The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-09-16
THEN AND NOW.
Kansas Was Stirred About
School Fund IN 1875.
Bold and Outrageous Action of
State Officers.
SAM LAPPIN'S TIME.
FOisted Forged School Bonds on
the State.
How the Scheme Was Worked
in That Day.

| III A0t O0Js
| Whereas, honest administration of
the law, faithful guardianship of pub
lie trust, strict economy in the disburse-
ments of public funds, are the highest
official duties and the only assurance
of states prosperity, a sense of duty
to the public which is above and beyond
party fealty, imperatively demands
| that, in every instance, negligent, in
competent or dishonest officers shall be
dismissed, and their places filled by men
who are fit to be relied upon and
charged with the obligations of public
positions; men who have proven by
their acts that trust reposed in them
will neither be neglected nor betrayed;
men who, wnen placed in nomination
for a station of trust and responsible
ity, will not be required to vindicate
themselves against charges, either of
criminal negligence or actual compile
ity in positive fraud upon the state; and,
recognizing the lamentable fact that
serious loss has befallen the state school
fund of this state by reason of its haV-
ing been entrusted to the keeping of
officials whose partisanship, rather
than their competency, honesty and IL
deity caused them to be elevated to
places of trust and responsibility; and,
believing, we do, that fund so vast
in amount and sacred in its purposes
should be under the guardianship of
true and trustworthy officials, and feel
ing change in that behalf necessary
to the end that said fund may, intact,
be preserved and made to accomplish
its Iegitimately glorious objects; there
fore be it
Resolved, That we are opposed to
the denomination of either the present
secretary of state, attorney general of
the state, and superintendent of public
instruction of the state of Kansas"
The foregoing was resolution
passed by Republican convention in
Labette county.
You may think it applies to Messrs
Burrow, Dayhoff and Coleman-but
that's a mistake"foF it was passed
in August, 1876.
That resolution was the outgrowth
of the bond forgerieS of Sam Lappin.
The school fund commissioners who
are cenSured in the resolution were
not implicated in the forgeries in the
least, but they were censured for not
looking into the history of bonds more
closely before they purchased them,
which would have shown them that
the Lappin bonds were forgeries.
The Sam Lappin incident was an
other deliberate attempt to raid the
state school fund. Lappin was elected
state treasurer in 1874, and he un-
doubtedly went into Office with the de-
liberate intention of getting away with
all the state funds possible, but he
got caught when he had secured less
than $4,000. He was arrested was in
Jail seven months awaiting trial, es-
capped from the Jail in Topeka and fed |
to South America. Then he was a |
wanderer on the face of the earth for |
ten years. AT length he was captured |
in Oregon ten years after his crime |
and was brought back to Kansas for |
trial, but in the meantime many of |
the witnesses who could furnish evil |
dence against him had died or disa D.
upon which his conviction rested had |
been lost so that it was necessary to !
nolle the case. After that Lappin |
wandered about the country an out
some friends started him in business
in Lenora. He failed there and soon
afterwards died.
Lappin came to Kansas in 1856. He
was a native of Tiffin, Ohio, but be-
fore he came to Kansas he had been
tea ching mathematics in Ann Arbor,
Mich. With his brother-in-Iaw,
Charles G. Scrafford, he started a saw
ty, but year or two later Lappin
went to Nemaha county and founded
the town of Seneca, naming it after his
old home county in Ohio. Scrafford
followed him there and the two went
into partnership. Fof few years the
pair ran the politics and much of the
business of Nemaha county. They
made a great deal of money and at
state treasurer in 1874 he was sup
posed to be worth between 100000
and 100000.
John Francis of Allen county who
is still a well known figure in Kansas
politics, was state treasurer in 1874 and
up to the. time of the convention it was
that he would be renominated.
But during the convention about 25 del
agates from southern Kansas bolted,
and as they were all friends of Francis
heir bolt left Lappin with a majority. |
There was considerable bitterness over
Lappin's nomination, but his friends
pointed to mis- success in business and
alleged that his wealth would keep him
rom being tempted to niSappropriate
any of the states funds, so that he be-
eame known as Honest Sam Lappin."
You may have heard similar terms
since.
Lappin was elected and took his office
With a great flourish of protecting the
state funds-from without. The follow
ng December the school fund commits
sionerS discovered tnat some bonds
which We're offered them by a man
claiming to live in Kansas City were
'orged. In those days most bonds were
purchased by correspondence. They
we're registered in the county which is
sued them and not by the state auditor, |
20 that there was no check on bonds in
he state house. During the fall of 1875
ne school fund commissioners received
| number of letters from st. Joseph
parties stating that they had some
Kansas school district bonds which they
would sell if the commissioners were
paying enough. At that time the COM
mission seems to have been paying a
district bonds, and this was offered the
1t. Joseph parties. the bonds were for
varded to the commissioners, and as
.appin had told them that he knew of
he st. Joseph parties having such
ponds, they were purchased without
question. The parties who were sup