The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-08

bers of the ways and means commit
tee last night of City Clerk Squires-
81 don't know" said Mr.. Squires-
| The bill was then submitted to R.
L. Thomas, treasurer of the Capital.
who had sworn to the correctness of
the bills. He confessed that he did
not know why the reduction in the
| bill had been made by the city clerk.
With the $12.10 subtracted, the
amount actually paid to the Capital
| in December was $166.5S- But the
ways and means committee found an
other slight mistake in the bill. The
Capital had increased its bill 80 cents
by an error of addition.
There was also considerable discus
sion last night among the members of
the committee as to whether or not the
Daily Capital would fulfill it's agree
ment to pay back all the money wrong
fully collected from the city. Some of
ed that the Capital would try to get out
of the mess by simply paying for the
overcharges which may have occurred
since the organization of the present
company on April !. 1901, provided there
were overchargeS previous to that date.
With the exception of twelve months
the city has given all its official adj
vertising to the Topeka Capital since
the council declared that the Capt.
tai is liable for all the debts and OBJ
legations of the Popenoe administra-
ton and also the Keller administra-
ton. but InaL Lle QOQDie Dll1Iy law
for old obligations has already involv
ed the old management so deeply that
they doubted whether any other claims
would have much show from a purely
legal standpoint. One member said per-
haps the city could enforce the repay
ment of every dollar due by simply re-
fusing to give any more city business
to the Capital.
of the representatives of the Daily Cap
ital, called at the office of City Clerk
Squires and asked to be allowed to ex-
anime all of the Capitals old bills.
from August, 1900, down to date. He
went through the bills carefully.
At the meeting of the committee last
night, the city clerk was instructed to
keep the bills locked in the vault in
the future, until the end of the investi
cation, and allow no one to handle
them except himself, the mayor or the
chairman of the ways and means COM
mite.
This morning the Daily Capital con-
tains an editorial statement from the
management of the paper, admitting
the charges made by the State Journal,
and setting forth that the paper for
ing the city varying excessive rates
above the contract with the city. 1t is
certainly an amazing confession.
The Capitals statement follows:
from partial examination of the vouch-
ers in the city clerks office, reported
by the Capital for OFFICIAL city printing.
This report came with as complete sur
prise to the Capital management to
the public. The moment these charges
were brought to its attention the Capital
Publishing company instituted in
vestigation on its own account and
quested an immediate investigation by
the council.
The Capital finds that. unknown to the
management, overcharges have regularly
been made by incorrect system of
measurement in use since August !, 1900;
We find that instead of being measured
by the square of $50 ems and charged for
at Is cents per square. called for by
the contract, the city advertising
measured by the inch and charged for at
rates varying from IS to 20 cents inch,
and in few instances at a rate still
higher. This false system OF measure
ment was in when the present COM
pany took possession of the Capital April
l, 1901. and has been continued uninter-
since without knowledge or sus-
picion of the fact on the part of the pres
ent management of the Capital.
The Capital Publishing Co. was wholly
unaware during all of this time of the