The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-09
Are Governor Capper and Fred
VoiIand Guilty of This2
Handling of Disloyalty Letters
Cited by Lawyers.
THEY HAVE MADE MO ANSWER
Six Days Since State Journal
Reiterated the Charges.
1t Is Up to Capper and V"iland
To Give Out Facts.


|
'Whoeyer harbors or concealS any
person who he knows or has reason
able grounds to believe or suspect has
committed or IS about to commit IN
offense under this title, shall be pun
ished by fine OF not more than Ten
II Thousand Dollars or by Imprisonment
for not more than two years, or both.
Sec. 5, Federal Espionage Act.
Real seriousness of the interference
with government work in Kansas on
the part of Governor Capper and Fred
Voiland, Topeka merchant, has been
pointed out by several prominent To-
peka lawyers, who with hundreds of
! Kansans are following the develop
, rnents in the case. Under practices
, said to have been revealed by Arthur
T. Bagley, government investigator.
there is a belief in the minds of a
number of lawyers that both Governor
Capper and Voiland may have directly
violated provisions of the federal es
pionage act.
According to statements made to
the State Journal by the governor and
Voiland, as we'll as information said
) to have been secured by Bagley in his
5 investigation, hundreds of dislcyalty
letters were received. Letters coE-
/ oerning disloya1ty came to Governor
Capper from every sectioh OIL the state
and were turned over to Voiland. Let
! ters dated as early as Nav are "
: boi,,n oo,;oa :, Vo;,,a,r atf;..
eop4eo III ~
these coples-not the or1glnais-are IN
some cases being sent to Fred Robert
2 son United States district attorney
/ -, -
iHis aclioi may oe its OWN answer te
the charges made by he State Journal
D last weeIx4to-t the effect that 17overuor
r.,.,.,. ,,,a 11,i,.,. ~, 49,,
A' To At oee" de.ei
G government investigation concerning G
interference with enforcement of dis
iosai'y laws
] District Attorney Robertson revealed
the actions of Voiland when in answer
to direct Question bo cola con;as of
1o.+ox1ix Ha;Ias,, . "
AZ poSseSsion nave
2 been sent to him in the last few days.
Some of these letters were written
moro than two months apo
.er -
boo, 49, I.t. ~ IaSol ~ MY
= .Thau nonoarnaa nat.. oust s, isuii saiu,
diraot,y -, ~ rrar,is
oRoioi rf M ~ fSnI y. aul.iol !Aeu I.
;,1ot;e III Sr,-. q w i.iiiei' .u ~ ~
u-itboI'7 co,,,,,,.r. ~,e ~. ~ ae tile
Y of severaI 1a+tars ea,+ + - Nop.Ss 49,
seysr.I x1biot, II,a,a 49, -, - ~, =. : :
Nav , 'S
: S;xtv.five Dav Dcrav
That seems 70 have baen cna of the
= results of the Canner-VoiIand c.n,
paien to cond1,ct their own dis1ovaI
law enforcement "a amnsien in KsnSas
The sixtv-five dav de1av in +rsnsna;+
= ting the LETTERS 10 tha on1v ofBoiaI -,
d kansas with autbority ~ cond,,o+
T investiga tion-tbe district attornevN
D follows a speech aking camnaipn bx
: Governor Gamer in which he baS
urged all nersons with knowiedea ot
disIovaItv in the STATE 70 send ieee .ba ~, "
formation to him. It was wban tbf
government learned thar Governo,
Capper was accommodating large bun.
. dies of this information which was al
least available for his own politica
| use, that Arthur T. Bagley was SEN
here, by the United States district a
: torney, with instructions to inyestiga te
: Bagley is the chief of government in.
t vestigators in this district and person.
!, Voiland concerning their interference
= with government work
t Now there is a belief among a mum
r ber of very able LAWYERS that the gov.
o ernor and VoiIand have violated ~.
d provision in the federal espionage act
1t is pointed out that Governor can.
It thoritv or direction from the denart
v nent of Justice or anv of its branches
e They had no legal authority to soIici
d information concerning disloya1tv ir
e Kansas They had no legal authorit,
70 oopdro+ ;a,o.+;~,.;o-tS -.