The Topeka state journal., 1912-04-19
He WANTS MONEY
Dawson Sues Crawford County
Commissioners.
Says Public Officials Wink at
Law Violations.
REMIT FINES TO JOINTISTS
Now Wants Supreme Court to
Take a Hand.
School Fund Has Lost SIS, 700,
Dawson Says.
REMIT FINES TO JOINTISTS

An action was filed this morning in
the supreme court by John s. Dawson,
attorney general, against the board OF
county commissioners of Crawford
county and against the commissioners,
w. H. Braden, John Beitzinger and L.
D. Herlocker, the members OF the
board personally, charging that the
commissioners of that county are en-
gagged in carrying out a conspiracy to
set at naught the efforts of the state
to enforce the prohibitory law The
attorney generals petition states that
for many years past there has existed
in crawford county an intolerable con-
dition of anarchy, lawlessnesS, dlsre-
gard and contempt for the laws or the
state, and open. flagrant and persistent
and continued violation OF the prohlp1-
tory laws, and that such condition ex-
listed for many years with the knoWl-
edge, conniVance and assistance or GER
tain officers of that county, and thus
became deep rooted and extremely
difficult to suppress.
That the legislature, recognizing the
fact of such condition and the neceS-
sity of securing better enforcement OF
law in that county and elsewhere, ap.
propriated $1,000 each for the use OF
the contingent funds of the governor
and the attorney general, and that al
though the county attorney ana sher-
iff of Crawford county have been dill
gent and active, yet the help and aid
of the state government has been
necessary to suppress lawlessness anG
that that necessity still continues
brought 400 Cases. d,
Dawson's petition recftes that under
the direction of the attorney general
over 400 civil, criminal and contempt
actions have been begun in Crawford
county to secure obedience to law and
that over 140 of these cases have been
prosecuted to final judgment That
pursuant to the activity of the state
over 90 persons have been sentenced
and sent to jail in Crawford county
and that fines aggregating $4,000 have
been adjudged and imposed against
violators of the law in favor of the
school fund. That in the last year
there has been expended from the at
torney generals contingent fund for
law enforcement in Crawford county
alone the sum of 50. .229.23 and from the
governors contingent fund the sum Of
S1478.31, that the governor can spare
no more money for this work in Craw-
generals contingent fund is exhausted.
and that the attorney general and his
assistant have expended in Crawford
county the sum of 81, 800 out of their
own pockets carrying on the work Of
law enforcement.
The principal ground of offending of
the commissioners as charged is that
they have systematically discharged
and still continue to discharge jointists
from iail without payment of costs for
the purpose of depriving the state and
prosecuting officers of means to carry
on the campaign of law enforcement.
Fell to Collect Fines.
Under the law when the county
mmissioners release a prisoner with
out payment of fine and costs the
county becomes liable for the prosecu-
tors compensation, and that in dis
charging the prisoners from jail with
out payment of fine and costs the
county commissioners adopted on be-
half of Crawford county the statutory
pensation.
The petition contains an exhaust
| i've list of cases prosecuted to final
| Judgment, names the persons sent to
! iaiI and discharged by the commits
! sioners without payment of fine and
| costs and asks for q writ of mandamus
| OF compel the commissioners to exc
| cute and issue to the prosecuting Off
l GERS warrants in the sum of $3.50 and