The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-27
POLITICAL GOSSIP
Governor Stanley Makes a Sharp
Reply to Critics.
Says He Recommends Cutting
Down Boards Early in Term.
HOW MONEY WAS SAVED
Turned Back Part of His Con
tingent Fund.
Items of Interest About the
Wire Workers.

"It makes RE tired to read these sug |
gestions that ought to have made my |
suggestions about cutting useless boards
when 1 was starting into Office instead |
of just when 1 was going out, and that |
ought to have practiced a little econ
orny myself
This is an observation made by Gov
ernor Stanley as he held in his hand a
newspaper criticisIng his recommends |
ton that number of the state boards |
could be combined and offices abolished /
The paper made the suggestion that
Stanley ought to have thought of these
things at the beginning of his term, and
that he ought to have practiced a little
economy himself
IF the man who wrote that had taken
the pains to investigate he would have
found that 1 made the same kind of
recommendations at the beginning of
both my terms. And. Furthermore, if he
had looked up the economy business
think he would have received some en-
hghtenment on that score, too. The
first thing 1 did was to abolish tho
board of pardons and take up that work
myself. l also refused to appoint a
state accountant, which was attached
to this department My predecessor.
| Governor Leedy, had five people in his
office. cut the number down to two
Governor Leedy had $19,6O0 appr0-
priated to pay the expenses of his Of
fee during his term. He used it all up
and left deficiency for the ReDubh-
can legislature to make uE. For my
first term I had $14,500 appropriated for
the total expenses of my office, and
turned back about $4,000 of it, and this
term I will reduce that amount still
further. Iethink that preached econ
omy from the start. and I also believe
practiced it in my own office"
1t was suggested to Governor Stanley
that the reason for the high expense OF
Governor LeedyS term was that Leedy
used his contingent fund for equipping
and feeding the Kansas troops at the
beginning of the Spanish~Anerican war,
before they We're mustered into the gov
ernment service. 1t has been commonly
supposed that this was true. but Coy
ernor Stanley said he thought it was q
mistake. To prove it the official records
were consulted. and it was found that
the expenses referred to were paid out
of the adjutant generals fund for the
maintenance of the militia
Attorney General GODDARD is inclined
to be sarcastic over the recommended
tions of State Auditor Cole that the force
in the attorney generals office be re-
duced by cutting off one assistant attor
ney general. Il suppose it must be true
that we in this office and most of the
other offices just loaf around and that
the force in the stat auditors office is
: the only one that earns its salary COM
mented Mr.. GODDARD facetiously.
The clerks in some of the other offices
who might be affected by Mr.. Coles rec
ommenda tions say that two years ago
l Mr.. Cole recommended that the salaries
S in some of the other offices be cut down,
n while those in the auditors Office were
S raised.
S. E. Brown and T. E. Honnell, rep
+ resentatives-eiect from Brown county.
:. came to Topeka last evening to confer
e with Congressman Curtis
t A few comments by the Manhattan
t Nationalist:
Have you read that beautiful story
e of how, when Mort Albaugt fell down
= the state house steps and broke his leg,
n Frank Grimes, who had not been on
speaking terms with Albaugh for two
s years. straightway walked over to
where his PROSTATE political antagonist
t lay and proceeded to help carry him
home? Wasn't it wonderful? There
: was Albaugh lying helpless and in great
e agony. and not far away was Grimes
n full of hatred and red blood corpuscles.
e But what did Grimes do2 Did he seize
!. the golden opportunity to walk coldly
7. away and leave Albaugh to wait sue
r. cor from some chance passerby? No.
:. Did he rush gleefully upon his rival ana
: start in to break his other leg? Not
) that the doctors We're able to discover;
/ No. He forgot entirely that it would
}. hardly be good form for him to put his
J. arm around man whom he wouldn't
speak to. He banished vengefulness and
some other fellows came up, he helped
carry him home. You wouldn't expect
that of any man that you ever knew,
would you? Certainly not of any poll
tician- If such an incident should hap
= pen to come under your observation and
you were silly fool sentimentalist, you
would write a story about it to show
how touchingly humane II is possible
for a naturally savage creature to be.
IL ! Nobody is altogether a heather if he has
a the right kind of press agent to tell
o the story.
/ The Jewell County Monitor knocks on
the candidacy of J. F. Close of Belleville
for assistant attorney general: "A man
who can't be elected dog pelter in his
county," it says, 'tought to go away
/. back and assume sitting posture"
Judge Bertram. of Council Grove. a golG
!. Democrat is trotted out by the Council
| Grove Republican candidate for
Jim Fixes place on the state board OF
railroad commissioners.
There will be big effort in the COM
8 ing legislature to have a law passed pro-
viding for depositing state funds in diff
:, ferent banks by the state treasurer, and
! for the state to get the benefit of the III
I. that this will amount to about $4,000 A
a year, enough to pay the salaries of three
/ state officers
- A G. Mead, of Mitchell county. is gen
y orally counted in the Stanley column for
= vention that nominated him exnresse
itself Overwhelmingly in favor of Stanley
/, on an informal vote. A strong effort is
: being made to switch him to Curtis,
4 however, and the Beloit Call says that
i he will probably vote for Curtis.