Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1891-04-21
A Showing up of Figures.


ways and means committee of the Kan
sas house, has published a reply or re
view of the late statement published il
the Topeka Capital by state senator w
j. Buchan, chairman of the senate way
and means committee. Mr. Roger
communication is three columns il
length and is addressed to Mr.. Buchan
''My attention has been called" say
he ''tO a statement signed by w. j
Buchan, chairman of the senate way
and means committee, in which ther
are so many misstatements that | fee
compelled to correct some of them
| While the senator is in error as to tht
number of house appropriation bills
which passed. I have no desire to quarre
with him over the matter, The terrible
array of room rents which he so bitter
ly complains of, was all arranged fol
by the secetary of state and his figures
and vouchers were accepted by thC
house committee. 1t is my understand
ing now that two Of those rooms were
occupied as sleeping apartments, one
by an alliance employee and one by {
republican member: but if | had known
then that the republican secretary O.
state was certifying such bills, should
certainly have hunted up the senator
and assisted him all in my power in his
effort to prevent the unfair expenditure
Of that $34.25. The senator may rec
collect that several items were added to
that bill which were not even suggested
by the house. The little item of S1O,-
300 to Cliff Baker so as to round out his
biennial appropriation to 1920, 400. 36, an
excess OF $67 200 of the amount allowed
for state printing for the next two
years, was put on by the senate and
forced through. Also such little mat
ters as paving bills IN the home city OF
the senator and other items which near
y doubled the amount of the bill sub
mitted by the house.
1.-The senator is not so accurate In his
figures, either, as would naturally be
expected of the chairman of the COM
mittee which he tells us devoted so
much time and attention to thei fnan-
oal affairs of Kansas. He prints lit
tie table, which he says shows the
various amounts appropriated by the
senate"
Then comes Mr.. Rogers table in sup
port of his position. He then follows
with statement of the condition of the
bills as they reached the house, consol-
dated it table for two years.
1.-THE senator is a trihe Mistaken
continued Mr.. Rogers, ''as to the Osa-
watomie insane asylum. The house at
tempted to even up salaries between
the two asylums and succeeded, in spite
Of the fact that it affected few politi-
cal farme S in Topeka. Then, as the
senate committee had declined to join
as in an attempt to care for the large
number of destitute insane. the house
committee took DR.. Knapp into council
and proceeded to prepare a bill to
erect a new building to provide for BOO
more inmates. That appropriation was
$50. 600. In addition we appropriated
$50, 900 to care for the insane received
there after January /, 1892. We be-
lieved this humane and necessary ap-
preparation, and we thank the senator
for allowing 1t to pass without change.
The most remarkable statement in
the senator's essay is his table OF de1cl-
encies. To an ordinary man who has
not devoted his life to intricate calcula-
tions. it would seem that when law is
passed to pay somebody or something a
specified amount, and no appropriation
was made to pay it, that when the ap'
preparation was called for at later
date, that appropriation would be for q
efficiency. Hence to the ordinary man,
who does not have enough ability tC
n the finances of Kansas, manage the
great republican party and elect sena
tor against the will of the people, all at
once, it may seem plausible that the
following amounts are really deficien
cies:
Industrial school for girls. 10 oOO o. o