The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-09-01
Receives Tnducement
to Become an EN- bezZler.
Many People Try to Borrow
Public Funds.
THE BAIT.
Offer Of Reward Shaken Before
Officers Eyes.
Two Thousand Dollars Proffer-
ed For Use of Ten Thousand.

Accept this security; loan me 5000 for
thirty days and I viii guarantee to you
a profit Of 81. .O0O-'
These are the words of a proposition
made to State Treasurer F. F. Grimes
and embody request 70 the treasurer to
put his hands into the money belonging
to the state Of Kansas and use it for pri-
vate loans Here IS another proposition
made to Mr.. Grimes few weeks ago:
Let me have $4,000 for ninety days ana
I VIII give You a bond with ample security
that the proht to you shan be more tnan tnan
Szuuu- Ihe STOCK market Is gong 20 eaAs
another rise and with this amount OF
money I can myself clear small for
tune IN ninety days
Yesterday afternoon a messener boy
ruSned INTO Jne state treasury ana IleLlleL-a
q Ietlet 10 Ine treasurer u SoLl--tLllIt -
notes and other collateral to the amount
of several thousand dollars Accompany
ing the collateral was note requesting
the loan of 81 900 for twenty-fOur hours
: our snare N the transacJl9n vii vii pe & 70
the amount OF SluO Casn, Whlcn you may
retain from the amount I request
Near the first OF August stock broker
who IS also a political broker sent 70 Nj
Grimes a request for j loan 1t was re-
fused A personal visit was then made
with the same result An eLCft % get
the money was then made by intimida ton
This also failed and the borrower depart
ed WrsIny IN spirit. threatening NSI4sez5Lie
o the treasurer for not making the loan
There are today in the possession OF the
treasurer requests for loans amounting
to more than 100000. The combined prof
money would amount TO more than s25. 600
An investigation of this affair leads TO
borne out by the evidence of the officials
themselves that this attempted practice
of borrowing money from the state treas
ury is one which has been presented to
each treasurer in succession for many
years.
\ prominent politician calls to mind the
career OF one treasurer who could not re-
SisC the eutreatieS of his friends for loans
he made two or three special and init
mate associates small loans which We're
not paid the appointed time and the
official came near being refused the ac-
cOnmOdatiOn at the banks which was
necessary to replace the money
The officer was nearly detected in this
transaction The delay in securing the
money brought him dangerously close to
the time for the monthly examination Of
the books and the counting Of the money
During the past few weeks the effort of
has been 50 persistent that an exposure
is threatened by the state administration
If IL is continued
The treasurer is called TO the telephone.
receives notes by messenger and letters
by mail, ali assuring him of unquestiOn-
a bic security and large profits If he will
only loan a few hundred a few thOus-
and as the case may be for a few days
These requests surprised the treasurer
when he first received them and he was
q loss TO know what people meant
DO people believe am going to loot
the treasury to start a loan brokers' CT
fce2r' said Mr.. Grimes
IF they have such an idea I viii soon
succeed in disa bustng their minds have
taken charge of this office to run IL hon
estly and not a cent of the states money
shall ever be touched for any other than
the legitimate purposes and in the manner
e-s7r-sH7z = Ia