1380 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 1. 



day as a consequence of starting out to en- 

 force the laws of the State. As the i-esult of 

 my protest, and perhaps that of similar let- 

 ters (for this article was copied in other pa- 

 pers, and, indeed, the intentio?i was to have 

 it scattered bi-oadcast, especially by papers 

 of that kind), for it seems others took it up 

 as well as myself, and a thorough investiga- 

 tion was made. I soon learned that, in- 

 stead of Kansas City having a population of 

 only 55,000, as the Eecord-Herahl gives it, it 

 has* between 80, 000 and 100, 000. The Kansas 

 City titar says: 



When Mr. Rose was reelected mayor he appointed a 

 host of "ex-.iointists," samblers, thug-s. and bums to 

 serve on the police force. This was done for their po- 

 litical support. The council refused to confirm these 

 appointments, and they could not draw pay from the 

 city. They were paid, however, from the collection 

 from the " joints " until the " joints " were put out of 

 business, when their x^ay stopped. Most of these have 

 now quit. 



I gather further from the Star and other 

 periodicals sent me that this same Mayor 

 Rose had the jail so full of criminals that 

 they were making plans to enlarge it. Read 

 the following clipping: 



There are now no prisoners in the West .Side city 

 jail. The doors of the cells stand open as thousih they 

 had given up their victims for all time to come. The 

 old rock pile in the rear of the jail on North James 

 street looks nefflected and abandoned. The hammers 

 and shovels are loose on the handles and covered with 

 dust. 



It is said that law enforcement brought about this 

 radical change. Only a few months ago the city jail 

 and stockade were so crowded city officials were con- 

 sidering plans of enlarging them. A rock quarry was 

 established so as to find means to employ the large 

 number of prisoners who crowded the roclf pile stock- 

 ade. This was when 200 open " joints." many gam- 

 bling-houses and other unlawful places ran in defiance 

 of law. It was before C. W. Trickett, the assistant 

 ttorney-gf-neral, who enforces the law in Wyandotte 

 County, began his crusade. 



The enforcement of the law has had a wonderful 

 effect on reducing the amount of crimes," said a West 

 Side city official this morning. "The city is about 

 rid of the large number of crooks and criminals who 

 frequented joints and gambling-houses. Practically 

 everybody, except some of the law-breakers, is happy 

 ovpr the change." 



"I discharged two city guards this morning who 

 have been employed guarding prisoners at the rock 

 pile," said Joseph Laughlin, acting mayor. "Their 

 services were no longer needed. We are getting good 

 fast. We will soon get the city on a basis where it 

 can live within its revenue and a number of other 

 changes to be made." 



Again, read the report below, from a clip- 

 ping dated Sept. 14: 



Twice in one week this banner prohibition city of 

 the world, with its 100,000 population, has passed a 

 whole twenty-four hours' day without an arrest or a 

 crime discoverable by the vigilant police department. 

 Never in all her history in recent years has such a 

 record been achieved. Monday and Thursday were 

 the two crimeless days, and Tuesday and Friday 

 mornings there was absolutely " nothing doing " in 

 Judge Sims' court. It is the silent tribute of events 

 to the victory of Attorney Trickett over the former 

 law-breakers of this community. 



In police court this morning Attorney Ralph Nelson 

 informed Judge J. T. Sims that there had been no ar- 

 rests reported and the "docket" was clear. Here is 

 Judge Sims' response, as given by the Star reporter: 



"What! Do you mean to say that in this city of 

 8.=>,000 people we are getting so good that not a single 

 arrest has been made in twenty-four hours':-" Judge 

 Sims asked in surprise. " That is a record-breaker ! 

 After all, it is the duty of the largest city in Kansas 

 to set a good example for the younger and smaller 

 cities that have been subjected to temptations, espe- 

 cially in the case of Topeka. This is the first time 

 for many years that there has not been an arrest in 

 twenty-four hours. In the last few weeks I have no- 

 ticed that there have been fewer arrests every day." 



Before C. W. Trickett began to enforce the law 

 there were from ten to thirty arrests every day. He 

 has closed more than 200 " joints," and driven many 

 of the law-breakers out of the city. 



In regard to the debt of nearly $5,000,000, 

 the Kansas City Star of Aug. 8 gives a lot of 

 figures, winding up as follows: 



The indebtedness of the city, outside of the inter- 

 nal-improvement bonds, is only $838,000. Its bonded 

 indebtedness was reduced $166,427 last year, and it will 

 be reduced again this year. 



Instead of being on the " verge of bankruptcy." the 

 metropolis of Kansas is awakening to an era of unu- 

 sual prosperity and develoment. It has risen above 

 the necessity of collecting illicit revenue from law- 

 breakers to pay the expenses of its city government, 

 and it is now building on such a solid foundation that 

 no misrepresentations can retard its growth or affect 

 its stability. 



It is no longer.a " commonwealth of 5.5,000 people;" 

 it is a city of 80,000 people, and its representative men 

 say that within ten years it will be a city of 200,000 

 people. It would be perfectly appropriate for the 

 Chicago journalists to become better acquainted with 

 the conditions in Kansas. It has been a long time 

 since the people of that State have had to deal with 

 conditions " verging on bankruptcy." 



If the object of this attack is to discredit law en- 

 forcement in Wyandotte County, the foolishness of it 

 should soon be apparent to its authors. 



When the story was headed off in telling 

 how Col. Trickett had got the city into del)t, 

 another report was started by the liquor-pa- 

 pers that: 



Assistant Attorney Tricketfs work has been ex- 

 travagantly costly to the municipality and Wyandotte 

 County, and it would be impossible for the State to 

 keep it up. 



In reply to that, Mr. Trickett speaks as 

 follows: 



So far my effort to close the joints in Wyandotte 

 County have cost the city, county, or State not one 

 cent. On the contrary it has placed $1000 in the county 

 treasury. I do not see a possibility of one cent being 

 thrown on the county. I have avoided jury trials, be- 

 cause, if the jointist is acquitted by a jury, the county 

 must pay the costs. By using the injunction a vastly 

 different result is obtained. When a jointist can not 

 disprove a charge, the court will fine him. The liquor- 

 men do not fight this kind of case — they go into court 

 and allow the injunction to be made permanent. In 

 these cases the jointists pay the costs and my fee. 

 The men who were tried were fined and the costs 

 charged against them. T. T. Gregg, who was charged 

 with violating an injunction, paid the clerk of the 

 common-pleas court $1000 last week. This is the $1000 

 that is now in the county treasury. There is just one 

 way that the county can be put to an expense in the 

 matter of closing joints. That is for the county com- 

 missioners to pardon the jointists after they are sent 

 to jail. The law provides that the costs may be 

 thrown on the county if the jointist is not compelled 

 to pay them. 



The Star adds: 



Mr. Trickett has obtained fifty-seven permanent in- 

 junctions, and in each of these cases the jointist or 

 brewery has paid the costs and agreed not to reopen 

 his place. In most of these cases bonds were given 

 not to reopen if Mr. Trickett would not insist on a fine 

 being imposed on the jointist. 



" The brewers are paying the costs, not the city and 

 State," said a West Side merchant this morning. 

 " They have lost more than they can ever accuse the 

 State of losing, you can bet on that." 



Now in closing let us see what the Record- 

 Herald did when confronted with the facts. 

 Perhaps we ought to be satisfied with it, but 

 I am not. Where a paper makes such a state- 

 ment as the one I have quoted, with big head- 

 lines, and puts it on the first page, it seems to 

 me that they ought to put in some sort of 

 apology, say like this: 



"We are convinced that our statements in 

 our issue of Aug. 8, in regard to Kansas City 



