Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1894-08-02
Another Populist Scandal.

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is becoming very monotonous.
There is scarcely day that some
new species Of Of boodling is not dis
covered among the incompetent gang
Of bushwhackers in charge of the
States affairs. The latest is the
cholora fund scandal and as it inyol-
YES little matter of $4,000 it is
worth showing up.
Ten thousand dollars was appro-
priated two years ago as cholera
fund to be expended under the direc-
ton of the executive council when
needed. Last year $1,000 was dis
tributed among members Of the board
OF health on a pretense Of cholera
danger being imminent although it
was not nearer than the Baltic sea.
But their fingers itched for the re-
mainder and last Friday four members
of the State board of health went be-
fore the executive council and pleaded
and threatened and talked their
sweetest and finally succeeded in per-
suading majority Of the council that
it was necessary to give them the
$1,000.
These four members of the State
board OF health in pleading for the
money went 50 far as to assure the
council on their word of honor as
gentlemen and as physicians that it
was absolutely necessary that this
money be used at this time to i'm
prove the sanitary condition of the
State to "keep cholera out of Kansas. :"
1t is understood that when it looked
doubtful about the council giving in,
these members of the board of health
threatened to resign as members of
the board of health unless they were
given this money to aid them in pro-
tecting Kansas from cholera which
has broken out away of in Europe,
its nearest approach to the United
States being at Dantzic, Prussia.
The executive council or at least
majority of the council, finally gave
in and the $1,000 was placed at the
disposal Of the board Of health, to be
used in excepting cholera out Of Kan
sas." Attorney General John 7.
Little, Secretary of State II. S, Osborn,
Auditor Van b. Prathcr and Superin-
tendent Of Public Instruction H. N.
Gaines voted to allow the $S, 900 to be
used, while the other members of the
council, Governor L. D. Lewelling and
State Treasurer W. II. Biddle, voted
no and insisted that their protest
against the giving up Of the money be
entered on the record Of the council.
As the State Journal philosophers,
"This action of the executive council
may materially help the political
chances of Governor Lewelling and
Treasurer Biddle, but the other four
State officials will lose votes without
number by giving up this $4,000 to
the board OF health. who pretend that
the money Is to be used in cleaning
up the mudholes and refuse in vari-
GUS cities in the State. The State
has no shadow Of right to spend
money for scavenger work Of the
cities of Kansas. Those cities raise
their own taxes for that purpose and
the municipal fund is spent through
their own scavenger forces The
chances are that not a cent will be
spent for cleaning up any city in
Kansas"
1t seems this looting Of the State
treasury is worse even than Gaines
squandering of the school fund Even
the Pops themselves cannot all stand
it as the following dispatch shows:
TOPEKA, Kan, July 31.-Robert Sem
pie, secretary of the populist state cen
trial committee, who was a member of
the house in 1893, and voted for the
cholera appropriation, went to Seere-
tary Of State Osborn this morning and
filed his protest against the action of
the council in appropriating $1,000 to
the state board of health to be used
for sanitary purposes. lie says
when the Legislature granted the APP
there wos imminent danger
that cholera would visit American
shores, and the appropriation was re-
garled as necessary, but it was the un-
derstanding that not dollar of the
fund was to be touched unless there
was an actual visitation of the disease
In the country.
The more this State administration
is studied the more despicable it be-
comes. The State officers seem to
have mistaken the capitol for a grab
bag and their positions Of trust as
licensed highway robbing stations.
Kansas will be lucky to have either
good name or cash left when the crew
in charge Of the ship Of State is kicked
overheard next fall.
Speaking Of Converts.
While our Populist contemporaries