The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-19
Would Lock the Barn After
Horse Is Stolen.
Says Pay Roll Investigation
Will Serve That Purpose.
WERE NOT ENOUGH
Why Senators and Representa-
tiveS Ease Their Consciences.
Work of Checking Up in Audi
tors Office Completed.

lone thing is pretty certain: The next
legislature won't have so many en-
ployes that nobody can keep track of
Them" said State Auditor Wells today.
This investigation of the payroll will
probably have that good effect The agi-
tation has really been a good thing"
Another thing which the next legisla-
ture will be careful about is the man
ner in which employees are put on the
payroll. Last winter the o. x. of the
steering committee was all that was
necessary to get a person on the pay
roll, and even that was not required in
some cases. That is the way the pay
roll came to be so large 1t came to be
the practice to put employees on the pay
roll simply when ordered by the steer
ing committee instead of when ordered
by formal action of the house That is
why there is no record of the appoint
ment of some of the employees. If the
matter had come up before the house
in a formal manner the employment of
so many unnecessary employees would
probably have been opposed by many
members. rs aN
In the senate the multitude of clerks
was employed by sort of mutual con-
sent of all the senators. Every man
wanted to get on all the employees posi-
were allowed to name personal clerks
for themselves, and in a number OF IN
stances they simply named members of
their families who did nothing what
ever except draw their pay.
Il can now see that members OF the
legislature can ease their consc1ences
to do such things from the TACT that
they are not half paid for their serv-
that they receive won't any more than
paw their expenses while attending the
session, to say nothing of their election
expenses and the time they lose from
their business L think the 'staee- ougnI
to give them a reasonable salary and
then the temptation to get something
extra by putting members of their fam
lilies on the pay roll will be in meas
ure removed.
ION the other hand, they know be
forehand just how much they Will be
entitled to. and of course the argument
holds good that they don't have to take
the office if they don't want it.
Auditor Wells and his clerks COM
pleted checking up the senate pay roll
Wednesday night, and Mr.. Wells maze
After a thorough investigation of the
house and senate pay rolls L beHeVe
there was no fraud 'practiced, and that
there was no straw men on the fetis:
Practically every man who drew pay
has been accounted for. The only evil
dence of fraud was in the Sid Brakeman
case.
sThis man Ritter has not been &C
counted for, but o. c. Billings chair
man of the house committee on en-
rolled bills, and Fred Knapp, journal
clerk, think they remember him.
1.-The record shows that Samuel
Jamison received the money for the
vouchers made out in his name, and L
feel certain that all the signatures are
in the same handwriting.
while there have been numerous
frTv- n ND
square on the face. If 1 had, any doubt
it has been satisfied now. The discrep-
ancies and Irregularities in the pay
rolls, vouchers and warrants are coT1l-i
paratively few considering the horde OF
employees around the legislature.
Il think that. barring the fact that
the legislature had a large number of
useless employees, the people of Kan
or apologize for. There can be no de-
Tense for the number of useless en-
ployes in both houses"
there may be additional legislative
sight drafts investigated besides the
one drawn by Representatives Dan
Campbell and Fred Brown on a La
bette county official for getting
through bill increasing the officials
salary. 1t is related that bill was
introduced 10 make some man a Dhar-
macist without passing the customary
examination in pharmacy The story
runs that sight draft for $50 was
drawn on this particular individual for
expenses in getting the bill through.
Then he was informed that it would
take another $50 to get the bill out of
a committee to which 1t had been re-
ferred, and another draft was made on
him, both of which he honored. There
were number of similar bills in the
house, and they were punched. but
when they came up for passage some
hOdV made SfTnn0 AGAINST
them and killed the whole bunch.
1t is said that this story went to the
Labette county grand jury, but no in
dictment was returned because of it
and no names are given out.
The Fort Scott Monitor publishes an
allegation that "a machine man. went
to County Attorney Burton of Labette
county and threatened him with prose
cution himself if he pushed the indict-
ment against Representative Campbell,
and also threatened to have his father
removed from a state board. The Mon
itor gives no names, however. If this
charge is true the name of 1.-THE man
who made the threat should be forth
coming and the proofs presented.
Secretary of State Burrow, in going
through the original house journal, has
discovered that the words land cot"
We're written in the resolution original
| ly drawn presenting Speaker Pringle
with the leather cnd1r winch ne USED IN
his private office. The original resolu-
ltion was typewriter and the words
"and cot are inserted. 1t appears as
! though the resolution was amended and
the cot inserted, and it is supposed
that the cot" was a fine leather-cover-
ed couch in the speakers office.
The practice of each house giving
eWcv valuable furniture to it's officers
at the close of each session is a repre-
nens1Die one and Is another thing that
ought to be abated.