The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-07-05
MAY GUST KELLY.
Continued from Page one.)

! CONTINUED from Page One.)
treasurer's Office and see its condition.
The heavy door of the safe inside the
vault was battered, and showed signs
of having been drilled through in sew
eral places.
About February 2O,'' said Mr.. KEEL
| ", 1.-The combination on the door of
the safe refused to work, and we were
locked out. 1t was necessary to call
| in the locksmiths to open the safe.
For two days they pounded on the
door with sledges, and tried to drill
| into the combination, without success.
| Then we had to send to Cincinnati. o.,
and get a man to come here, who
| into that part of the combination
which released the locks. OF course
| the result was that the door was use
| less, and secured an estimate on the
cost Of fixing it, which was $500. On
February "a 1 sent to J. W. Creech
and H B. Miller, chairman of the ways
and means committees of the house
| and senate, this letter:
Some ten days ago the money
safe in my office got out of order and
upon investigation by an expert lock
man it was found that the spindle to
the combination was out of order, and
I wired the company to send man
here to repair the same.
ct enclose you his proposition to
do the work. If you desire to send a
committee to examine the condition of
the safe, I will be very glad to show
them the same
mo one was sent by either COM
mittee to examine the condition of the
safe, and no appropriation for fixing it
was made. I was informed unoff1cially
that the committees decided that since
the state depository law was about to
go into effect, there was no use having
safe in the treasurer's Office. Since
that safe was entirely useless, 1 did
not consider it safe to keep any money
kept no money in the office, except
small amounts. I could not afford to
take the risk"
"How did it happen that state
money was sent to banks out of
WELL said Mr.. Kelly. 'the state
depository law wiped out those pro-
visions of the old law which forbid the
use of banks outside of Topeka for the
collection of state funds. 1 had to de-
for collection, and as these outside
banks had been demanding some of
the business for long time, gave
them a share I consider that the
banks are of first class reliability, and
I only wish I had put all the state
money in them. 1t was absolutely
necessary, in the condition of the
vaults at the treasurer's office. to have
some place for the safe keeping of the
state funds"
why didn't you have the vault in
your Office repaired at the expense of
your contingent fund ?" was asked.
''I considered that the legislature
was in session and that it was their
business to make an appropriation for
the work, if they deemed it necessary.
I am only allowed $1,000 contingent
| fund, and while I don't remember ex-
actly how much there was in the fund
at that time. it is fair to presume that
more than half of it was gone"
| Made No Treasury Investigations.
| The law requires that the governor,
secretary of state and state auditor
shall once month make an examina-
| ton of the state treasury and this has
always been done.
| Since Governor Hoch has been in
| Office, he has not made single one
| of these monthly examinations. 1t is
| understood that the matter was called
| to his attention several times by one
| of the state officers, but Hoch simply
passed it by. AS chairman of tha
| board of examination, it was his duty
to fix the date for the examinations
When asked why the examinations
have not been made during the six
months he has been in office, Gov
! ernor Hoch replied:
"WhiIe I don't want to belittle any
of the laws on the statute books, this
one concerning the examination OF
the treasury is about as useless as
any. 1t is just like the examination
of the county treasury farce which
amounts to nothing. I have several
times served on the board which ex-
amined the county treasury, and
know what a useless piece of business
it is"
The law providing for the exam
inatfon of the treasury has not been
strictly obeyed by previous admins
trations. Governor Stanley called his
board together and compiled with the
law nearly every month, but Governor
| Bailey's examinations were few an6
far between.
TeIegraphed to Stubs.
| Governor Hoch wired w. r. Stubs
Sunday to come to Topeka, and Mr.
| Stubs was here most of the Afternoon
talking over the situation with the gov.
| ernor.
Il wanted to find out from Mr.
Stubbs,'' said the governor, something
| certain para graphs of the state deposi'
tory law"
1t is understood that Mr.. Stubs ad-
| vised the governor to demand of Treas
urer Kelly an additional bond in the
| sum of $780, 900.
Senator J. N. Dolly was in conference
| with the governor some time today. Sen
ator Dolly is pessimistic about the stu
| alton. He says:
"If 1 had my money in that bank,
would be glad to take so cents on the
dollar for it I suppose the state car
better afford to stand the loss than il
the 100000 had been divided W
! among several thousand small deposi
tors. The state can reimburse itself a
the expense of the whole community
| and the burden will be so light that M
| one will feel it,
Another prominent politician who call
| ed on Governor Hoch today said:
Couldn't Nominate Kelly Now.
"This affair will injure the Republi
can ticket in the next election. The only
thing that can help now is a shake up
| The boss busters shook things up con
siderably, and I think one more gooC
shake will just about rid the politica