The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-01
DO v0ILAND AND
ARTHUR CAPPER
DELAY JUSTICE?
Investigation by Federal Gov
ernment Reveals Methods.
Thousands OfDisloyalty Charges
Kept in Topeka.
THEY SHOULD Be REPORTED
U. S. Attorney and Marshal c,e1
No Information Now.
Both Claim TOpekans Have Not
Been of Assistance.
lI0Il laln oaVn IlF IlnQ IlnFn
y. S. Attorney and Marshal cW
No Information Now.
Both Claim TOpekans Have Not
Been of Assistance.
VOILAND SAYS He HAS AIDED
Tells of Reports on Kansans
Who Have Been DislOyal.
Capper's Speech Took Letters
Away From Government.

Capper in the handling of hundreds
of letters regarding disloyalty, sedi-
ton and espionage in Kansas. has re-
Gently occasioned an investigation by
the federal government. Both Gov
ernor Capper and Fred Voiland. prom
inenu Topeka mechant and member of
the council of defense. were recently
visited by a representative of the de-
partment of justice. The probe is said
to have been based on belief that
practices employed by the governor
and Voiland constituted an obstruc-
ton of the administration of justice.
Several thousand letters concerning
all manner of alleged disloyalty in
Kansas are said to have come into
VOLTA ads possession in the last few
months. Hundreds of letters from all
sections of Kansas are known to have
been received by Governor Capper and
turned over to Voiland. Policies en-
pioyed by sVoiland are said to have
delayed and in some instances blocked
the prompt enforcement of federal
laws by authorized government Off
cials and agencies.
New Method Caused Delay.
Pra ctical suspension by the gov
ernor's Cffice cf established policies of
submitting all federal matters to gov
ernmcnt officials is said to have
brought about the investigation The
thru Independent sources, fctfuweu
Governor Capper's Marysville speech
April 21. At that time the governor
urged that all information concerning
sundry brands of aisloyalty in Kansas
be sent to him. The speech was given
wide publicity and received first page
position in the governors own paper.
Similar appeals for disloyalt .informa-
towns. ~
/ 4aI,
the already heavy reports of disloy-
atty and slackerism increased At the
! same time the policy OF reporting COM
plants to the district attorneys office
and other federal departments in this
jurisdiction almost ceased The for
! mer heavy bundles of direct COM
plants were substituted with spas
modic, scattered and occasional trans
initials.
Investigator to Topeka.
| Not until some time in June did
the government take a hand in the
| weeks ago that Arthur T. Bagley,
chief of investigators for this district,
was sent to Topeka to determine the
appalling slump in disloyalty reports
from the governors office.
| There is no question of Bagley's
visit. The only question is as to the
! purpose of that call and the nature
of the interview. Both the governor
and Voiland expressed surprise when
asked concerning the visit of a gov
ernment agent. Then. after an evil
| dence of much thought, each recalled
Bagley's visit. Each insisted. tho, it
was purely informal and impersonal.
Mr.. Bagley merely called in con-
| nection with some of his work here"
Governor Capper said. HE wanted
| to know why the number of letters
| We were sending the district attor-
| ney's office had dropped off. 1 ex-
planned to him that the letters had
been turned over to Mr.. Voiland,
whom the council of defense had ap-
/ pointed to handle this branch of the
work. Mr. Voiland has made several
trips to see Mr. Robertson and has
/ also presented matters to Mr.. Wood,
I the United States marshal 1 have
left the matter largely in Mr.. Vol
| lands hands. There was nothing about
Mr.. Bagley's visit. tho, that was in
connection with an investigation
Thousands of Letters.
! Visited in his store, Mr.. Voiland ex.
| planed that the Bagley visit was pure
ly incidental and was just one of the
/ representatives of departments with
which he kept in touch in handling
the large number of disloyalty letters.
i Mr. Bagley was here some time
ago." Voi1and recalled. "and we went
over several cases on which we had
]
this work. we handle matters thru all
/ departments and branches CT service
the department of Justice. the cen.
J trail bureau, the intelligence depart
ment, the district attorneys office and
the marshaPs office. as well as the
fuel and food administration. We
have literally thousands of letters con-
cerning every phase of disloyalty-lib-
erty bond and Red Cross slackers. food
! hoarders, seditionists and violaicrs OF
the espionage act. The departments
are mighty glad TO have US take mp
this work and there isn't a day when
we don't get some sort of letter from
one of them asking for information.
only this m morning" Voiianc con-
tinued, II received a letter from Fred
Robertson asking for information in .
certain case we investigated. We sent
him an affidavit which c1inches a case
against a disloyalist who will be in
! termed.
Il could tell you about hundreds Of
cases reported to US. For instance
there IS one case where man said the