The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1873-06-12

''Old Rhoda' Speaks.
No, We beg Rhoda's par dou-even she could do
more credit to herself. Martin B. Bovers devofes
half 4 column In last weeks RePsSsiosn to our
benefit We will mot uss tho exclsmation Of the
legal gentleman /, tbi. town, when he read the
communication. for IL weuld sound badly-but,
Martin. i,n't th.t prudnction awful thin-thinner
than yosr sssghan even, or the clothing Of that
old woman, afisf yoa had collected her hotel
hill in woolcu goodsf
New, all this hullsbulDo by Martin, is because,
in the prosecutiop Of sur determination to give
ali the news, we stated that Bowers had boon
sucd by the Board Of School District No. 8 f, in
Brown County, for money unaccounted for by him,
while Treasurer Of the District, He adulits the
truth Of this, in his communication, yet scolds
because We did not give his personal and private
reasons for not settling. We have stated that
hs was sued; that the petition eAargcd dsfa'ea-
tion that he os.fssssd the facts - set forth IN
the petition: fhss Judgment was rendered against
him for principal and interest. amounting to
something over tleo; and that he claimed that the
msney bad been drsvn BY another psFsou, - his
agent, aud used BY that persou. Now, We stated
al these things, and they were all facts Consid'
ering the sI,rcial attention that Mr.. Bowen has
given us for some months past, he had no right
to expect that We would 60 to hunting mp ex-
cuses for his conduct. We know that the School
Board demanded settlement of him months ago,
but could not ct 1t until they sued him. One
reason that he gave TOR not settling was, that he
wanted to give US al opportunity to charge him
with being defanlrrr, that he could prose-
cute MS. Yet the petition filed agsinst' him con-
taintd that very charge, and he confessed the
charge! Had We desired {" concern ourself ~
| much about his transactions ~ Sciuol Treasurer
as he has about ours might have mentioned
the fact that be used $ll. Of the District money
to buy him farm wagun. and when his sucees-
sor was elected did not pay it over, but gave his
note for the amount, which was not paid f"r
more than year afterwards.
Had we desired to enter into his peculiar tricks,
we might have given a history Of his system Of
building churches AMI then trying to swindle the
congregation ont of them; Of his charging mp
against them certain items for paints, etc,
which he had never paid, snd then when pay nrnt
was demanded Of him. attempted to make the
church pay for il Il SECOND time. But that may
make an interesting chapter fnr the future.
We pass over his little aIlusions to selling our
vote for s 900 or 81 900, this is the first time
we have ever heard such thing mentioned, and
We conclude that Bowers is joking; but we come
to his last iusinuatian about our transactions rs
Treasurer Of School District 4e, he says, but We
suppose he means No. q. This is Of piece with
| petition which he circulated few days ago,
and obtained fscelre signatures, some Of whom
never paid cent of taxes in their lives, some Of
when signed it with prOvis0 neutralizing the ef-
feet Of the signature. and most of whom were per-
sonal enemies Of the old School Board We pre-
sume the petition WAS intended fur our benefit, ~
well as that Of the Board that recently went ont.
We were Treasurer Of the District for three or
four years, and never charged it a cent that was
not lawful and just. Our accounts were submit
ted at each annual school meeting, for inspection
and were approved. At the last one, Mr.. Bowers
was an active participant, and voted to approve
them, When the school law says that the Board
shall not receive pay for their services, think
it does not mean that member Of the Board
shall travel over the country repeatedly, some-
times for three or four days at time, attending
to necessary business for the District In the con-
struction of school huildings and pay his own
expenses. We were compelled to travel, and
| charged the expenses to the bsifd;.s (asd, and
were paid from that fund. The old Board did
another thing which the law did not authorize
them to do. Instead Of permitting Bowers tO
speculate on the proceeds Of the school bonds,
they let out the money, together with the money
raised for the redemption Of bonds, at n good
rate of interest, by which they made for the Dis
trict about $1,000. This money was accounted
for to the District, and paid into tho treasury.
The law did not authorize such q proceeding
Why does not Mr.. Bowers raise q row about it,
and circulate . petition demanding that tie old
Board be compelled to take that $1,000 back
That Is one of the transactions of the old Board
that he and his party arc careful not to harp
upon. We presumc that the new Board will not
not lie guilty Of such breach of the law. An
other thing WAS net known under the old Board:
school was never stopped for wsnt Of funds, hut
there was always money left on hand to pay the
teachers at least months wages between tho
time Of opening the Fall term of school, and the
date ut which the next tax money WAS avsilable
The truth is, since Bowess undertook to betray
his best friends, and entered upon . career Of
spite work, bas not only got the entire comnuni-
nifty politically, socially and morally BY the cars
but has placed himself before the public in his
true character, and has shown . cloven hoof Of
such large dimens,ons, that the DEVILS old boots
wond produce corns on his toes, (if there be s.eh
things A. toss on hoof, In half an hours wear
ing.
" We have constant illustrations Of how the
a. - T. r.