The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-04
STUBS TO DAWSON.
Governor Says He Is Sorry to Be Conn
PEELED to Keep After Him.

The controversy between the COVER
nor and his attorney general over the
enforcement of the prohibitory law
continues Replying to the latest
Dawson statement. the governor looks
into the attorney generals letter sec
ton by section and points out state
ments he calls deceitful and mislead
ing The governor regrets the neces-
sity of being compelled to continually
keep after you in connection with law
enforcement" The governors last
letter to the attorney general is as fol-
lows.
Hon. John S. Dawson Attorney Gen
era1 Building.
Dear General: In answering your
letter of the I'd inst, I shall first call
attention to five separate statements,
all of which are either misleading, de-
ceitful, or entirely without foundation
in fact.
In the first place, you complain
that you asked for information on
Concordia, and that I had nothing to
give. Now, Mr.. Dawson. you know
that the information and charges from
COncordia were filed in your office long
before they were filed with me, and it
was only because you failed to take
any action whatever that / was COM
PEELED to request you to do your duty.
AS matter of fact, you know that l
was absent from the state, attending
the governors conference in New Jer-
sey, so that it is utterly impossible that
you asked me for any information on
ConcOrdia, or had any conversation
whatever with me upon the subject
until after the inquisition in ConcOrdia
had been held. Diligent inquiry from
employees in my office discloses the !
fact that the only inquiry you mace IN
regard to Concordia was from Mr..
Leahy, who advised you that the in
formation secured by this office was
largely through your brother-in-law, |
and that it was of such a character as
to justify fully the holding of an in |
QUESTION.
you also say:
I gave no interview in Concordia |
All pretended interviews of mine in |
COneordia are spurious.
HYet, it is strange, indeed, that the |
words used by the Concord1a BLADE, |
which you say are spurious, are al |
most identical with the language used /
in the Kansas City interview, which /
you say is correct.
Again, you state that you asked me /
for information on Wichita and that I |
gave you only a part, kept back the /
rest and sent it secretly to Mr.. Trick |
EFT. Now the facts are. Mr.. Dawson, |
that / not only furnished you an exact I
copy of the information furnished to |
Mr.. Trickett, but also sent the secret 7
service man who secured the evidence |
along with you to Wichita, to assist |
you in your work
again, you claim that you were
we had against Kansas City, Kan. On
the day that I requested you to COM |
mence proceedings against Kansas
City, Wichita and Concordia, I i'm /
man to your Office to advise you that /
all information in possession of my Of
fee was at your disposal. He reported /
to me that he was not permitted to /
see you personally, but was advised /
by one of your assistant attorneys that /
in all probability these cases would not /
be acted upon until after the decision
of the supreme court. I also person
ally advised you that we would turn
over to you full information on all
these places at any time.
In view of these facts, it seems inn
possible that you should arrive at any
such conclusion as you state in your
letter.
again. you state as follows:
AS to some newspaper paragraphs
where I am quoted as saying that in
my Investigations mo one will be per-
secuted for political byplay," I did not
say that
You positively contradict this state
ment later in the same letter by saying
that the Kansas City Journal interview,
which contains the above identical lam
guage, is correct
You are further quoted last Satur-
day in Kansas City as saying.
e The governors letter to me men
toned the existence of liquor selling
and gambling How much of this there
may be I have not the slightest IDEA,
and l must for a time depend upon
voluntary witnesses and chance discov-
cry of testimony
I'm your letter to me of September
9, 20 days earlier, in referring to con-
ditions in Kansas City, Kan, Wichita,
and Concordia, you use the following
language:
es7You doubtless understand that
these are cities which need more or
less attention most of the time; indeed
they need more attention than the linn
tied means of your excellency and my
self can afford to expend,' thus indi-
eating that of your own knowledge on
September 8 you knew conditions in
Kansas City, Kan, were so bad that
neither the governor nor the attorney
general had means enough to combat
the situation, and yet you pretend in
your later Kansas City interview TO