The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-09-25
Morton AIbaugh and CHI. Ridge
way Exchange Views.
Lively Discussion of the Present
Tax Controversy.
CORRECT THE ERRORS,
State Chairman Says 1t Should
Be Done in Party.
Covering Up Abuses Doesn't
Win Peoples Confidence.

=. II. KlQEeWdy OF Kansas CITY anu
Morton Albaugh, chairman of the Re
publican state central committee had
a heated dispute Thursday afternoon
\ in Governor Bailey's office over the
present fight within the Republican
fsanks. and for a time the argument
waxed hot ]. NJ. Simpson and two or
three others were present, and the
group had been having friendly visit.
The dispute started mildly when
Ridgeway criticised the state tax con-
troversy which has been waging for
the past few weeks.
I don't like this idea of trouble in
the Republican party" said Mr.. Ridge
way. lone set of Republicans ought not
to be fighting another set
THAT all depends upon what you are
driving at Charlie" said Mr. Albaugh.
1T all depends on what you are driv-
ing at"
Il mean that you ought to get to-
gether," said Mr.. Ridgeway. You.
ought not to be fighting among your
selves"
When there isn't anybody else to
fight. they have to do that to keep in
practice" suggested Judge West jocu-
larly.
Fight the enemyt" said Ridgeway.
Train your guns on the enemy. but
don't criticise Republicans. 1t doesn't
do a party any good to have a fight
going on within it's ranks"
That's where you are mistaken,
Charlie" said Albaugh. I suppose you
contend that it will hurt the party na-
tionally to have this postoffice investi-
cation going on in Washington but it
won't. When a party is in power and
it knows there are things that ought to
be remedied, it ought to go to work
and remedy them and not wait for
somebody else to do it. The party that
tries to cover up abuses when 1t has
. The power to remedy them does not de-
Serve the confidence of the people. The
thing for political party to do is to
purify itself when il is in power and
not wait until it is turned out to do 1t.
But why are you making all this
fuss noW2'' demanded Mr.. Ridgeway be-
ginning to get warmed up. I am with
you on this proposition to take this
money out of the hands of the state
treasurer and let the state or the coun-
ties get interest on it. but the time To
do that is when the legislature is in
session You ought not to stir up a
fight of that kind against some state
officers
Look here. Charlie" said Albaugh
edging forward in his chair and getting
somewhat interested himself, we have
been trying to reform this thing for the
lcans have been back in power by do
ing it on the quiet and not making any
fuss about it. and we have failed in
three legislatures. Once we were up
against a Poouist senate, and since
then we have been beaten by those in
OLr own party who were interested in
letting the state treasurer handle the
states money to his own advantage If
we are ever to get this law passed we
will have to agitate it,"
We'll that's no reason why you
should single out Tom Kelly and make
a fight on him. said Ridgeway, warmer
than ever.
Tom Kelly was responsible for the
defeat of this measure last winter, re-
torted Albaugh. The house did every
thing it could to get some measure
through so that the state or the counties
might get the interest on the state
funds. and Tom Kelly defeated both
measures in the senate and you know
it."
BY this time both men were pretty
we'll excited and the dispute was getting
interesting
More than that. Kelly has now
planned to raise another half million
dollars of the peoples money in state
taxes for him to get interest on" con-
tinued Albaugh. This thing has been
going on now for years. and it is time
it was stopped, and the Republican
party ought to stop it. You know your
self Charlie. that when you were down
} there i'm Franklin county, if the county
or $4,000 in the county treasury the
people would have made a big roar
about it. Why, then, shouldn't the state
get the interest on the half million in
the state treasury instead of letting the
stat treasurer get it2 We have been
trying for six years TO get this thing
through without stirring it up. and
have failed. and now it is time for the
party to try some other way"
why didn't you force the senate to
pass il last winter2" demanded Ridge
way. The house could have held up
the senate until it passed it,
We did try TO hold the senate uD on
IT, and it killed the tax bill" retorted
Albaugh
The senate passed the tax bill. and
you know it," said Ridgeway.
so did the house, said Albaugh.
''The joint tax committee recommend
ed the bill with the Francis amend
ment in it to give the counties the in
terest on the state taxes as long as
possible. but the senate wiped the
Francis amendment out The house
passed the tax bill with the Francis
amendment. and it was on that that
they tied up. The senate refused to
accept the Francis amendment be-
cause 1t would deprive the state treas
urer OF some of the interest on state
FUNDS and give it to the counties in
stead If the senate had not been so
anxious to protect the state treasurer's s
rakeon, the people of Kansas would
nave had a new tax law todav.
You know well enough. Charlie" con-
tlnued Albaugh, that the house passed
the Goebel bill so that the state itself
would get the il crest on state funds
The senate wouldn't pass it because it
fnterfered with the state treasurer S
. perquisites.' Then the house adopted the
Francis amendment so as to give the
counties the benefit of the state taxes
until they are needed by the state, and
the senate killed the tax bill in prefer
ence to adopting tfat amendment, al
though it would still have left a lot of