The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-06
M'NEAL ON ISSUES
Gives His Ideas on the Mayor
atty Campaign.
Question Whether People Will
Repudiate SANDER.
BAD EFFECT ON CITY.
Says That Reports Have Given
People Wrong Impres ST IN.
FavOrs More Parks on the East
Side.

T. A. McNeaI, candidate for mayor
before the primary defines the issues
as he understands them in the follow
| ing statement given out today:
THE paramount issue in my opin-
| ion is whether or not the people of
Topeka will repudiate what 1 consider
SANDER on the fair name of this the
| capital city of Kansas and most un-
just reflection on the character OIL It's
citizenship. Mayor Billiard himself
raised the issue and flung the chal-
lenge in the faces of the people of To-
peka and for that matter of the whole
state OF Kansas, when he declared,
| Ct want here to use his own Ian
guage):
The prohibiory law as it now
stands is farce, the people pay little
attention to it. The prohibltory law
causes a large majority OF the people
to become criminals in one sense OF
the word. They are constantly on the
| alert to dodge its issues. believe that
fully 90 per cent of the people use
| liquors in one form or other be-
lieve in high license and in saloons
with doors that open on the street
THAT interview was sent broadcast
all over the United States and was
even freely quoted in Europe. Wheth-
er Mayor Billiard intended that so eX-
a
it or not it was interpreted by out
siders as a declaration by the chief
MAGISTRATE of the capital city of Kan
sas. that as a result of the operations
of the prohibitory law, the people of
Topeka are debauched and lawless
! and that so far as in his power lies
he will work for the restoration of the
open saloon.
Il most emphatically and indignant
~ deny that a large majority of the
people OF Topeka or of Kansas are
criminals in any sense of the word or
! tina. a large majority of them are
CONSTANTLY ON THE ALERT TO
DODGE THE ISSUES of the prohib-
itory law / am now and everlast-
ingly opposed to the return of the open
saloon with all of it's dem oralizing in
| huences and I deny and repudiate the
slanderous statement that fully 80
per cent of the people are users of
Intoxicating liquors.
These statements of the mayor are
not only unwarranted and untrue but
they necessarily have damaging eff
feet on the growth and business of
the city. Men looking for locations
for legitimate enterprises will shy at
city which they are led to believe
lis inhabited principally by 1awless.
| Incorporate and debauched people
while on the other hand such place
would offer unusual attractions to
4
| for illegitimate and demoralizing kinds
| of business If the word of the mayor
were fully believed we might naturally
expect heavy immigration of blear
| eyed, red nosed and foul mouthed
dispensers of booze, of hawk nosed
constituencies professional gamblers
and painted Jezebels looking for
! favorable place to ply their nefariouS
| business, for they would say. here is
| place filed with debauched and law
! less people who will receive US with
open welcome Fortunately the repu-
| tation of Topeka for decency and or
der is too we'll established to be over
| thrown by the declaration of even the
mayor of the city, but If that mayor
| should be reelected it would put the
stamp of approval on his declarations
| and the people of Topeka would be
on record as endorsing the SANDER on
our citizenship and acknowledging
| their own shame.
| Topeka Clean City.
! 80 after all this is as much a bust
ness issue as a moral one. 1 want to
| proclaim to The world and make the
words good just as far as possible, that
! Topeka is the cleanest city of its size
| in America, that people looking for To-
cations for business enterprises may
know that here is a town where their
employees will be less subject to tempta-
! lions than in other cities of like size
and that here the laborer will be less
likely than anywhere else to be rob
bed of the fruit of his toll or to have
| his efficiency and earning power lessen
ed by drink and kindred evils. BY far
the most important industry that To
peka has is the A. T. & s. F. r. r.
| with it's vast shops and general offices.
We have it from the treasurer and
other officers of the company that one
potent reason for charging the shops
and Offices here is the comparative
freedom from temptation that this city
affords. This is not matter of senti-
| ment but of cold. calculating business
| judgment, the result OF experience.
What is true of the Santa Fe is of
course true of other lines of legitimate
| business.
There is an endeavor being made to
| persuade the unthinking voter that the
of factories to the city and al the
same time to raise the wages of the
laboring men. If the mayor had the
power that these advertisements at
| tribute to him he would have difficulty
! in carrying out both promises. Factor
les are run on rather cold blooded bus
mess principles. They locate where
they can make the most money. The
| factors that are considered are cheap
ness of raw material, cheapnesS OF
| distribution, extent of market and rela-
tive cheapness of labor. If the mayor
supposing he did have the powers these
advertisements attribute to him, should
proclaim that Topeka is a place where
exceptionally high wages are paid hi
could not procure the factories, and il
on the other hand he should proclaim
to the factory owners that here is {