The Topeka state journal., 1905-10-21
a sTATE FIINn TRAGEnY.

A STATE FUND TRAGEDY.
In Allegheny, Pa, on Wednesday I
the cashier of a big bank blew mis-
brains out. The state journals dis-
patches say the tragedy was due to
the improper use of state funds. His
bank had been the depository of more
than $600.000 of Pennsylvania state
money. and the cashier had loaned
$4,000 of it to political friends.
When the facts were about to be made
known to the public he committed sui
eide.
This is only another tragedy added
to a long line that has been brought
about by the manipulation of the state
funds of Pennsylvania for the use OF
private individuals. Here is a brief
sketch of those tragedies as given by a
Philadelphia paper a few weeks ago:
What a history of the state trea-
sury that was which Eugene Q. Bon
niweu of this city gave in his speech IN
PottstoWn! Blake Waters, cashlef'
committed suicide. Amos c. Noy0s,
treasurer, died Of a broken heart VIII
liam B. Hart, treasurer, died under
circumstances indicating that il was
due to his anxiety over the condition
ger who helped to bring the state
securities here on which money was
raised for a prominent politician, was
drowned in a canal. William L1Vsey,
treasurer, ned the state. J. S. Hop
kins, cashier of the Peoples bank
which supplied the connection be-
tween the treasury and the politicians,
blew out his brains. Benjamin Hay
wood, treasurer, died suddenly a few
weeks before the date of the trial OF
himself and Senator Quay.
Twenty-Five years ago there was
deficit Of $4,000 which was made
good by outsiders. Seventeen years
ago 100000 was taken out of the
treasury and invested in speculation.
Seven years ago the Peoples bank,
which would more appropriately
have been called the Politicians bank,
closed its doors and a deficit OF S6UOl-
coo was made UP to quiet the scandal,
but in the dead cashiers desk there
was found the dispatch signed
Matthew S. Quay and addressed TO
the cashier; If you will buy and
carry 1000 Net for me viii shake
the plum tree
Mr. Bonniwell might also have re-
ferred to a bank that was ruined by
the run caused by Delamater's defeat
for the gOVernOrship, which was e1-
pected to result in the removal OF the
state funds. More recently in the in
vestigation of a failed bank near this
CITY the president admitted that the
/ bank held state funds and was eS-
pected in return to do fayOFS to the
! state machine and its individual mem
bers Mr.. Castle, speaking as dl-
rector of the bank concerned ma mas I1 IoIo
/ the story of deposit of $50 900 con
ditioned upon a loan of half that
amount to Senator PenrOse and j. l.
! Shaw"
! Has the newer state of Kansas
started on a career of duplicating this
sort Of thing? A little over twelve
years ago the Burton crowd in Kansas
got possession of the Kansas state
| treasury, and it has kept it ever since
with the exception of the two years the
Populists had control during the Leedy
! administration. 1t was while the Bur
ton people first had control that the
| talk began about the state treasurer
getting interest from the banks for the
state funds
/ Just before the campaign of 1898 j.
r. Burton demanded of some other
state politicians that the state treas
urer nomination be given to a friend of
/ his. When an attempt was made to
switch his man to some other Office he
/ refused to stand for it on the ground
that there wasn't anything ''in'' the
other Office except the salary.
It has always been suspected that
there was some connection between
/ Burton to the United States senate. It
will be remembe that Burton made
the treasurers office his headquarters
while he made his senatorial campaign.
Tt is unnecessary to refer to the
more recent history of the Kansas
treasury and the manipulation of the
state funds The failure of the First
National bank with s547.0OO of the
states money illegally in its possession,
and the fact that this bank was owned
by the state treasurer's chief hacker
to whom it had loaned 81, 100000, is
still painfully fresh in the minds of
Kansas people.
Kansas is fortunate in having
escaped the tragedies that have followed
the crimes connected with the Pennsyl-
vania treasury, and it is to be hoped
that the new depository law win re-
move the temptation to use the state
money for improper purposes in the
future.