The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1873-01-02
AG~nnue sauelcheA.

The case of J. z. Dryden rersss Obe Craig came
mp in the District Court, on Tuesday, and was
thrown out, or squelched in some other way.
Thus ends (for the present, at least) nice little
game to bleed the Taxpayers Of the County to the
tup. of almost three thousand dollars. A state
ment Of the case may not be uninteresting, as
showing how public servants sometimes guard
the interests Of the people.
The County voted s2OOOoo Of bonds t" the ST.
Joseph and Denver City Railroad. For soine
| reasou for which the County WAS not I" blame,
| the bonds we're not delivered just at the time
when the Railroad Company claimed they were
due, I'VE believe. account Of SOME f1aw picked
by the Company ITSELF and the Company de-
mantled interest for the time they were delayed.
The demand was resistsd until the last meeting of
that Beard, consisting Of J. F. Dryden, John H.
Utt, and A. b. Symns; but at the last moment,
an order was made, by the vote Of Dryden and
UT, allowing the claim for interest, amounting
to t26OO Symns opposed it, and Indignantly de-
nounced it rs q swindle. The warrants were is
sned, and the Ralroad Company, retaining $500
of the amount, divided the other half equally be-
tween Dryden and UT, for serrioes, as they said.
Symns, who opposed the gobble, having rendered
no services, received no part Of the grab. What
those valuable services were, has never been
stated; but it will strike the public that those
two officers, sworn to protect the interests of the
County, were bribcd with $3.50 piece, to saddle
an unjust tax Of $1,000 upon the people.
The new County Board Immediately organized,
consisting Of A. b. symns, c. W. Noys~, and 8.
Hatch. Their first act was to pass an order
commanding the Treasurer not b pay the fraud
ulent warrants Dryden presented his, time and
again, aud was refused, by both Treasurers Rap
pelye and Craig. Utt undertook more charac-
teristic sneaking plan. County warrants had
then reached par, and were no drug in the mar.
ket; but UT offered Craig his warrants at so
cents ON the dollar! In plain words, he tried to
bribe the Treasurer to pay the warrants in viola
tion Of the order of the Board-and even then, he
would have made s;s25 clear gain. Time after
time, he asked Craig to make him an offer for the
scrip-seeming anxious to get rid of it at any
price, 80 that he could tempt the Treasurer to
commit himself, and save him from losing his en-
tire price for his dirty work. He also tried to
sell the scrip in bank, in St. Joseph, with no bet
ter success.
Dryden was determined to go the whole hog
SO he brought suit against the County. The suit
would not stick, and he was informed that his
only recourse was to sue the Treasurer ON his
bond, for refusing to pay the warrant. He took
that course, and the case has been pending for
some time-Treasurer Craig having gone out of
Office in the meantime. Dryden's 500 and inter-
est is not the full amount saved to the tax payers
by the failure Of the snii. His was put forward
As a test case. Had he gained it, the Railroad
Company would have come in with their $500
and interest; aud Utt having doubtless failed to
get an offer for his little $3.50, would have come
down on the County for that.
1t is a fine thing to have officers who SO care
fully guard the interests Of the Peoplc-the peo-
pie being principally themselves. But what shall
we say Of the li5eralty of a Railroad Company,
that so munifcently rewards those officers for
their serrces in attending to the public interest,
when it is not able to pay any of its just debts: