The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-11-03
COLEMAN SLOW.
Takes Him Long to Furnish q
Written Opinion.
Governors Maintenance Fund
the Point in Question.
HE GAVE ORAL OPINION
This Indicates That He Has
Looked 1t Up.
Then Why Is He Delaying the
Document

Why does it take Attorney General
Coleman so long to write his opinion
concerning the maintenance fund for
the governors residence, which Cover
nor Bailey asked of him three weeks
ago?
Last Monday Chairman Sapp. of the
Democratic state committee, asked Mr..
Coleman for an opinion regarding q.
question of voting. Mr.. Coleman re-
piled with a written opinion immed-
iately-the same day. Yet Mr.. Cole
man has taken more than three weeks
to give q written opinion on a question
submitted to him by Governor Bailey.
and that, too, after he has already
passed on the question twice orally.
After the legislature made the appro-
priation of $1,000 year for maintaining
the executive residence, instead of 81, ,00o
as it was during the Stanley adminis-
tration, Governor Bailey asked Attor-
ney General Coleman regarding its use
before he drew any of it. The addi-
tional appropriation was made because
Governor Stanley had said that it cost
thousand dollars a year more than
the governors salary amounted to to
live in the executive residence. Stanley
said he went out of the governor office
$4,000 poorer than he went in. The
next governor will receive a salary of
$4,000 a year instead of $4,000, but this
could not be made to apply to Bailey
so his maintenance fund was increased
81, 900.
Before drawing on this fund, how
ever, Governor Bailey asked Attorney
General Coleman for an opinion as to
it's use for his living expenses in the
gubernatorial residence, although that
was what it was intended for MIR.
Coleman said it was perfectly legal in
using the fund in that way. Thereupon
Governor Bailey filed a voucher with
the state auditor. but before it was
allowed Assistant Auditor Nation ask
ed Mr.. Coleman as to it's legality and
Coleman told Nation the same as he
had told Governor Bailey.
This is the fund that t. T. Kelly and
his defenders are attacking Governor
Bailey about, attempting to make out
that Bailey has been using money illeg-
ally If Bailey has used any money
Illegally 1T has been only upon the ad-
vice of Attorney General Coleman &c
both him and Assistant Auditor Nation.
Governor Bailey took every precaution
possible to assure himself that his ac-
ton was legal. If it was wrong the re-
sponsibility rests upon Attorney Cen
eral Coleman.
When T. T. Kelly accused Governor
Bailey of wrongfuily using this MAIN
tenance fund a few weeks ago. Cover
nor Bailey Immediately asked Mr..
Coleman for a written opinion on the
subject Now more than three weeks
have passed and Mr.. Coleman has not
replied to the governors request, al
though it is a state matter concerning
which the governor wished a speedy
opinion-and Mr.. Coleman had al
ready passed on it twice orally.
Now w. F. SaDp, who is not a state
official and for whom the attorney
general is not, of course, obliged to
write opinions unless he wishes to do
so, asks for an opinion and receives
it the same day he makes the request.
1t is evident that Mr.. Coleman does
not propose to give Governor Bailey
the opinion he has asked before elec-
ton. He has not the courage, evil
IDENTIFY, to oppose T. T. Kelly to the
extent of standing by the oral opinion
he gave Bailey and Nation, and he is
also evidently lacking the manhood
to make a statement acknowledging
that he gave both of these officials the
oral opinion he says he did. Some of
KeIlys defenders have intimated in n
mild sort of way that there is some
mistake about Coleman's having given
such an opinion, but both Governor
Bailey and Mr.. Nation assert that he
did. 1t was on the strength of that
that Governor Bailey filed his account
as he did, and on the strength of the
opinion which Mr.. Nation received
that the account was audited and al
lowed.
Two items which Governor Bailey's
traducers are making considerable
fuss about are a florists bill for roses
and a caterers bill for service. The
dates of these bills show that they
Roosevelt to Topeka last year.