The Topeka state journal., 1922-12-30
Dan IHNEO HUIIUN
Shawnee County Lawyers Name
Investigating Committee.
To Probe Reflections on Shaw"
nee Court by III. T. Russell.
CONSIDER The CHARGES CRAVE
'Inexcusable ImputatiOn Cast
Against Local Courts"
Characterized as statements
of a DiSgruntled Lawyer"


County Bar association held in the
district court room this morning. a
committee of three members of the
bar was appointed. to investigate the
charges which have been made against I
the Shawnee county district court by
II. a. Russell, member of the state /
public utilities commission. and to re-
port back to the association its find
ings with the purpose of compelling /
Russell to refute them if they they are
found to be untrue.
The public utilities commissioner in
his report, referring to certain gas |
case, spoke of the friend of the OPP
pressed public utility, the Shawnee /
county district court" and in a later /
statement given to the public press
that appeals of the utilities COM /
panies from the commission to the |
Shawnee county district cohrt have /
been SO prompt and so umerouS, that |
the commission has come to regard |
anything that it may do to protect the |
public interests in such cases in this |
court as useless and without effect.
The charges referred to are made in
the annual biennial report of the COM /
mission, and according TO the attitude |
taken by the Shawnee county law
yers, reflect upon the good faith and 1
the motives of Judge George II. Whit
comb and Judge James Mcclure OF
the district court.
The members of the committee area
W. r. Hazen, L. 5. Ferry and John j.
Schenck.
The motion for the appointment of
the committee. was made by Robert
stone, and carried with it the request
to the state Bar association to APP
point a similar committee for the
same purpose.
Charges Are Grave.
The vote to appoint the committee,
while unanimous was taken after "A
considerable discussion. There were
two opinions held by groups of the
lawyers present.
One was that the charges We're |.
grave and the matter serious, requir-
ing an explanation
The other was that the statements
credited to Russell were those Ola
disgruntled lawyer who has lost his
case5-the words of Capt. J. G. Wa
ters-and who was appealing to the .
public for solace."
The motion to-appoint the commit
tee, made by Robert Stone, was de-
Tended by Z. d. McKeever, L. s. Ferry,
Ralph O'Neil and James A Troutman.
the effect that the Shawnee county
district court is friendly to the inter
est of public utilities, is being spread
over the state. and that in Justice to
the court itself. the Shawnee County
Bar association should combat the
''insidious propaganda"
Troutman asserted that on reading
the statements of Russell. as they ap-
peared in the public press, his con-
tempt for the member of the state
public utilities commission, both per-
sonai and official, rose to the highest
possible point They constitute mex
cusable and indefensible imputations
against the Shawnee county court and
the Shawnee county bar would be cow
ardly not to come to the defense of the
Judges Troutman asserted.
Justice Also a Victim.
State Senator Hugh T. Fisher de-
-
profession took off its coats for the
honesty and integrity of the courts.
One of the best justices of the state
supreme court Kansas has ever had,
was beaten by the same propaganda
methods which Russell is using If Il
the Shawnee county lawyers make no
answer TO these statements, the peo-
pie of the state will believe that they
are true and that the Shawnee county
district court is friendly to the interests
of the public utilities and against the
interests of the people. The statements
do not constitute charge, but they
do constitute n reflection against the
court which We owe it to the court to
refute."
The opposition to the appointment
of committee to investigate the state
ments was led by J. c. Waters, who
declared that he believed the associa-
ton was attaching too much impor-
tance to the foolish statement of a
disgruntled lawyer who will regret the
MAKING OF tHe statement. waters
took the position that the association,
by appointing an investigating COM
mittee, was actually placing the Judges
of the court on trial.
Speaking a second time, Waters ex-
pressed his views more forcibly and
was about to conclude. when another
lawyer rose and whispered in his ear
!. Waters Is Disgruntled.
'Oh yes" Waters declared then.
about these newspapers. I haven't
any use for any newspaper in the state
OF Kansas, including the two we have
in Topeka There isn't any honor in
any of them. They'll print anything
if they think they can get little more
advertising by printing it. 1t is no
more possible to get facts before the
people thru the newspapers than to
get thru the eve of a needle with a
pack on your back"
Waters view that the association
would attach too much prominence to
the affair by appointing a committee
to investigate it was shared by George
McDermott. s. l. Lashbrook. police
judge; T. D. Humphreys and Tink-
ham Neale. county attorney. McDer-
mott saiI "a close examination of the
charges shows very little to them"
Neale declared that Il don't think
anybody takes these statements very
seriously, and I'm opposed to putting
these two judges on trial" Judge
LashbFoOk insisted on the right of any
citizen TO criticize the court if he
wished.
Every speaker on the issue. took oc-
casion to pay the highest tribute TO Z
the character and integrity of the two
judges of the Shawnee county district
court. and to express his own disbelief
Of the reflections which they consid-