The Topeka state journal., 1904-12-10
CASE OF GOVERNOR BAILEY.

CASE OF GOVERNOR BAILEY.
Governor Bailey has been tried and
convicted of misusing the fund for
the maintenance of the executive res
idence. The Topeka Capital has acted
as prosecutor, judge and jury and has
unhesitatingly pronounced the gov
ernor guilty.
To be sure, the evidence on which
the Capital reaches it's verdict is made
up largely of Misrepresentation of its
own manufacture, but that, of course,
is a small matter when it was neces-
sary in order to reach the proper YER
dict. The Capitals way is to decide
on the verdict first and then make the
evidence to fit. If the real facts will
not do. make your facts as you go
along.
For instance: The Capital states
that the appropriation for "mainte-
nance of the executive residence" was
meant for repairs and that there is no
evidence that the legislature meant it
for anything elese. The facts are that
another appropriation was made for
repairs on the executive residence, and
still another for the purchase of new
furnishings. Why. then, did the legis-
Iature appropriate $4,000 a year for
I1la1nI6ndnC0g
other appropriation for repairs, if it
meant this $4,000 for repairs?
Another fact which the Capital
studiously overlooks is that the legis-
lature makes an appropriation for the
maintenance" of the various state
charitable institutions, and in each
case it is meant to cover the cost of
living of those required to live in the
institutions. Yet the Capital unhesi-
tatingly says that there is no evidence
to show that the maintenance" means
anything except repairs.
In arguing the case the Capitals
constitutional lawyer asserts that if
the legislature was guilty of making
this appropriation really to cover the
maintenance of the governors resi-
dence, as it purports to do, it is un-
constitutional. The constitution for
bids the increasing or decreasing of the
compensation of the governor and
other state officers during the terms
for which they have been elected, and
the Capital argues that an appropria-
ton to pay the expenses of the gov
ernor in living in the executive resi-
dence would be increasing his COM
pensation.
In order to reach this conclusion the
Capital again ignores the facts in the
case and makes some to fit its argu-
ment. 1t ignores the fact that it costs
the governor far more to live in the
executive residence and keep it up
than it would for him to live at a
hotel or in a private residence, and
that if the state did not make provision
for this extra expense it would be
virtually decreasing the governors
compensation, by requiring him to pay
out of his private funds extra expense
put upon him by the state. 1t ignores
Governor Bailey's testimony that it
has cost him all of his salary of $4,000
a year, the maintenance fund of $4,000
a. year, and several hundred dollars
beside, to live in the executive resi-
dence.
1t takes coal by the carload to heat
the executive residence. The coal itself
is furnished by the state from the peni-
tentfary mines, but the governor has
to pay the freight The state owns a
large quantity of fine furniture, and
one or two servants are necessary to
look after it. The governor has to
paw them. The state owns a quantity
of linen belonging to the executive
residence. 1t has to be laundered and
kept up. The governor has to pay the
expense. The state owns a large lawn
which the governor is expected to
keep in good shape, which takes labor.
He is also expected to purchase flow
ers and shrubbery to make the execu-
tive grounds a credit to the state This
takes more money. All of the servants
around the executive residence have to
be provided with board. The governor
must pay the bills. The governor is
expected to give various social func-
tions; to entertain distinguished visit
ors; to keep open house when various
public gatherings meet in Topeka. The
executive residence must be appro-
priately decorated for these occasions,
which is far more expensive than the
average citizen who has had no ex-
perience with such things imagines.
The Capital argues that all of these
expenses should be paid out of the
governors private funds, and that if
the state undertakes to pay this extra