The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-08-03
But Why Did He Do It, That's
The Question.
Stood Out Against Shawnee
County Bridge Bonds.
THE COUNTY
To Take Only an Offer of
100000.
When the Whole Issue Might
Have Been Taken.

To the average man who is not edu-
Gated in matters of statecraft and the
affairs of state, the action of the state
school fund commission in refusing to
take more than 100000 of the bridge
bonds is liable to be associated with
the idea that there was an underlying
motive for their action that is not stat
ed in the reason they gave when asked
why they acted as they did. Secretary
of State Edwards. when asked why the
school fund commission would not take
more than a hundred thousand, said;
I'VE thought that we had taken
enough of Shawnee county bonds, you
know that we took the court house
bonds and we think that we have
enough of Shawnee county bonds
1t is true that the school fund is now
the owner of good many shawnee
county bonds Gall of them gilt edge, roo)
but the question presented IS II the
school fund has such an excessive
amount of Shawnee county bonds on
hand already, why did the board offer
to increase the amount to the extent OF
a hundred thousand dollars and refuse
to take the remaining forty thousand?
Was the board sincere in its offer to
take the hundred thousand? Or did
they hope to bluff the county commits
sioners out by making them an offer
which they hoped the board could not
accept? At any rate the Shawnee coun-
ty board took the offer and the blum
didn't work, if it was one.
The state school fund commissioners
after they had made the offer to the
county commissioners, and while the
latter were talking the matter over
purchased $4,000 of the bonds of the
city of Topeka for the State Normal
fund There was no alarm about too
much Shawnee county bonds" in this
case a any rate.
The school fund commissions offer
to take one hundred thousand of the
bridge bonds placed the county COM
missioners in an embarrassing position
Tn y could either aceept the offer of the
schNoI fund commissioners and run the
risk of being able to sell the rest some
where else, or they could put the bonds
back in the safe and stand a damage
suit which would be brought by the
contractors.
The meeting was called in the after
noon of Saturday, as told by the jour
nal and Superintendent Stanley said
that he would have to leave town on
the Santa Fe train at o'clock. When
the county commissioners heard the
proposition they began to discuss Cue
matter over among themselves ana TO
consider what they would do in the
matter Attorney General Dawes got
very restless; he came out in the cor
ridor and told the board that Mr.. stan
lev had to take the train in few min
utes Mr. Stanley, however, was not
excited in the least about missing ms
train; the county commlssloners Wen. ven.
on with their consultation. Mr.. Dawes
again came to the door and called TO
| them in a tone of voice that really
sounded quite bluf1ng; ~
We'll what are you going to doE
| Mr. Dawes acted as if he We're going
| to start away He stopped and hesi-
| tated a minute and did not go he
| may have heard a remark that pronl~
nent Topeka man who was bystandsE
made about him. The bystander SAID;
Just let him go if he dares.
Mr.. Dawes did not go. He stood there
| and talked with the other members or
! the school fund commission about ad-
| iourning The county commissioners
| finally decided to accept the offer. They
went to the school fund commissioners
and the bonds were sold.
There has been a determined effort
on the part of certain influential per
| sons in Topeka to defeat the building
of the bridge ever since it was first
| proposed. They have tried to hang it
| up in every imaginable way. 1t was
! known last week that Mr.. Dawes
| would use his influence against pur-
! chasing the bonds.
! Did the influential persons ask Mr..
| Dawes to oppose the purchase, or get
| the school fund commissioners to make
| proposition which they thought the
| county commissioners could not acceptF
| It doesn't matter much now, as we
| have disposed of 500, 600 of the bonds at
| least but it would be interesting to
| know why Mr.. Dawes worked so hard
| against the interests of Topeka and
| Shawnee county when there was no oe-
casion for it, the bonds being perfectly
| good and a safe and reliable invest
| Ynent