The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-01-23
Each Charges Other With Neg
Iect of Office.
GALL LEGISLATURE
Attorney General Says Then
Blame May Be Fixed.
Enumerates Charges He Would
Bring Against Governor.


and Attorney General Dawson has
reached the boiling point.
Each now charges the other with
faIsehood and libel and each says thai
the other should be impeached OF
disbarred.
Governor Stubbs charges that Mr.
Dawson held up the resignation of L
s. Taguary. justice Of the peace n
Cherokee county.
The governor says that IF disbar-
ment proceedings are not provided for
such scandaIous conduct they ought
to be-" He says he is forced" to the
conclusion that Mr.. Dawson is an un-
willing prosecutor whose counsel IS IN
reliable and valueless-
Attorney General Dawson makes a
hot rejoinder in which he dares the
governor to call a session of the legls-
lature when it may be determined VINO
is the unworthy one so that he may
be drummed out of the public service
Then he enumerates the charges that
he will prefer against the governor
There are twelve counts in his ar
raignmant which includes charges of
libel and falsehood. Withholding evi-
dence, neglect Of public duties and
Matching political mischief against fed
eral and state officers.
Attorney General Dawson's sensa-
I1Onal letter TOllOWS-
Topeka, Kan, Jan %. 1872
Hon. w: r. Stubbs, Governor of KAN
sas. State House.
Dear Governor. In view of your state
ments in the papers contradicting mine
and charging me with various derelic-
tions. it must be apparent to the peo-
pie of Kansas that one of their two
principal officers, the governor or the
attorney general, is unfit to hold pub
lie office; and I dare you to convene
the legislature so that the unworthy
one may be drummad out of the public
service
If you will do this I viii prefer
charges against you as follows:
1. That you have publicly and
criminally Hbelled the attorney gener-
Al by the most groundless and ma
1icious faIsehoods.
>. That you have encouraged joint
lists and saloonkeepers to believe that
they would have an easy time under
the present attorney generals admin
istratiOn; and have aided and abetted
them to escape punishment by fore
warning them of prosecutions in Con-
cordia, Kansas City, Wichita and else
where
8. That within the last few days
you have fOrewarned the bridge trust
of projected prosecution and have Civ
en- it a chance to get under cover and
conceal its crimes
4. That you have wilfully conceal
cd mes ana CRIMINALS DX W1InHOlQ-
ing evidence and information in your
possession from the county attorneys
of Cloud. Atchison. Leavenworth,
WvandOtte. Crawford Cherokee and
Eedgwfck counties.
5. That you have flagrantly neg
lected your public duties at every turn.
and loafed around the city of Law
renee for several ~aonths last summer
plotting and planning to Illustrate the
work of the attorney general, and
Iii frc to ola i'm hi
done or attempted by him.
s. That for nearly two years you
failed and neglected to cause a state
hospital to be erected at Rosedale as
provided by law.
Loafed on Memorial Hail.
:. That in violation of your spec
ific promises and oath of office to give
the state a business administration
you loitered and lOafed in the con-
struction of a Soldiers Memorial hall. |
hardly getting the cellar dug, while
another institution, the Santa Fe. |
completed a ten story building along
side.
s. That you have neglected and
still neglect to take proper steps to T
erect a state hospital in western Kan
sas as commanded by law.
9. That you have neglected for a |
long time and still neglect to cause the /
erection of a state school of mines at
Weir city as required by law.
10. That for many weeks together
YOU have loafed in your office hatch /
ing political mischief against state and I
federal officers who hold aloOf from /
you and your political machine; and /
that you continuously and for long
spaces of time neglect the most COM
and imperative duties of +
your office-duties to examine the /
state treasury, to meet with the execu- 4
tive council, to sign patents to school /
lands, notaries commissions citizen 1
pRrdons for prisoners entitled by law
thereto at the close of their terms and /
your plain duty under the law to re-
port to the legislature concerning vo1lr i
pardon cases.
II. That for two years-vour on
tire first term-you tolerated the open
and fragrant violation of the
prohibitory law in Crawford and Cher
okee counties.
u. That in view of all these and
many other wrongs. derelictions. on
presSions, tyrannies and usurpatione
you have forfeited your right to ne
office of governor and ought to be
impeached and ousted therefrom.
All this, my dear governor and
more I will be prepared to show If
you will call the legislature together
and give me a chance. And as to
what you can charge against me. inst
lay on McDuff,''
do assure you that if an ous+er
suit would lie against a constitutional
governor in ten days. Yours truly
JOHN S. DAWSON, Atty. General
The Stubbs Charges.
Following is the statement given ont
5y Governor Stubbs-
Attorney General Dawson's state
nent that he did not, in his official ca
pacity as attorney general. deceive me