The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-03-14

ruth has seen him hit the heads and
bodies of various floating live turtles
destructive to his fish. when we were
both out practicing with a rifle.
Furthermore. the writer is in good
health; loves his work, and does not
mind a few little libel suits or
/ scraps if they are to inure in the
| end to the welfare of Topeka.
Mr. MacLennan is fighting for the
right to criticise in his paper and
consequently for other papers old
| opera houses-one built about thirty
eight years ago in this city, which
three years ago, according to official
statements introduced as testimony
this week, had defective exits. wooden
stairs where the authorities said they
should be iron, dangerous electric wir-
| ing; where three years ago wooden
stairs where the authorities said they
should be iron. dangerous electric wir-
| ing; where three years ago a defective
booth had been used instead of iron
! ones around moving picture ma
! chimes.
| He is fighting for the right to say
these things in his paper, without be-
| ing compelled to employ attorneys
and give his valuable time, as he has
| this entire week, trying to avoid the
payment of $4,000 alleged dam
ages claimed by the plaintiff in this
case.
He is fighting also for the right of
newspapers in Topeka to follow the
requests of government officials. dis
trict officials and county officials.
committee workers in liberty loan
! drives.I to expose men claimed to be
unpatriotic or ''slackers."
! He is fighting in the hope that
newspapers may be able to do these
| things and do them. if necessary, in
connection with the forthcoming vic
| tory loan, set for next month: to do
these things. without being compelled
| to defend themselves in the courts of
this community, or be compelled to
pay $4,000 in addition to paying his
own attorney. because as a matter of
duty this paper followed the requests
of the liberty loan workers.
That is what Mr.. MacLennan is
fighting for and he makes it as plain
statement of fact, that the readers of
this paper may know exactly what the
fight is.
Mr.. MacLennan is fighting, as Mr..
Brady says, for the liberty, of the
press, and the newspapers of this en-
tire state and nation are interested in
the outcome. This is another state
ment of fact.
i Here is another statement of fact
taken from the report of Mr.. Gravy
| ford's own testimony in the district
/ court day before yesterday:
Il. NJ. Crawford stated that workmen
We're working on a stairway this morning
Knew the FALLING he was hasn sai
( today needed fixing until his attention was
called to it by McKeeser.
/ Abe council, carpenter. was the last
| witness called before Adjournment Wednes-
| day afternoon. He said that had been
entployed ~, w ednesaay morning to make re-
| side of the Grand and admitted that he
intended to charge the Crawfords the
union scale of so cents an hour for the
time .hee spent while in the court house as
a witness. Council said that in his in
| morning he had found a few rotten tim
| bers, but said he did not consider them
dangerous. He put on a new railing. he
/
shown pictures of the wooden stairway and
admitted it would be safer if it were
wider
Here is Mr.. Crawfords testimony
on Tuesday wherein he says he is
proud of the Grand here and has
built a fireproof house at Wichita:
al. NJ. Crawford said that to his knowl-
edge there are only two fireproof theaters
| in Kansas today, one of these being the
New Crawford owned by the Amusement
| Syndicate Co. at Wichita and the other
the opera house at Lawrence.
| when asked as to the condition In
which he kept the Grand in comparison
| with the conditions of his other theaters
and opera houses. Crawford said that as
this is his home town he has always taken
| n particular pride in having the Grand
| opera house in better condition than
The Topeka Capital is doing day
after day, an unusual thing. For three
days or more during the present week
and the one just past, including an
announcement in it's last Sunday
paper, the Capital has carried display
advertising calling attention to the
editorial page of the State Journal
One of the displayed advertisements
kindly advertised not only the editorial
page of the State Journal, but other
pages in our current issues. Thanks,
Arthur. thanks. Such announcements,
printed without the request or the
knowledge of this paper, or any pay
! IT. +..-