The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-21
That's What Jackson Says
About Orr Resolution.
Also Claims It's First Gun of
SalOOnist in Campaign.
WANT A WET STATE.
Uses This Investigation as an
Opening Wedge.
Details of How He Drove Liquor
Sellers From State.

Former Attorney General f. ).
Jackson, congressman-elect from the
Fourth Kansas district. today made
the following statement in reply to the
charges preferred against him in the
Orr resolution of investigation of his
joint fees that passed the house FRI
day:
"The first gun of the saloonist. the
jointist, the bootlegger and the wet
element in their campaign to make
dry Kansas wet. to defeat the work
of law enforcement accomplished in
the last few years and to turn the
state back again into lawlessness, has
been accomplished, in the Orr resolu-
ton, passed by the house directed
against the attorney generals office and
adequate fees for prosecuting officers.
The jointist knows full well that 1t was
the injunction system, trials before the
court without jury, and fees for the
officer paid by the guilty Jointist in
stead of the taxpayer that broke up
his business and enforced the law. He
would like to restore the system OF
trial by wet juries, by overWorked and
poorly paid officers paid by the tax
payers, who soon tire of expense. He
could then better carry on his trade
of violating the law.
1.-THE resolution comes, as might ED
expected, from rebellious Atchison and
her last wet mayor, J. w. Orr, who,
as such mayor, coddled the saloons
into existence, licensed and protected
them while in office, defended them as
lawyer when attacked by the state ana
who apparently still represents them
and does their bidding in the legisla-
ture.
Investigation a Joke.
mot that the socalled investigation
is anything but joke, so far as re-
fecting upon the conduct of the attor-
ney generals office, or myself or the
work of my assistant, special assistant,
and the splendid body of men who
have represented the state as county
attorneys in the last four years, is con-
cerned, but for the taxpayers and law
abiding people of the state 1t Will De
far from a joke, if ten well paid leg
islators are kept on the pay roll for
two or four years investigating a rec
ord that is an open book and can be
fully revealed in two hours time.
at is clear that the movers of this
resolution did not wish real honest IN
vestigation or they would have &C
cepted the proposition of Governor
Stubs for an investigation of all the
departments of state including the at
torney generals office, looking TO more
economical government, but this would
not have pleased the saloonists, or
carried out the apparent contract with
them to cripple law enforcement.
ut is, of course, not necessary for
the attorney general to receive fees In
addition
cases personally, but it is generally
known and admitted that the salary is
ridiculously low for the service re-
uuired even where he is not competed
to perform the additional duties i'm
posed by law on the county officials.
T.et me repeat here what have stated
MANY times before, what is shown by
the open court records, and what Mr..
Orr and every other man who sup
ported this resolution knows 10 pc
true, that have received ABOUT Sl,ooo
per annum and no more from ices IN
addition to the salary of the Office
Nineteenth of all of the work done for
law enforcement could have been
avoided by myself and my office force
and it has been performed absolutely
without compensation or hope of pay
of any kind. Not a penny has been
received by anyone connected with the
attorney generals office, not legally
earned or allowed in open court.
Extra Expense Necessary.
But how about the county attorney
in the border or other populous coun-
ties of the state where the regular
criminal work IS all that he has time
to attend to without contingent funds
TO assist him in collecting evidence
and without adequate deputy hire? The
public is face to face with the propo-
sition if it would enforce the prohib-
itory law as to whether the taxpayer
must pay the expense of additional
prosecutors or the guilty jointist and
1awbreaker be compelled to pay them
under the fee system.
Take the case of Mr.. Orr for ex-
ample: In his six years mayorship of
Atchison, he built up a system of Ii
censed saloons, according to his own
statement in the house yesterday,
twenty in number. He Gid this by a
system of fines amounting to a license
to these saloons which was in violation
of the law, in violation of his oath as
an official and as a practicing attorney.
It was no wonder that these men,
licensed through Mr.. Orr's official con-
duct, bought property and entrench ed
themselves in lawless defiance of the
state and city authorities The coun-
ty attorney and sheriff, one Republi-
can and the other a Democrat, were
honest men, but what could they do
against this system of lawlessn ess
Mr.. Orr quietly slipped out of office
declining to be a candidate because in
his craven heart he feared removal
from Office and prosecution for his
previous acts. Then the state took a
hand and Judge Hudson. one of the