawson replied today to
the governors letter, declaring thar ne
had already questioned Mr.. House, and
added that the governors letter was
enormously dated July l. when it mad
been written July 7. Dawson further
questioned the governors right to ''di-
rect" the attorney general t. do any
thing, asserting that the executive had
exceeded the scope of his powers.
Then again, the governor fired a
bunch of special agents engaged tc
get booze evidence on the ground that
their expense and salary bills were
excessive and that their work Vas too
light. Dawson proceeded to hire these
same agents to the same kind OF work
for his department.
The quarrel between the attorney
general and the governor ove.- the di
vision of honOrS in the war on the
southeast Kansas jointists, while j hot
one, is not the beginning of the trouble
between these progressive leaders. The
governor, at the time of his first cleo
ton nearly three years ago, took DaW-
son into his office as private secretary
and gave him the best of everything.
Later the governor appointed DaW-
son attorney for the railroad board and
excused him from the firing line of
the last campaign in order that he
might make mighty war on the rail-
roads. It was believed that the bond
between the governor and his -ormer
secretary was a hook of steel but pollt1-
cal ambition tugged at the anckor and
the breath of false friends rusted the
iron. There came a break. Plenty of
people were on hand to fan the tiny
flame and now there is a confia grafton.
Every move and every word by
either official is garbled and miscon-
strued to mean damage to the other
and here is a nice feud in the south
wing of the state house. The real
friends of both parties regret the pres
ent state of affairs and hope to patch
ought, by principle and precedent, to
work together.
Wanted House Called.
The following letters will show the
breach in the walls of All old friend
ship:
"In a recent published newspaper
article signed by ]. E. House of To-
peka, Kan, appears the statement
that he spent a portion Of an evening
in a club in small Kansas town not
long since where they were selling
beer openly over a bar. He also as
serted that the cities of Lawrence and
Emporia are overrun with boot1eggers,
and that the situation at I4eavenworth,
Wichita and Topeka were such that
nobody conversant with the situation
believes there is not law violation.
Judging from this public admission, I
am constrained to believe Mr.. House
to be in possession of evidence of law
violation that would serve to speedily
and justly punish the guilty. There
fore, you are hereby directed to sub
poena the said J. e. House, hold an
inquisition and take his testimony rel
ative to this violation of the proTib-
itory liquor law, and from such testi-
mony, If specific. base II prosecution