The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1893-11-17
THE mEKcuRr.s xEsDAc.rr.

utter silence it maintained on the sub
ject of the shortage of the ex-treasurer
of this school district, when the matter
was a prominent subject of discussion
in the community, and incidentally in
dulges in a spiteful fling at the large
number of citizens Including the edi-
tor of THE GRAPHIC), who had the
temerity to speak Of the subject at the
time the teachers were unable to get
their salary ON account of the defalca-
ton, and, with his usual hypocrisy,
interlards his article With misrepre-
sensations and baseless insinuations.
THE GRAPHIC has not made any war
OIL Mr.. Edmonds, as stated in the Mer-
cuy. We have no personal luminosity
against Mr.. EdmOndS whatever, and
1t was with reluctance that we referred
to the subject after waiting several
weeks after the school meeting for the
money to be paid over. If the money
had been paid over by him in time to
pay the teachers salaries We would
not have mentioned the subject, even
though we well knew that if the case
had been reversed, and u pOpulist OFF,
cial of the county had been caught i'll the
same predicament, the Mercury would
have paraded the facts to the world
with all the lurid adjectives Of con-
tumely and scOrn it could muster.
Had we remained silent at the time
the money was not forthcoming to pay
the teachers salaries, We would have
been deservedly subject to censure, as
either incapable or unwilling to per-
form the duty incumbent on the public
press to guard the interests of the
public. When we did speak of the
matter We simply gave the facts as
they existed, without denunciation,
and without the Use of epithets.
Now, however. that the editor of the
Mercury has seen fit to causelessly and
needlessly impugn our motives, and
that of the large number Of citizens of
the district who had the independence
to assert their rights, we are compelled,
in self-defense, to maintain our posi-
ton, and we propose to show by indis-
patable facts, not only that we were
entirely justified in our course, but
also that we were extremely mild in
our statements, and that the attempted
defense in the Mercury is absolutely
without foundation.
The Mercmy's excuse for Mr.. Ed
monds' shortage is that he lost 81 200
or 81 300 of the school money by the
Edwards County Bank failure; and
that Mr.. Edmonds, personally, never
had a dollar of this money in his hands
or used it for illegal purposes; and
that as he had a good bond, there was
no danger of the district losing any,
thing.
Whether or not Mr.. EdInonds lost
any money by the failure of the Ed
wards County Bank We do not know,
but his own books show that he had
| i'll his hands at the time of the failure
only the sum of $3.50 of school money,
so that he could not have lost 81, 200
or 81 800 of school money.
Again. Mr.. Edmonds had been a
stockholder and director in that bank
| for several months prior to its failure,
and was in position to know the con-
| dition of the bank and to protect HIM
self when the end drew near, if he
possessed ordinary business sagacity.
And Mr.. Edmonds has never been
! charged with being chump.
If Mr.. Edmonds deposited tie school
money In his hands i'll the Edwards
County Bank within six months prior
to its failure, and did not get it out,
he did not use ordinary prudence rs
school treasurer, for the bank was
known by the business men of the
town, to be in shaky condition
months tefore it failed. But even if
Mr.. EdmondS WAS imposed on by the
other officers of the bank, and lost the
$3.50 school money in his hands, the
situation of Mr.. Edmonds is not im-
proved particle. Mr.. Edmonds HIM
self always claimed that he made good
the loss to the district Immediately by
borrowing the money from the National
| Bank of Larned, and his own books
show that OH the Goth of January,
1891, over two months after the fail
ure, there was no shortage in the funds
OH hand. By January Goth. 1891, all
the money received by MIR. Edmonds
from the county treasurer up to that
time, except $275.50, had been paid
out on school orders, and only that
amount remained in his hands. II he
had before that time lost $3.50 in the
bank he had made good the shortage,
as he was required by the law to do.
lie never made any claim that he
should be excused from paying any
sum on account of any loss in the bank
failure, but stated TO the director of