The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-02-03
STATE PRINTING.
A Reply to Misstatements Circulated for
Political Purposes.
specla! correspondence Of the DailE Eagle.

Special Correspondence OF the Daily Eagle.
TOPEKA, Kan. Feb. 2.-The Alliance
Tribune of last week copies the following
from the Fort Scott Monitor, edited by
William NJ. Rice:
when it became apparent that there
was to be an Alliance state printer, the
| Republican incumbent worked everybody Y
for printing and loaded up every depart
/ ment aud state institution with printing
enough to do the first half Of 1891
The Alliance Tribune and the other So
| called reform papers have taken advantage
! of this misstatement and in their editorial
columns are endeavoring to make political
capital for their party by creating and dts
seminating false idea Of the actions of
the board which controls the public brint-
| ing. Ii the editors of these Alliance papers
will examine the public records in the
office OF the secretary Of state. they will
learn that the various departments of state
and public institutions were not ''loaded
up" with work during the last few months
OF State Printer Bakers term. in order to
prevent State Printer-elect Snow from en-
Joying the profit thereon The books show
that Mr.. Baker performed for the various
departments and state institutions less
work during the time from Dec /, 1890, to
June so, 1891, the end of his term, than
during the corresponding period of any
previous year, and that Mr.. Snow has
turned out more work for these depart-
ments from July !, 1891, to Dec. 81, 1891,
than has ever been done before during the
same period.
1t is true that the last legislature when
it adjourned, left more work for the state
printer TO complete before June 30. 1891,
than any previous Legislature in the his
tory of the state and there NAV be some
reason to charge that the Republican in
cumbent" was smart enough to work this
extravaganza upon the legislature, but TO
the unlnitlated it would seem that the
Alliance house of representatives, with
its uncomfortable passion for n0islng and
investigating, is sadly to blame for the un-
precedented extravaganza of 1891 and
Republican reaped the benefit of their in
difference TO the interests of the taxpayers
The immense cost of the public printing
for the first half OF 1891 cannot be charged
TO the printing board, for that BODY. CON
slstlng Of the secretary of state, treasurer
OF state and attorney general had, at that
time, no control over the legislative print
ing, the act making the appropriation, es-
peclaily eSempting this class of work from
its supervision. The Alliance house
OF representatives is alone responsible
for the ''phat take" possessed by Mr. !
Baker during the last six months of his /
career as state printer.
Mr.. Rice 5 statement quoted above is so /
far untrue, as demonstrated by the rec /
ofds, That during the last month of Mr.. |
Bakers term the various state depart |
ments and institutions were badly Grip !
pied by reason of the fact that the legisla- |
tive work absorbed so much Of the appro- /
prlatlon, and when Mr.. Snow took posses
sion OF his office, July /, 1891, the secretary
% state turned over to him work for winch |
snow received in round numbers IS. 900,
and some of which had been in Mr.. Hig-
GINS Office for two months, awaiting the
line when there would be an appropria-
lon available for some other purpose than
,he putting in type of the spleen and
hatred OF few large-mouthed dema-
sogues,
In this connection it might be well to
know the cost of legislative printing un-
Ter Republican legislatures and under one
legislature controlled by that great reform
'arty known rs the Alliance. Here is the
ecOrd from July ], 1880, to June 80, 1891,
nd our Alliance friends are welcome to
IL the political capital they may dig out
# it:
rom Tr,ly- 1891 20 T,pa On