Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-01-12
GOV. DAVIS AND SON
HELD UNDER BOND
ON BR|BE CHARGE
Warrants AIIege Kansas Pair
Conspired to Get ST ,250
for a Pardon.
HEARING WILL BE HELD
IN TOPEKA JANUARY %
Executive Says He Welcomes OPP
portunity to Prove Political
Frame-Up by Foes.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kans., January 12.-Gov
Jonathan NJ Davis of Kansas per
sonaTy appeared in court here tht:
morning to answer to warrants sworr
out by County Attorney Tinkham Neal'
charging him and his son Russell
with accepting bribe.
The bond for each defendant was
set at $1,000 and a hearing was SCI
for January % at 10 o'clock.
Gov. Davis had not decided whether
ne would attend the inaugural cere'
-noaIes at noon for his successor
Gov-elect Ben S. Paulen. He hae
prepared a brief address to be de-
livered as retiring executive, but his
attorneys differed in advising whether
he should attend.
Term Has Now Expired.
Coming within two hours of the re-
tirement of Mr.. Davis as governor
the court proceedings brought to d
stormy close his two-year term al
chief executive.
Elected in 1922 as the third Demo
cratic governor in the history oi
Kansas, his adninistT alton was
plunged into a quarrel with the over
whelmingly Republican Legislature
The executive sent to the Legislature
his recommendation and demands fol
investigation of State Offices, all OF
which were under Republican con-
troll, and some 60-odd vetoes. All but
a half dozen bills were passed over
the veto.
Two weeks ago the discharge of
Of ha ITr1i-
versity of Kansas, aroused storm
both of protest and approval For
two weeks the governor and the
State Board of Administration battleh
in the courts, the chancellor seekin &
an Injunction to prevent his dismissal,
and charging the governor with bad
faith" in removing him.
Last Saturday the State Supreme
Court upheld the governors arbitrary
power to discharge the chancellor
without hearing or statement or
cause.
Proceedings arc Condemned.
Rondsmen included r. T. kriepe,
manufacturer and deputy bank COM
missioner; S. l. Courtney, merchant;
Robert L. Hendricks, retired farmer;
w. II. kemper, capitalist; c. B. Mer-
riam, and J. r. Burrows. bankers,
Hendricks characterized the pro-
ceedings as an Outrage" designed to
humiliate the governor on the last
day of his administration.
Later the governor said he had
decided to go through with the in
augural exercises and would deliver
an address.
Friends of the Davis family were
iucensed at the speed with which the
i Il Il Il
claring they believed that the service
could have been postponed until after
the inaugural, as courtesy to the
retiring executive.
imprisonment is Possible.
The action is based upon evidence
OF witnesses who listened in over a
hotel last Friday to a conversation
during which it is alleged Pollman
paid the governors son $3.50 upon
the delivery of pardon. Pollman
has been at liberty on parole two
years and would have regained full
citizenship April /. He was convicted
of forgery and was paroled by Gov
Henry Allen.
Accepting a bribe is punishable
under Kansas statutes by a fine of
from $500 to 1000 or imprisonment
for from one to seven years, or both
The complaint was agree upon and
drafted at a conference in the at
torney generals office, yesterday. 1t
was first decided to charge Solicit
ing and accepting a bribe," but it was
found that a Supreme Court decision
had determined that it was not un-
lawful to solicit a bribe.
FeIOnious Plot Charged.
The warrants were issued by Judge
Paul Heinz of the court of Topeka
and Immediately delivered to Tom
Hurley, marshal of the court, who
was instructed to serve them imme-
diately.
Col. A. NJ. Harvey, the governors
attorney, was in court when the war
rants were issued.
The warrant says that:
Jonathan NJ. Davis and Russell
Davis did Intentionally and know
ingly conspire together and did as
sist, aid and abet with each other
in the receiving and accepting of a
certain bribe." 1t further saws that
Jonathan NJ. Davis, as Governor of
Kansas, accepted, through his agent.
his son, Russell Davis, $3.50 under
certain agreement between his son
Russell and Fred Pollman."
That he, the said Jonathan M
q
Fred Pollman, who had been com
mitted to the penitentiary and who
was then on parole. in consideration
OF the payment of $3.50 to the de-
fendant, Russell Davis. his said agent.
a s aforesaid"
Welcomes showdown
Formal filing of charges would he
welcome as an opportunity to clear
his skirts" Mr.. Davis asserted. "J
do not believe there is sufficient evil
dence to justify the filing of a
charge" he said. However, if thew
want to file, let them come ahead"
The governor asserted that while
his son had accepted $3.50 from Poll
man last Friday night upon deliver
ing a pardon to the banker, the trans
action was a ''frame-up' to hurt him
politically and that his son had re-
turned the money when he realized
what had happened.