Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-07-21
LEVY MADE on EVERY KANSAS
COMMISSIONED OFFICER.
JUDGE PF0ST ENTERS DENIAL
SAYS NO 10 PER CENT ASSESSMENT
HAS BEEN MADE.
1t Proves Only That Judge Pfost Il
Not Pfosted-One of the Judges
Experiences In Collecting Cam
paign Funds-Boyle's
Embarrassment.

TOPEKA, July 20.-tSpecial) Frank jar
ren, in the Topeka Capital to-day, charges
that the Pop administration is levying an
assessment on the commissioned officers
in the volunteer service for campaign pur-
poses. He says:
THE PopuIists are getting great hustle
on themselves for money for the campaign
The 10 per cent assessment of employees.
now that the saloon revenue has been cut
Off will not give them the fund desired, so
they have made the rule applicable to
Governor Leedy's appointees in the army.
Every Populist officer. from colonels to
second lieutenants, will be urged to dig
up. 1t is said that Taylor Riddles recent
trip to Chickamauga was fer the purpose
Of showing the officers why they ought
to accede to the demand for money"
Judge E. F. Pfost, of Wyandotte, men,
Der of the Populist state committee. has
taken it upon himself to deny the state
ment made by the head of one OF the state
institutions that the committee had levied
a 10 per cent assessment on all state EN-
ployes for campaign purposes. This indi-
Gates only that the other members Of the
committee keep Judge Pfost in the dark
concerning political events. The Pop man
ayers can't rely on Pfost. They have had
little use for him since the charge was
made that he collected considerable
amount of campaign funds in Douglas
county in 1895 and failed to account for
them to the state committee. This inter-
esting little story has never been pub
lished. Here it is, as well known Popu-
list tells it:
During the heat of the '9S campaign. Pfost
went to Lawrence and notified Major Sears.
now Senator Harris private secretary, that
Leedy was stranded in Northwestern KAN
sas and that he would have to abandon
the campaign if his friends did not help
him out with some funds. He produced a
letter from Leedy which purported to give
the tale of woe. He was always careful
to keep the letter in his hand and read
it aloud. Sears became interested at once
ard decided that it would be the proper
thing to solicit scme funds in Lawrence to
help Leedy out. He and Pfost started out.
Sears would make q talk. in good faith,
and Pfost would then read the letter. As
a result considerable amount Of cash was
raised. Sears steered Pfost up against H.
8. Clarke and Pfost read the letter. Clarke
was a member of the state committee and
he knew that Leedy was not in want. He
grew suspicious and deliberately reached
over and extracted the letter from Pfost's
hands. The letter he found contained no
such language as Post had read. Ii spoke
something about suit of clothes. Clarke
Immediately telephoned Pop. headquarters
here and was told that Leedy was not in
want: that he had money to pay expenses
and that Pfost was collecting funds under
false pretenseS. Clarke read Pfost the riot
act. and Major Sears. who had gone into
the matter in good faith upon Pfost's rep
reservations. dropped him. Pfost left town
and the attaches Of the committee say
that the money collected by him never
reached the committee.
Another thing that Pfost must explain
to the Pop managers before they have any
faith in him is his action in putting Attor-
ney General Boyle in an embarrassing po-
sition during that same campaign. Boyle
was in Kansas City. Eas.. one day and
Pfost got hold of him and told him he
wanted him to go over the river and meet
a friend OF his CPfost's). Boyle went along
and In due time they halted in an Office of
the proprietor of a Kansas City brewery.
Pfost introduced Boyle to the brewer and
when he finished telling that Boyle was the
Pop candidate for attorney general the
brewer wheeled around in his chair and.
looking Boyle squarely in the eye. ripped
out an oath and asked him how much he
wanted. This took Boyle off his feet for
a moment, but he soon recovered and en-
phatically told the brewer that he was not
after money-just votes. and that If Pfost
brought him over there for that purpose
he was mistaken in his man. Boyle told