The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-09-18
LAPPEN.

'AS nlSIOFy Oh SJaJe IreASuTeTS IN
Kansas, if the charges against Mr..
Lappin are true, or anywhere near
true, he is not the man the people
want in that office; and more pal
is he not the man the
Republican party want to elect.
Above all others, must the candi-
date on our ticket for Treasurer
be above suspicion. We have had
quite enough of spectators
and violators of the law in the |
Treasury, and we
will see any party defeated before
we will support for that Office a
man against whom charges of dis
honesty rest.
The charges are contained in an
affidavit field in the Lyon coun-
ty district court by Thaddeus H.
Walker, who was plaintiff in a suit
which he brought against Samuel
Lappin and his partner, Scrafford.
They are in brief that Lappin and
Scrafford tried to swindle Walker
out ola large sum of money, and
a large amount of land. He had
at various times borrowed money
of them at thirty per cent. per an
mum, amounting in all to nearly
100000. In various ways they
tried to defraud him out of his
title to the lands. Walker charges
Lappin, also, with extracting from
his trunk, in New York, valuable
papers, relating to the business
transactions between them. All
this is sworn to by Mr.. Walker,
who has stood in Kansas as q gen.
tleman ofveracity. Lappin claims.
that the suit was brought to re-
cover the usurious interest charg-
ed by him, and that is all there
was to it. This case was compro-
missed in this city few days ago
by Lappin and Walker, by which
compromise Mr.. Walker claims
to have saved what is as good to
him as 100000. This comprom-
Use was suddenly brought about
after Lappin's nomination for
Treasurer, Mr.. Walker having fail
ed, after years ofefrort on his part,
to get settlement previous to that
nomination, and after exposure
was threatened.
Another suit has been brought
against Lappin in our district
court, by a gentleman who had
business connections with him
some years ago. He trusted Lap
pin with $4,000 of partnership
property, for which he has studi-
ously refused to account, al
though efforts have been made
time and again to bring him to a
settlement. This suit is brought
to compel settlement by one who
was long an intimate and warm
friend of Lappin, who now says
he has for many months heen
forced to the conclusion that Lap
pin is dishonest man.
We may add that it is hard to
believe the case as bad as
Mr.. Walkers affidavit makes
it. Having been acquaint-
ed with Lappin for many
years, we cannot believe him
capable of stealing papers from
Walkers trunk. But considera-
tions of friendship shall not lead
us to smooth over charges, or COM
nit a wrong by asking the voters
of Kansas to support a man for
a public Office so long as such
charges rest against him. Per-
haps Mr.. Lappin can satisfactorily
clear up these matters. Ifhe can
it is his duty to do so at once. If
he cannot he should Immediately
withdraw from the ticket. We
hope that the Central committee
which meets today will take steps
to relieve the party from blame.
These charges were not publicly
known when he was nominated.
We shall wait n reasonable time
for Mr.. Lappin to act in the mat
ter.
We write this in behalf of
true Republicanism. AS a party
we have been promising long
enough. For one we propose to
perform what seems to be a plain
duty. We will,not. if we know it,
support men for Office, who are
charged with crimes which
would lead us to refuse to trust
them with our private business.
If Mr.. Lappin can and will clear
up these charges then we shall
cheerfully support him. If he
does not do so the Republican
Central committee should take
steps at once to put another man
on the track. The day for tax
about doing the square thing by