The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1904-09-09
MUCH MOOTED BOND DEAL
STATE yOUREAL AND SCHOOL FUND
C0MKIssIOH LOCK HORNS.
Newspaper Charge Of CROOKED Purchase
Followed By Filing of Big Libel Suit
Reported Facts Of the CODanehe
County Bond Deal.

So much IS being printed in the
state and county press about what is
known as the ''Comanche county bond
DEAL" that. for information of the
readers of this paper, a summary is
given of the charges on one side and
the replies on the other side in as brief
a space as possible.
August 20. the Topeka State Journal
came out with a slug headed leader
charging that a corrupt deal had been
put through in the purchase of 1928, 600
in COmanche county ~ per cent bonds
by the state school fund commission,
composed of Secretary of State Burrow,
State Superinten dent DayhOff and At
tOrney General Coleman.
The Journals article charged con-
s1iracy, also invoking State Treasurer
Kelley and Secretary OF State BuTrow,
as members of the equalization board
IN raising COmanche county assessment
to meet the requirements of the law for
the refunding the S123, 600 of 8 per cent
bonds in Al per cent bonds. The ar
ticle charged that the raise was unlaw-
full, that s., 900 was paid to ex-Attorney
General Goddard, by COmanche county
as commission, in funding the bonds;
that the bonds, bought at par, were
not worth the price; that the state was
offered the per cent bonds at a dis
count, and that by the purchase of the
~ per cent bonds at par the state was
defrauded out of S32 $50 Of possible in
come from interest above the amount
which will be received on the AZ per
cent bonds during the time they have
to run. The Journal also figured out
that if s per cent bonds were worth
$50, the ~ per cent were worth only
671z, so that the state was defrauded
IN the price paid Cpar for AZ per cent
bonds as well as the interest on the
bonds.
Goddard came out in an article in
the capital, Tsoon after the Journals
article was published and de-
nounced the Journals attack on the
state officers as a case of monumental
infamv," and justified the way in which
the investment was made and the value
of the bonds bought. Later Mr.. Day
hOff, Mr.. BurrOw and Mr.. Coleman filed
a suit for damages against the State
Journal for SIS, 600 each, $4,000 in the
aggregate, for defamation of character
and injury in the specified amounts.
In the usual course of the courts pro-
ceedings the case could not be tried
until next January, and many predicted
that after election the cases would be
dismissed. Many state papers rePubli-
can as well as democratic came out
with articles condemning the transaction
as dishonest, and some of them char
acterized the suit against a bluff
Thereupon the school fund commits
sioners came out in the Capital denying
in FIVE accounts the charges being made
against them and in a sixth demanded
immediate trial of their libel case in
court, and offered to waive all formal
ties of law causing delay.
In the Capitals article of September
4, beside the above quoted idemand for
immediate trial of the case, contains
table of Comanche county's assessment
since 1891, showing that the raise of
the state equalization board from $685.
SIS to 81, O41, III was below several as
sessments in previous years. The ar
ticle also contains tabulated statement
of the fnanial condition of Comanche