The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-24
Severe ON Coleman.

| severe ON coleman
| Leavenworth Times (Rep.): Given
an attorney general with a proper re-
| Spect for the obligations he assumes
] upon acquiring his office, an attorney
general with modicum of ability and
a suggestion of energy and application,
| the state treasury matter would soon
be investigated the money restored,
punishment melted out to the guilty
graceful chapter of Kansas history
speedily closed. Coleman made farci-
cal the interference of his office and
the state in the Wyandotte county
| Doodle case. c. c. Coleman, with a
knowledge of this statute. sat as men,
| Der of the state contest board, as at
torney general being legal adviser of
that board. and by his vote set at
naught the terms of the law. Cole
| man was party to the Comanche
county bond deal. Ia completing the
purchase actual ENFORCEMENT was
practiced, q practice that would be
| held as such by any court in the land.
Refuses to Prosecute.
Parsons Sun (Rep): AS the Sun
predicted day or two ago, Attorney
General Coleman has refused to pros
ecute State Treasurer Kelly for steal
ing money from the states public
fund The fortunes of Kelly and
Coleman are too closely linked for one
to instigate criminal proceedings
against the other. Honest citizens fail
to understand how the state prose-
plain, but it must be remembered, the
public does not understand why a
great many official acts of some of
the present state servants are not Civ
en- the rebuke they so richly merit
Mr.. Coleman's Grave Mistake.
Ottawa Herald (Rep): The state will
be at loss to understand the position
OF Attorney General Coleman in decid- |
ing that no prosecution is necessary in
connection with any irregularity in the |
state treasury where the money has |
been returned. Kansas has done some |
errat1c things, and has received credit |
for having peculiar standards in NOR
ais as we'll as politics, but the doctrine /
that an embezzlement is no offense so |
long as the property is returned when |
a fuss is made about it's absence is too |
new, even to Kansas, to be received |
offhand, without some expression of |
establishment.
Mr.. Coleman should not and surely |
from his official position he cannot, be |
misled by the narrow view of the state |
treasury investigation, that the pro- |
ceedings involve nothing more than the |
personal interests of T. T. Kelly. It |
surely must be possible for the head of |
the states legal department to see that |
a shortage of several thousand dollars
in the states cash extending over a /
period, of several years is matter
which the people of the state have a |
right to have investigated and punish
ed, aside from any feeling that may ex-.
l. y.
be ina gined that President Roosevelt |
would accept a secret restitution of
stolen money as full recompense for
the theft. Had he taken this view of
it the postal frauds would never have |
been prosecuted. 1t is not on record
that Prosecutor Folk ever considered
any such generous treatment for en-
bezzlerS of public funds.
Burr Oak Herald (Rep): If any one
wants to know you may say that the
Tom Kelly for state treasurer We do
not believe Mr.. Kelly is worthy the
support of any honest man. His name
ought never to have been placed on the
Republican ticket and in view of the
revelations of the past few days COM
mon decency demands that it be taken
off.
Hoxie Sentinel (Rep.): Where there
is so much smoke there is bound to be
some fire. The ''muss" that has been
stirred up among certain state officers
by the State Journal, is proof enough
to us that there are numerous irregu-
larities in connection with the state
funds. We sincerely hope the matter
will be 'sifted to the bottom and the
guilty parties brought to justice. The
editor of the Sentinel is an uncompro-
missing Republican, but we will not
vote for or aid in the election of any
man against whom substantiated
charges of dishonesty are made. We
have believed for long time that the
candidate for state treasurer ~ not all
that he should be and because we have
refused to support him have been con-
demned by parties who have not taken
the trouble to look the matter up as
they should. AS the matter now stands
three other state officers rest under
General Coleman, Sec
rotary of State Burrow and State Sup
Dayhoff-brought on by the
State Journal. True, they have brought
action against the Journal for libel
but as they do not seem dispose to
have the matter brought to trial before
election the voters must use their own
judment at the polls.
MUST HAVE SHELTER Il