The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-19
GRAFT AND ANTI GRAFT.

governor, is in a controversy with the
Concordia Blade published by State
Printer Clark. Mr.. Hoch claims that
AIr. Clark is printing matter about him
which is a ''viIlainous editorial full of
nagrant les" This is strong language.
We don't know what the editorial is, for
we have not seen it.
This paper is not particularly con-
cerned in any scrap between Hoch and
Clark. They were both aspirants for
the state partnership and Hoch lost, al
though he claimed pledges enough to-
win.
But in an editorial replying to Mr..
Clark, Mr.. Hoch publishes quotations
from the State Journal and makes some
comments therein which are worthy of
Mr.. Hoch says:
From the editorial page, for instance,
Of last weeks Blade and Empire, we CLIP
this remarkable attempt to disparage and
Inconsistency item from the Topeka
journal: Ed Hoch gives it out that he
Ha no a3abtion fe se ave e s ne sags
governor, but would like to serve the
state and party as state printer. All read
ers know that the office of state printer
IS the biggest graft in the state of Kan
sas. Isn't it a trifie humorous for Mr..
Hoch to set himself up on a pedestal as
the embodiment of the anti-graft, and yet
cay openly that he is after the greatest
graft Kansas has at its disposal. $4,000
a year for four years, or 100000 for two
short terms?
Did any one. ever see a greater exhi,;
billion Of gall than that? Think of I'll
a man admitting in his own paper that
the office he holds is the greatest graft
greatest CRATER in the state! Did brazcn
effrontery ever go farther than that? But
IS this remarkable araignment OF this Of
flee lto say nothing, how, of the officer),
frueE Yes or MOI
The office OF state printer is as legiti-
mate an office as the office of governor is.
It Is as honorable as the office of gov
ernor. It is IAN important office. 1t is
an office essential to the highest interests
of the state. To call it a graft lin itself)
IS to insult every printer and every news
paper man in the state. 1t is a graft only
In the hands of grafters. And to say that
SatterWait or W. G. Palmer, or Conner
editor would dishonesty administer this
honorable office is to insult them and
every other reputable newspaper man In
the state. But under the management OF
the machine it is a graft. No mistake
about that. Indeed under this manage
ment it has gained such bad odor that an
honest man is almost ashamed to aspire
to 1t. The graft is not in rates allowed
by law. but in the padded reports like
the last house and senate jOurnals), and
in the car loads of useless stuff printed
merely to initiate the fees-stuff that has
been dumped right along into the base
ment of the state house-that's the graft
To cover these expenses deficiency bills
FOR years x big deficiency Bill was
passed by the last legislature of unsavory
memory. But the people of Kansas may
thank their stars that majority of the
present state officers are anti-machine
and therefore anti-graft, and that the ex-
ecutive council. composed of these gen.
tlemen, had already taken steps to see
that the rule will be varied and that the
Will Be a saving of $4,000 at least.
THE attitude OF the editor of the Rec
~ &c n
those who wish to be fair toward us. But
some people don't want to be fair"
The extract quoted from the State
Journal was taken from an article in
which we gave Mr.. Hoeh a number of
complimentary references including the
following;
1.-THE writer Of this article and the
paper itself are friendly to Mr.. Hoch
on the broad principle that he is a
decent man, but it must be admitted
from a personal view. and both are
esteemed, that Governor Bailey is a
man of just as high character as Mr.
Hoch Both are subject more or less
to the frailties to which all human
flesh Is heir. We have always liked E.
w. Hoch, and class ourselves as among
his admirers, but We do not admire Ed
Hoch to the exclusion of a high regard
for very many other good people"
From Mr.. Hoch's excerpt it is a
little difficult to understand to what
extent he is criticising the Concordia
paper and to what extent the topeka
paper. We have never charged that
J. E. JunlSin or Ed Hoch would con-
duct the Office of state printer. or any
other office. with dishonesty. nor that
W. Y. Morgan. nor George Clark, had
done anything Of the kind. nor was it
said that the Office of state printer
was not a legitimate Office, not an
honorable one, not an important one.
What was meant by describing the
office as a graft was simply what is
generally understood when that sort of
language is used. That is. a fat thing,
a soft snap" as the slang is; some
thing for which a person receives I'M
usual pay for performing a service
which is ordinarily rendered for a far
less equivalent. There is less work and
responsibility and far more pay for the
state printer than for other state Offices
It is considered in many counties
that the paper which has the county
printing al full legal rates has a
graft" Not in the sense that the pa
per which does the official printing is
doing something illegitimate or dishon-
orable, OF unimportant, but in the
sense that the paper doing this print
ing gets much more for it than it
would for commercial business, or or
binary advertising space. This feel
ing Is so general that papers in many
counties volunteer to do the work for
one-half the legal rates, even when
they could secure it at the full rate.
This is strange, but true.
1t is understood that Mr. Hoch has
done the official printing at full legal
rates for his county for more than
twenty years. We are quite sure that
there has been nothing dishonorable in
Mr.. Hoch's conduct of this work. but it
is also a graft in the same sense that
the office Of state printer is a graft.
ME-. Hnch has some raIa tiuas 1uhn are