The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1874-02-26
The case of Treasurer Hays.

The Legislative Committee appointed to exam
inc into the affairs of the State Treasury, have
made this report, which reveals bad state oil al
fairs. The Treasurer bonds are carelessly OF
designedly loosely drawn, and number Oh n''
bopdsncn are bankers. The Treasurer has been
in the constant habit of dcPositing large S"'"' -
money in banks, in open Vi"iaton VI
wonld seem that the people OF Kansas nav "e
furnishing, out Of their State treasury INT o
ing capital Of a number of banks, not only ii' ~
peka, but in different parts OF the sta'e' anu o'e
In New York; and the principal men ~ eo'ne =.
tbssa hanks are on the Treasurers bonds. Inc
Co,nn,,tee f,un,i in the Treasury about s7S,OoO
IN csrtifca,es of deposit, drafts, etc. on various
h,nts d, lien of SO much money that should have
-, ,hors Mr.. Hayes' own bank at Olatbe had
.,,a-.. and the interest received on all the
hank deposits, the Committee have reason TO De-
Teve the Treasurer applied to his own use.
Furthermore, the Treasurer has scarcely been at
N. csntal since the last session of the Legisla-
ture but has left the business in the hands OF his
Chief Clerk, Collins, who has made full hand
in the peculiar practices for which the Treasury
has become famous In short, the Treasury has
been managed very loosely, imprudcntly; and in
VIOLATION OF law SolumhhtOO eAmo"e
unanimously report resolution impeaching the
Treasurer for crimes and misdemeanors in Office,
and it will doubtless pass the House by large
vote. The single member of the Committee who
dissents from this report, it has been discovered,
has been secretly closeted with the Treasurcr's
Clerk aud one of his bondsmen, who wrote his
minority report for him, and it is strongly sus-
pected that he has been taInpered with.
When Auditor Wilder felt il to be his duty to
expose the practices of Hayes, and sent out his
report to the press of the State some weeks in
advance of the meeting of the Legislature, it will
lie recolIected what howl greeted him from
certain quarters. The Lawrence Tribane beaped
a column of personal abuse upon him; and many
other papers confessed their inability to cOmpre-
hspd why the Auditor, Instead of sending his Re-
port TO the Governor, and through him to the
Legislature, where it properly should have gone,
took the unheard-of course of sending it prema-
turely to the press. The most charitable con-
struction they placed upon it was, that he want
ed to make capital upon which to ride irto the
United Statcs Senate. Even the yirtuous Col
lins, who is 90 intimately connected with the
irregularities" came out in public card, band
ling the Auditor severely. He wanted to know
why the Auditor did not quietly and gentleman
IL come and inform the Treasurer that be was
violating the law, and request him to desist!
nice pair of inuoceDts to accommodate with
quiet admonition! The Investigations of the
Committee more than vindicate the course of the
Auditor. They show that he did not put the
worst face upon the matter.
Even since the investigation begun, one paper
Il 81 -
raised to break him down, by those who are jeal-
of him; with feeling reference to the leg that
he lost in battle for his country. Such wound
is honorable, and should entitle the sufferer to
the gratitude of his country; but the wound is
no excuse for dishonesty and open vioalation of
law. 1t is getting to be too remote for wounds
to be accepted in place of brains, or as substi-
tuLe for public honor and integrity.