The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-09-15
A REAL GOYEKNoR.

/ In these columns during the past
four or five months there have been a
number of references to Governor Han
! ly of Indiana. They have been called
out by Governor Hanly's firm actions
as governor of the Hoosier state. His
forcing of an anti-cigaEette law through
the legislature; his opposition to the
| acceptance of railroad passes by public
officers and his refusal TO allow any
state official to use them: his summary
| treatment of public officials who neg
/ lected or refused to enforce the laws
and his refusal to give appointments to
persons who drink, are some OF the
| things Governor HanIy has done since
he became the chief executive of In
diana last January.
And now Governor Han1y has done
something else which must command
the admiration of Kansas people be-
cause it SO nearly parallels recent
Kansas situation, and because it shows
what a governor with real backbone
can accomplish.
In Indiana the state auditor handles
the state funds, apparently doing the
work of both the treasurer and auditor
in Kansas. David E. Sherrick, the au-
ditor, was a little slow in making his
settlement for the half fiscal year end
ing July 1. The Indiana auditor, so far
as is known, was never accused of dis
! honesty and never returned a large
sum OF money to a county from which
| he was proved to have stolen it. Yet
| when the settlement was not promptly
forthcoming, Governor Hanly demand
ed it. Sherrick then made it and also
admitted that he was chargeable with
| S145.000 paid in since July. and he pro-
duced securities amounting to over
| $150,0O0 given to secure this amount.
| Governor Hanly demanded that an i'm
| mediate settlement be made for this
also by noon Thursday. He was in
formed that Sherrick would be unable
| to make it and without waiting for
| the time to elapse he made three differ
| ent demands Thursday morning that
| Sherrick resign. The resignation was
not forthcoming at noon and Governor
Hanly promptly issued an executive
order appointing another man as audi
tor. Three hours later Sherrick sent the
| governor his formal resignation.
That is the Hanly way of grasping
a situation. Compare it with the
Hoch way.
1t developed that Sherrick had SAC
commodated" some of his friends by
in more or less roundabout way,
taking their notes and securities to
secure him. which was practically
what was done by the state treasurer
of Kansas, except that the Kansas
| treasurer had nothing to secure him.
Whether there is a specific law pro-
hibiting the state auditor from thus
using state funds, or whether he and
his bondsmen are simply held re-
sponsible for the funds, the State
Journal does not know. But certain
it is that Governor Han1y took prompt
and summary action as soon as he
found that there was something wrong.
Governor Hanly did not wait day
or a week before continuing his inves-
legations. He kept right at them last
night, and when enough of the truth
had been brought out in the middle
of the night he dispatched officers at
1:15 this morning to arrest Sherrick
| for embezzlement. That's the Hanly
way.
In Kansas we have a state treasurer
who was forced to return over 81, 300 to
a county he was shown to have stolen
| it from; to whom was traced the last
possession of the Garden City money
that was returned to the state treasury
/ by the mysterious "a. r. Brown letter;
who was shown by sworn evidence, Sc
| cured by the State Journal, to have
loaned a friend s129.000 to carry through
the notorious Comanche county bond
deal, paying his friend interest on the
bonds for the time he had the use of
| the states money. All this and more
occurred prior to the last legislature and
the legislature turned $4,000 over to
Governor Hoch to ascertain just what
the facts are and in what condition the
treasury is. Governor Hoch delayed for
months before beginning the investiga-
| ton, neg1ecting also to make the month
1y examinations which the law says he
and the other two treasury examiners
shall make. Then came the First Ma
tional bank crash which developed that
Treasurer Kelly had $547 900 of the
states money illegally deposited in the
bank, using the bank as cloak for in
directly loaning the money to his bonds
man and hacker. The state is now short
that amount and has been compelled to
sue others of Kelly's bondsmen for the
shortage, but Kelly is not disturbed.
Then Kelly bluffed Governor Hoch re-
garding the giving of a new bond, and
the governor laid down, allowing him
to remain in Office when the law speci-
ficaIly provided for his removal. And
now, to cap the climax, Kelly is calmly
taking money from the other funds to
make good the 100000 shortage in the
general revenue fund, for if he did not
pay a warrant drawn on the general
revenue fund the law says it shall be
prirna facie evidence of embezzlement.
And still Governor Hoch allows Kelly to
continue in office.
There is considerable difference be-
| tween Hanly and Hoch.
THE ROOSEVELT STANDARD.