The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1871-03-31
WHY WE FAILED.

pletely wOrsted his opponent.
WHY WE FAILED.
AS something has been said as to why
the bill for an appropriation to erect an
additional building for the State Nor
NAL school failed to pass the legislature
at its last session, and as that some
thing, especially as related by Eskridge,
is false from beginning to end, we pro-
pose to tell our side of the story. Let
us first state that Mr.. Eskridge's article
was not written for the purpose of Civ
ing fair criticism on our course dur
ing the session, but is the '.first blast"
from his "bugle horn" for the campaign
next fall. Eskridge cares nothing for
the failure of the bill. In fact, he is
glad of it. He cares nothing for truth
and fairness, if he can make a point for
his own selfish purposes. His course
here has always been to build himself
up by breaking others down. What he
expects to gain by the publication of
batch of stuff SO utterly false and malic-
ious, we do not know. We are ready
at ali times to give full account of our
course on the Normal, and to show, as
we think, that we acted for the best in
terests of the institution and of the peo-
pie whom we represented.
For two years previous to this there
was ruling element in the Legislature
opposed to appropriations for buildings
for the State Institutions. There was a
heavy floating State debt, and the tax
levy for State purposes was nine and ten
mills on the dollar. Our State scrip
only brought seventy-five and eighty
cents on the dollar. All said "No more
buildings for State Institutions until
the outstanding scrip is taken up" AT
the last session it was found that the
floating debt was wiped out of exist
ence, and that scrip was worth its face.
So there was a general ''pitch in" for
new buildings for the State Institutions.
The amount asked for, in the aggregate,
was about S250000. The bill asking
$4,000 for the Normal was introduced,
and in the course of time passed the
Senate. After it had been in the House
for some time, we found the old senti-
ment of mo appropriations for new
buildings" being revived. The most eff.
cient advocate of this doctrine was the
able chairman Ga the Ways and Means
committee. So earnest were they thai
a close canvass of the House was made,
and a majority of the members pledged
themselves agaist the appropriations foI
buildings. The appropriations, at the
lowest, leaving new buildings out
would reach 100000. 1t was claimed
that there must be a very material re.
duction of State taxes. They had been
very high for two years, and the people
were grooming under their burdens OF
taxation. They asked and expected the
Legislature to relieve them all in theil
power.
This sentiment defeated our bill. II
was strong and could not be overcome.
1t defeated $50, 600 for the State Uni
versity, $4,000 for tho Deaf aud Dumb
Asylum, S25, 600 for the State Normal
School, $1,000 for the Leavenworth Or
phan Asylums, 5000 for Normal de-
partment in the Topeka college, reduc-
ed the capitol grounds appropriation
$4,000, and the Penitentiary $1,000
and cut off entirely the $4,000 asked
for to complete the east wing of the
capitol. 1t saved the appropriations
$4,000. So it will be seen that we
Jared no worse than the State Univer-
sity, the Deaf and Dumb Asylum, the
| capitol, and other institutions. If Mr..
Eskridge was ignorant of these facts he
ought not to have written his article in
the shape he did, and if he was posted
on them, as he ought to have been be-
fore writing about them, he ought to
have been honest enough and decent
enough to tell the truth. 1t is true that
after most of these appropriations were
disposed of, that the chairman of the
Ways and Means Committee and other
friends of the State University, changed
front suddenly, and reducing the
amount asked for that institution to
$4,000, got it through the House. 1t
was throttled in the Senate, however,
and the University shared the same
fate our bill did.
In relation to the Insane Asylum, we
will state that it was proyen that there
were many persons in the State who
ought to be in that institution who
could not gain admission because of its
being full. 1t only accommodates fifty
persons, and there are at least fifty of
this unfortunate class now at large in
the State. Society demands that they
should be taken care of for the public
protection. There was no opposition to
the appropriation for building for this
institution. The most prominent oppo-
sers of all other institutions favored this
one.
Instead of our appropriations amount
ing to 100000 for the present year,
they are about 100000, and we are not
so sure but that the people-the tax
payers-those who don't write lying
communications for the newspapers for
| political effect-will endorse the action
of the Legislature after all, especially as
our portion of the State Jared no worse
than other portions.