The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-09-03
coatANoHE couNTY BONDS.


$4,000 of the money of the state
school fund was invested in low rate
bonds of a far western county. Nat
urally the people who pay taxes are
| interested. II the state officers are
making bad investments of the states
money they want TO know ii. Col
umns of editorials are being printed
about the transaction. Some of the
newspapers demand an investigation
at once. Others which are bitterly
partisan make personal attacks on the
State Journal.
There are a few things about this
papers exposure Of the Comanche
county bond deal that should be I'M
derstood: The first Is that there is
no personal malice in the attitude of
the State Journal. This paper owes
its duty to the public at large and
IL has a right to demand not only
absolute honesty but official compe-
tency from the men who are elected
to transact the states business.
This paper is not subservient to any
political faction or political party and
when it makes an exposure Of public
officials it is not because it hopes to
help one political party into power
or to crafty an opposing faction.
"
count it does not stop to inquire
whether he is a Republican, a Popu-
list or a Democrat. or whether he be-
longs to the Leland faction or the
Burton faction or the Kelly faction.
1t is scarcely necessary to call the at
tention of the readers OF the paper
to this fact. It's course in the past
is well known.
The State Journal has no axes to
grind. It has no desire for revenge
upon any one. It has but one pur-
pose and that is to keep the people
informed about what is transpiring in
the world and to print the facts with
out partisan bias and without thought
OF reward
The State Journal has a large and
efficient corps OF reporters whose in
structions may be summarized as fol-
lows: Print the truth and fear no
man. They are not paid to SANDER
people or suppress the news, and when
they make mistakes as all men will,
this paper never refuses to make a
correction. The State Journal never
Intentionally wrongs any one.
Therefore all this talk about the
State Journal being actuated by malice
is foolish. The paper believed that
the state school fund commissioners
acted unwisely when they bought at
par bonds of a far western county
which could not have been sold for
rs cents on the dollar anywhere else
in the world.
The State Journal believes that the
state board of equalization did not act
wisely when it raised the valuation of
Comanche county enough to Iegalize
the purchase of the bonds, at the re-
quest of the broker who had them to
sell. Neither does the State Journal
believe that Attorney General Cole
man decided wisely when he broke
the long established rule and held that
the school fund commissioners might
take the basis of assessment as fixed
by the state board instead of that
fixed by the county board in deter
whether the county indebted
ness exceeded Is per cent of the coun-
ty valuation. The interest on the
bonds is collected on the basis of as
sessment as fixed by the county
board.
The State Journal believes that the
bonds should have been purchased
while they were drawing per cent
and not after they had been refunded
q
to be purchased at all.
The State Journal thinks that the
state school fund commission should
have known that every Comanche
county bond held by the school fund
commission was in default. The
commissioners make the levy
to collect the interest on the school
district bonds as we'll as on the coun-
faulted bonds are school district
bonds does not excuse them from
overlooking this important fact and
loading the school fund up with more
securities of the same county.
The State Journal does not believe
that it was necessary to close the state
records to the public or to register the
bonds at night to keep the people in
ignorance of what was being done
with the states money.
This ought to make the position of
the State Journal in the Comanche
bond deal perfectly clear to it's
readers. This is done without refer
ence to any libel suit. for the filing of
an action against the editor of this
paper does not change the facts nor
silence his voice. If the state officers
suffer at the next election because of
the exposures following the Comanche
bond deal they may blame
themselves and not the State Journal,
for this paper did not buy an Conan
che county bonds or advise the state
school fund commissioners to buy any.
AS far as the libel suit is concerned
the State Journal will take care of
itself.
SENATOR FAIRBANKS
Some times it is possible to pick up |