The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-01-12
While They Meet in Court
House Negro Swipes Coat.
Legislative Program Is Out
lined at Morning Session.
PARSONS TO LOBBY FOR BILLS
Want Increased Pay for Feed
ing County Prisoners.
New Vagrancy Law Sought to
Cope With I. w. w.

While ninety sheriffs. half a hun
dred police chiefs, special railroad
agents and detectives were assembled
in the court house this morning, a
sneak thief was having the time of
his life on abe lower floor. AS a re-
suit, Tom Hurley, elevator man. is
minus a coat. Hurley saw a negro
lettering around on the first floor.
While he answered a call on the sec
ond floor, the negro grabbed Hurley's
coat which was hung on a peg on the
first floor and disappeared.
A Joint meeting of the Kansas State
Peace Officers association was in
progress in the second division or the
district court today Members or
both associations, $50 strong, will call
on Governor Capper in a body to urge
administration support of legislative
measures recommended by the joint
associations. Harvey Parsons, chief of
police in Topeka, heads the legislative
committee and will do the lobbying
necessary to get the measures en-
acted.
An increase of 5 cents a day for the
feeding of county prisoners is the most
important change demanded in the
present statutes. The present maxi
mum for feeding prisoners is so cents
a day The joint associations desire
pertains to counties where cooking IA
cilities and equipment for care of pris-
oners are furnished for prisons. In
counties where such equipment is
property of individuals the present
maximum is 65 cents day and that
maximum would be increased to rs
cents a day under the proposed
amendment.
New Vagrancy Law.
The Joint association also wishes
more freedom in holding men for vag-
rancy Under the Kansas law only
loaferS around joints, bootleggerS and
police characters are construed to be
Migrants. An entire new vagrancy
law would be written under the bill
drafted by the two associations and it
would follow in every particular the
Oklahoma vagrancy law.
Under the proposed law a vagrant
would be an idle person who lives
without any means, or, who has no
visible means of support and makes no
eXertion to obtain livelihood by hon.
est employment, Also any person who
strolIs or loiters idly about the streets
of any city or town, having no local
habitation and no honest business or
employment. This provision is to give
the sheriffs in rural counties power to
take care of the L. w. WIS who follow
the harvest. The proposed statute
also includes immoral women, any
manager, or cOnIrOlier Oh d mousse u III
fame, or anyone employed therein as
barkeeper or caller of figures for
dances"
Then, the sheriffs want to tie up
the county commissioners in making
them employ deputies Under the
present statute it states that county
commissioners may employ deputies"
The sheriffs want the statute changed
so it will read that the commissioners
shall" employ deputies. 1t is charged
that in certain counties where bad
blood existed between commissioners
and sheriffs, the commissioners have
absolutely refused to appoint deputies
and have made it obligatory for the
sheriffs to employ deputies and pay
them out of their own salaries.
Free Passes for Police.
Chief Parsons plans for the police
of Kansas, too, and with the backing
of the joint associations will have a
bill presented repeating the present
law, which deprives a policeman from
fees for testimony in criminal cases in
county courts. The chief explained his
stand on this proposition.
After a policeman makes an arrest
and testifies in the city court he should
be thru so far as his work for the city
is concerned said the chief. Further
testimony must be made at odd times
in county courts and this is usually on
the policeman's time. Yet he doesn't
get d penny IOf IT. WI1liO some -VdR or
other person who has no chips in the
game gets witness fees
Also, the chief would make it pos
sible for chief of police in second class
cities to receive passes from railroads,
the same as chiefs in cities of the first
class.
Emmett Gray, chief special agent of
the Santa Fe, is president Ga the Kan
sas State Peace Officers association,
and l. F. Sarver, sheriff of Sedgwick
county, is president of the Kansas
State Sheriffs' association Sheriff
! Hugh Larimer acted as secretary at
the meeting.
| The sheriffs, late this afternoon,
were discussing legislation which they
propose to ask, which will establish a
statewide Identification of prisoners
who serve terms in the county jails.
The county commissioners, according
to the plans of the officers, will be
asked to provide for the application of
the system in every county in the state
This afternoon Beloit was selected
as the place for the holding of the
| next annual meeting. The exact time
has not yet been set.
arranged to be attached to an auto is