The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-01
GUILDS CHARGES.
His Arrangement of Officials
Before ID. A. II. Meeting.
Admits He Did Not Know
Change in Sheriff's Office.

The Rev. Roy B. Guild, pastor of
the Central Congregational church,
was invited to make a brief address
on the social survey at the annual
Washi- .on's birthday celebration of
the d. A. RS, held February %, at
the home of Mrs. Elbert Niece, 81
Fillmore street. The Rev. Mr.. Guild
promptly accepted. Since then the
Daughters of the American Revolu-
ton have rested neither day nor night.
The president of the Topeka Fedora
ton of Churches, Mr.. Guild, spoke fiji
teen minutes; he used five minutes for
brief introduction and summary of
the work-then hurled inVectives
against state, county and city officers.
President Guilds remarks, in brief,
as quoted by a member of the Topeka
chapter of the d. A. r., were some
what as follows:
''The sheriff of shawnee county uses
the peoples money for his personal
gains.
''rhe city Jail is used in connection
with the white slave traffic-the
mayor knows of these conditions.
Team work between lobbyists and
legislators eXcels the most admirable
team work on a football squad.
THE death rate in Topeka is higher
than in any city in the north.
Topeka is full of professional bond
givers.
mo city in the United States the
size of Topeka possesses such a dan
gerous portion as Topeka's East side"
MI. Gu1lQS s ADDRESS pracU1CaIly stun
ned the chapter that had collected to
hear him In the organization are
wives of federal and county officials,
and women whose husbands are
known to be interested in local poll
tics. The effect of Mr. Guilds speech
was that of a bomb. To the more
broadminded of the women, two pos
sible phases of the question presented
themselves: Either Mr.. Guild was
misinforIned, and a dangerous lectur-
er; or, conditions exist in Topeka
which were hitherto unsuspected.
"Unless Mr.. Guild is backed by sta
tistics, and can prove his astonishing
statements" said one of the women
who was present, "he will undoubtedly
do more damage than good. He has
been asked to address several women's
organizations. The women of Kansas
are just beginning to take an active
interest in state politics. Their knowl-
edge of conditions is limited They
will take as gospel what a man in Mr..
Guilds position has to report
1t was subsequently proven that two
of Mr.. Guilds assertions were incor-
rect
ION the other hand" declared a
second member of the chapter, cit is
probable that conditions exist which
the women of Topeka do not know,
and should know. There is no smoke
without a little fire"
Mr. Guild. who was limited to a
fifteen minutes address, opened with
posed social survey, and the benefits
to be deriver from it. He then pro-
ceeded to describe in uncertain
terms certain phases of alleged local
political graft"
DO you know he is reported as
saying, that the sheriff of your coun-
ty gets s 0 cents a day for feeding each
prisoner in the county Jail? Does all
Is it all expended for the prisoners?
No. The caterer furnishes the food
for very much less, and the rest goes
into your sheriffs pocket"
Mr.. Guild has made similar remarks
from his pulpit. Now, it happens that
the sheriff of Shawnee is one of the
most upright men in the city, the
county, or the State-one of the most
popular men in the city of Topeka. His
wife is a prominent member of the
Topeka chapter Of the D. A. R-Mr
Guilds hosts. you will remember
One of the women called Mr.. Guild
to task for this astonishing observa-
tion-and Mr.. Guild retracted
"Oh," he said. "is there new
sheriff? One since the first of the
year? 1 didn't know it. I meant TO
cast no reflections on the present in
Enthusiastically not My statistics
were compiled last December"
The second mistake was found in
Mr.. Guilds declaration that the death
rate in Topeka was higher than in any
city of its size in the north. The
statement was a misquotation from an
address of ]. w. V. Deacon. state sta
tiStician.
The statement. as made by Mr..
Deacon was so modified as to declare
that statistics, compiled for one year
only, demonstrated that Topeka's
death rate was larger than in eight
not all northern cities.
Mr. Guild simply cast a broad in
sinuation that the white slave ira fiji,