People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-05-26
VOL. III.
Judge Ray Agaig.
WELLINGTON. MAY %. 1893.


ner in which he procured his pay, was
so plain that it would be useless for
me take any further notice of the
subject; but the three column letter
of Mr.. Welch is so reckless a state
ment of law and facts, that will call
the attention Of your readers to it.
In answer to my charge that he
collected illegal fees, Mr.. Welch has
you print an act of 1891, which re-
pealed section 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899 of
the general statutes of 1890, neither
OF which sections in the most remote
degree refer to or attempt to regulate
the fees Of a stenOgrapher. If this
act does do so, invite your readers
to locate that section of it that does
so fix the fee, and ask them if it does
regulate the fees of a stenOgrapher,
to point out what those fees are and
how they are to be collected as pro-
yided in this act. There are Just
5l25 sections between the one cited
by Mr.. Welch and the one regulating
the stenographer's fees. The law
cited by Mr.. WelCh has no more to do
with StenOgrapher's fees than the ten
commandments, and really not so
much, for they say, "Thou shalt not
steal; neither shalt thou bear false
witness against thy neighbOr."
He asks why | certified the number
of days he attended court. 1t was
done because he informed me the
county commissioners had said to
him he was entitled to six dollars per
day for every day he attended court,
whether he worked or not, and not
being the keeper Of the cOnScienceS of
the board of county commissioners, |
made the certificate to show the days
served, to show what he was entitled
TO, and the days he attended court,
as he stated the commissioners want
ed 1t.
If Welch'S law is the law governing
the case, he is entirely correct in say
ing it is wholly unnecessary for me to
give any certificate, as the county
commissioners have exclusive control.
The eighteen dollars paid Charley
DOdd, which Mr.. Welch so much COW
cts, would have been paid him. had
ne not deserted his post, but his alb.
Sence made it necessary to appoint a
temporary stenOgrapher.
Mr.. Welch says he has no diSposi.
tiOn to doubt my statement that !
had determined as early as August
last to dispose of him. This confes-
sion on his part, and on the part OF
yourself to the same effect, in cOnnec.
tiOn with Mr.. Welch'S admission that
| never knew until February 2Oth
how he voted and that "he learned
from very good authority that just
before the election Mr.. Ray was in.
quiring of my acquaintance how
stood politically" is a complete sur
render and confession of the falsity
Of your charge, over which columns
have been printed at the expense Of
the refOrmerS. "Out of their OWL
mouths | condemn them"
If Mr.. Welch stated the truth tC
his associates he did not vote the
POpuliSt ticket, but voted a very
badly mixed ticket, composed of Re
publicanS, Democrats, Prohibition
lists and POpuliStS.
The prOmptneSS with which Mr.
Welch adopts the scheme proposed
by yourself, tO-wit, to claim that the
reason he drew S276 without my Ger
titcate was because of my absence
shows the reckleSsness of the man
for there is no truth in the claim
On October 3, 1892, when Voucher
No. 2 was filed by Mr.. Welch and al
lowed by the county commissioners
| was holding court and Mr.. Welcf
was present in court on that day.
In conclusion, / will say to Mr.
Weleh, that | have not copy of any
confidential letter written him il
August, proposing a SCHEME, or hi,
answer, but he is at liberty to furnish
them to the VOICE for publication il
he sees fit to do so.
Yes, | will go further and say t,
Mr.. Welch that if during the two
years which he was so intimately
connected with me, and for which ht
has been so generously paid-ofter
making from five to ten dollars pc
day by private work for individuals
and then collecting from the county
six dollars per day for the same day.
work: for instance, charging thu
Democratic central committee ter
dollars. for the Martin speech, anC
then making the county pay six dol
lars day for the same days work
making total of from eleven to six
teen dollars per day-he obtained any
information which is detrimental t.
my official or private character, he is
hereby licensed to furnish the same