Evening star., 1938-12-24
Stark Pushes Fight
To Clean Up
Kansas City
Attorney General Told
To Gust Officiuls Who
Refuse to Aid
By the Associated Press.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo-, Dec. "a.
Gov. Lloyd G. Stark threw the full
weight Of his administration last
night into q campaign TO eradicate
the blight Of crime and corruption
from Kansas City"-stronghold Of
his arch political foe, Boss" Tom
Pendergast.
"A stencil in the nostrils Of the
decent citizens" the Governor
termed conditions in the South
west trade metropolis and amuse-
ment mecca for the cattle and wheat
country. He instructed Attorney
General Roy McKittrick to clean
up the city and file ousters against
any public ofncials who refuse to
aid in court and grand jury ac-
! tions.
II don't care to get into an en-
durance contest with polecat," was
the comment Of Henry F. McElroy,
white-haired city manager Of Kan
sas City.
Pendergast Refuses Comment.
Pendergast, head of the dominant
Democratic organization that mush-
roomed from a modest start in q
river front saloon, refused COM
ment.
Virtually every official Of Kansas
City and Jackson County Is afIili-
ated with the Pendergast organiza-
tion. which has been at bitter odds
with Gov. Stark since he began to
cut Pendergast followers OF the
Capitol pay roll about a year ago.
Gov. Stark declared vice, rae
keteering and major crime were
notorious" in Kansas City, car
ried on openly in defiance of law
and without protest from any offi-
cial heads Of the citys government. I"
The Governor ordered the attor-
ney general to investigate conditions
In st. Louis, too, but his criticism
OF that city paled against the fury
OF his attack on astonishing cor
ruption" in the hometown of the
Pendergast forces.
Says Law Is Broken Down.
"Unrestrained violations of law
are openly and notoriously COM
mitted and there Is a definite break
down in law enforcement he said.
information from reliable sources
shows that the gambling racket is
carried on openly in defiance OF law
and without protest from any off,
clal heads of the city's government;
that houses of prostitution flourish
within the very shadows of the
Court House and the City Hall, and
the inmates solicit openly, un-
ashamed and unafraid of official
authority; that gangsters and rae
keteers, unmolested by Official au-
thority, ply their trade and prey.
through violence and intimidation,
upon citizens and business men
"Tnlevery is so pronounced that in
the opinion of many citizens it has
become a racket in which the DO
lice are in collusion.
Fight for Control.
Gases in which evidence abounds
against Well-known public enemies
nave been carried upon the court
records for years through the me-
dium of continuances and other
well-knoWn methods attending
criminals in their fight for free
dom.
The Governor, in his instructions
to Mr.. McKittrick, cited q recent
Supreme Court decision that the at
torney general had the right to
bring proceedings against prose-
cutors or other county onicials who
failed or refused to perform their
duties.
Mr.. McKittrick, who had not yet
formally received the Governors
letter, said simply he would do
whatever the law requires me to
do"
The Missouri Legislature will con-
vene early in January, and political
observers believed the Governor S
blast was the forerunner Of a bitter
struggle for control Of the strongly
Democratic membership.