The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-29
WHAT THEY SAY.
Comments on T. T. KelIy's Lat
est " Explanation"
Think He Should Have Gone
Int Details.
ARE NOT SATISFIED,
Should Have Shown How Rec.
Ords We're Mutilated.
County Commissioners State
ment About Documents.

Kansas which speedily accepted T. 7.
Kelly's explanation of the embezzle-
ments charged against him by the
county commissioners of his county.
They are chiefly those organs" which
have been lauding Kelly and were for
him right or wrong, guilty or not guilty
whether he is an embezzler or not
There are others which are lodging
are publishing editorials which sifted
down mean about this: IF Kelly is not
guilty he is innocent: if he is not inno-
cent he is guilty" These papers are
not convinced that Mr.. Kelly is innocent
but they hesitate to take the response
bility OF pronouncing him guilty, ana
they dodge their duty in the matter by
them decide"
But there are still other Republican
papers which place loyalty to public
honesty above loyalty to party thief.
They are more anxious to be right than
to have their party elect embezzler
to an important state office. These are
not satisfied with Mr.. Kelly'S state
ment. They say it does not explain the
direct charges made in detail by the
county commissioners on sixteen counts.
If the records have been changed they
want Mr.. Kelly to tell how they have
been changed on each count. as the
commissioners have told in detail of the
embezzlements. The commissioners say
the records have not been changed and
none are missing affecting the items
which Mr.. Kelly is charged with EN-
bezzling.
One of these latter papers is the OF
tawa Herald. edited by Henry Allen
chairman of the state board of chari-
ties and corrections. Mr.. Aliens
county joins Miami. He has heretofore
refra1ned from expressing an opinion
regarding Kelly's guilt, but has asked
Mr. Kelly to explain the charges. In
his paper of yesterday Allen says:
Tom T. Kelly has made an expla-
nation of his troubles in Miami county
His statements are all general in their
character and recite that his trouble re-
suits from factional fight. He charges
that the records of the county clerks
office have been in the possession of his
political enemies and by them so
changed as to make him appear short:
he says some of the records are yet
missing. He says he paid over to the
county S1,324 for which these records
hold him responsible because he had
promised so to do before the inveStiga
tion was begun. He also explains that
the books had prior to this investigation
been examined by two expert account
ants and certified as being all right. Mr..
Kelly does not attempt to deal Specif1
cally with the sixteen counts in the
county commissioners findings which
show that he has embezzled sums of
money ranging in amounts from so up
to $3.50. He stands on the proposition
that the records of the office have been
mutilated with the design of convicting
MIN of these matters. The whole ques-
ton seems to hinge on whether or not
some of the records are missing ana
whether others have been taken from
the court house and 'doctored.' In ref
erence to this point the county commits
sioners in their report of June make
the following statement:
The records upon which these item
lied findings are made are all before US.
None of them are missing, altered or
nI1ftiQfRd Where rf hay haan
drawn for larger amount than was
allowed by the board, or where dupli-
Gates have been made out, the stubs of
these warrants are all in the handWrit-
Ing of Thomas T. Kelly
1T is difficult to doubt the statement
or the county commissioners, expressed
in such clear and decisive language
These commissioners are not among Mr..
Kelly's political enemies The board
is composed of two Republicans and one
Democrat, and the finding was unan-
lmous- Another explanation is due from
MT Kelly, which should be more specific
and less general. The commissioners set
forth sixteen separate and distinct en-
bezzlements on the part of Mr. Kelly
the total of which aggregates 81, 1924.
They state that the records have not
been mutilated. The burden which now
rests upon Mr.. Kelly is to tell us specif1-
cally in what manner these Iecords have
that his enemies have done this will not
satisfy those who have read the find
ings of the county commissioners OF
Miami county"
The Lawrence Daily World makes
these comments:
1T. T. Kelly has made another state
ment of the trouble in Miami county
and lays the entire blame on his polit.
ical enemies. He says that the records
were taken out of the office of the
county clerk after his term expired an6
falsified. If this is true Mr.. Kelly
should bring criminal proceedings He
this iS nd
being true there is no excuse for moi
sending the men to the penitentiary
The public does not take kindly to char
acter assassination. Mr.. Kelly owes i
to his friends to have these mel
arrested.
There is just one thing we would Xix,
to know in this Kelly matter. and tina
is how it could be that the trouble wa.
caused by mutilated books when th,
money he was accused of embezzlins
vas vas paid out by Miami county wher
spective stealing is something we can
not understand"
This is from the Burns Citizen:
T. I. Kelly gave out statement IL
the findings of embezzlement agains
him, but we can't see that he helps hi:
case any. He charges that the record.
have been tamoered with Why thel
does he not prosecute the guilty party
He excuses his act of returning tn
stolen amount on the ground that h
agreed to abide by the findings of tn
commissioners. But does he think tn
agreement was binding if the commits
sioners used fraud in convicting him
His own neighbors condemn him, an,
his defense does not clear him.
The list of papers demanding Kelly
removal from the ticket has grown t
such length that it is difficult to kee
track of the number. Here are som
additional expressions from Republica
papers along that line:
Liberal News: It's hard to tell wha
will be the outcome of the Kelly stat
treasurer case. His name Is being take