The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-06-07
Tom Botkin rs Aon the Trail of
Automobile Drivers.
Says the State Is Being De-
frauded of It's Due.
HE IS AFTER THE MONEY
Declares He Will Take Neces.
sary Means to Get 1t.
Large Number Of Cars Carrying
PastebOard Tags.

Tom Botkin. secretary of state. is
peeved. Many automobile owners are
operating cars without a state license
by using an old dealers tag. Now
Botkin want the money. What is
more he intends to get it. Failing to
get the cash, Botkin proposes to ask
the police departments to drag some
SO per cent of these pasteboard tag
owners into court and insist that they
display their. receipt or pay q fine.
For months Botkin has walked up
and down the streets of Topeka and
observed the pasteboard tags on the
rear of automobiles. These tags usual
ly read License Applied For" In
most of these cases. Botkin thinks.
the car owner never applied for il
cense and is running his machine in
violation of the state law, Then, too
Botkin has discovered that many
dealers take liberties with the use of
their dealers tags and permit pur-
chasers to use them when they should
pay s. into the treasury for the build
ing Of good roads.
Il do not believe in making fish of
one and fowl Of another" said Bot
kin today. Sixty thousand men of
Kansas have complied with the law
ana paid their fees. These fees have
been used for the Improvement of the
roads and 1t is not fair to these men
that others should be permitted to OPP
crate their cars and enjoy the bene-
fits of these roads for nothing. There
is a large number of cars operating in
the city of Topeka bearing pasteboard
cards with .he inscription License
Applied For This seems to me to
be piece Of brazen effrontery and is
a reflection on this office as we'll as
on the county treasurer. It also re-
fleets on the credulity of the Topeka
police force. may add that in ninety
nine cases out of every hundred the in
scriptiOn is false.
How State Is Defrauded.
applications for license are made
to the county treasurer by paying the
necessary fee. The treasurer gives the
applicant a receipt. This receipt pro-
tects the applicant Tor Il period of fiji
necessary for that length of time
However. it is better to have one to
avoid being stopped by the officers
Now after making application for Ii
cense at the county treasurer's office
it is much less trouble and takes less
time for the applicant to travel the
four blocks from the county treasur-
ef'S ofrce to the state house and pro-
cure his license and tag from this Of
nee than It is to procure a paint pot
and brush and paint this, inscription
on a pasteboard gard, So when the
owner Ola. car, in ToEreA displays Fsu CHI
q card it is pretty good evidence that
no license has been applied for and
tnat he is making ridiculous attempt
TO deceive the public and the officers
have asked the police department TO
apprehend all persons using such
cards and require them to show their
receipts and if. as L suspect, they do
not have them, then to take necessary
steps to have the law complied with
81 am also informed that there is a
surprisingly large number of new cars
in town carry dealers tags. These
may or may not be all right. but
have called on the department to in
vestigate these also. [ want every
body to obey the law