The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-12


Dispatches from FL Dorado this
morning contain a statement from Sid
ney Brakeman which has led to the
discovery of these forgeries. His state
ment is as follows:
I was never sworn in as sergeant
alarms in the house, did not perform
any service, did not sign any vouch-
ers, did not draw one cent from the
state, and if my name is signed to any
vouchers it was forged. If any money
tied Topeka and the legislature one
day during the session and while
there was Informed by the husband of
a house employe that a voucher had
been drawn for $50, payable to me. 1
told him 1 had not done any work and
would not draw the money. I did not
see any warrant at any time and never
signed my name to anything. I did
not go to Topeka to be sworn in or see
about any job. In fact. I told Steve
Brandon, who offered me sthe position,
that l could not accept. it. I save Mr..
Brandon while in Topeka, and he told
name cancelled. and Il told him that
was right"
PADDED PAY ROLLS.
There was a suspicion last winter
that the employe rolls of the house were
padded. In fact an attempt to pad the
rolls in the senate was discovered early
in the session. 1t was discovered that
there were more employees than had
been authorized per memb and the list
was checkedNover in open senate. Two
names were found on the roll which
/ no senator would stand for, and these
were thrown out. Later other names
were added to senate pay roll. An in
vestigation may lead to a similar state
of affairs there as has been unearthed
i in the house.
One day soon after the session of the
legislature opened a new bunch of en-
ployes was reported in the proceedings.
A State Journal reporter requested an
opportunity to copy the list, but was
refused by w. P. Mason, chief clerk
of the house. No reason was given at
the time for the refusal. A day or two
later the first pay day for legislative
members and employees came, and the
names were placed on the warrant reg
lister in the state auditors office. The
( house employees were scheduled under
the head, Legislative expenses No. A.
The number of employees was checked
up in the auditors office by State
Journal reporter and 1t seemed to be
too large. Representative Bevington of
Jewell county, a member of the steer
ing committee would pass on most OF
the house employees, was asked as to
the number which the committee had
authorized, and the number which he
gave was nine less than appeared on
the pay roll in the auditors office. Mr..
Bevington was informed of the number
on the pay roll and he started an inves-
been authorized by individual mem
bcrs of the committee, which the com
unittee was willing to stand for, but the
other three were unaccounted~ for
Meanwhile still more names had been
added to the list. and in the rush of
ileeislative business it was unable to
straighten out the tansle.
The State Journal published protest
against the number OF employees IN noLn
house and senate at the time, and start
ed the campaign against such wholesale
expenditure of public money for useless
employees. but the revelations which are
now coming to the surface indicate that
some of these employees, at least, were I'M
authorized.
is MASON TO BLAME?
Who is responsible for the padding OF
the payroll and the forgeries of the oaths
in the house journal is unknown The
house journal is made up by the CHIEF
clerk at the close of the session. so that
Chief CLERK Mason may be able to throw
some light the subject. Then, too. the
payrolls are made up in the chief clerk s
office. The chief clerk has a conSidera bic
force himself, and is. of course, unable
to look after all details himself. but he
should know about such an important
thing as the payroll. Vouchers are made
I bers ana employees of the house These
vouchers are in a book and have stubs ID
show to whom they are issued like checks.
The payroll. as shown by these vouchers.
is arranged in alphabetical order and sent
out to the auditors office. where corre-
spending warrants are ms de out and the
names nlaced on the warrant register,
numbered to correspond 10 the numbers
( of the warrants Then the member or en-
ploye presents his sworn voucher at the
auditors office, his warrant is all ready
for him soon as he receipts for it on
+ the warrant register.
1 tt is apparent that some one must have
! inlpersonated Brakeman when the war
/ rants were secured from the auditors Of
fee and cSshed at the state treasury. It
/ is possible that some one also in7psrson-
ated Brakeman in securing the vouchers
I from the chief clerks office
! 4 peculiar feature of the matter Is that
the stubs for the vouchers issued in the
! chief clerks Office can not be found. Reg
ularly all such papers are turned over to
/ the secretary of state but these stub
Continued on sixth Pagel