The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-07-31

Second-In what manner has Kelly
defaulted and when did this company
become responsible by reason thereof?
Third-To what extent do you claim
Treasurer Kelly is defaulter?
Mr.. Coleman has not yet answered the
questions.
Mfr Royce's Opinion.
John @. Royce, state bank commits
sioner, who is probably as close to Gov
ernor Hoch as any one, including w.
r. Stubbs prints the following editorial
in his paper, the Phillipsburg Dispatch:
s4The people of Kansas are watching
proceedings at Topeka with great
deal of interest and when everything is
settled they will be able to decide who
has acted solely in the interest of the
taxpayers and who they are who have
insisted on interjecting politics into
the state treaSurerShip muddle.
ssPoIitics should not be permitted to
have any place in the unfortunate con-
dition in which Treasurer Kelly has
gotten our state funds and the official
who insists upon his actions being con-
trolIed by the result it will have upon
his personal political ambitions, or the
success of his faction of the party viii
be pointed out by the finger of public
oninion so unmiS ia kably plain that he
who runs will be able to recognize him
though he may endeavor to disguise
himself with frequent newspaper in
terviews.
aFor two years a certain number of
people of this state the sentiment
starting in his home county, have been
insisting that T. T. Kelly was dishonest
and should never be permitted to be
custodian of this states funds. 1t was
charged that while acting as county
clerk of Miami county, Mr.. Kelly by
system original with him, had robbed
the treasury of that county of large
Sums of money. This charge was made
against Mr.. Kelly after he became a
candidate for state treasurer and dur
ing the heat of a political campaign.
Under these circums stances, the story
was pretty slow in getting itself be-
occurred SO many years before as to
make it look as though it had been dug
up for political purposes.
Mr. Kelly was elected but IN has
home county where he was best known
he ran far behind his associates on the
state ticket. After he had assumed the
duties of the important Office of state
treasurer, these people who knew him
kept insisting that he was dishonest
and that he would default, or at least
cause serious trouble before his term
expired.
I'm his second term the fight was
waged much more fiercely than during
the first. and he became such load
on thu state ticket that it looked as
though even the promise of his friends
that he would exonerate himself from
the charges against him, would not
save him from defeat. Then it was
that Mr.. Kelly wrote out his resigna-
ton, to take effect at any time that an
! investigation of his Office disclosed the
fact that he had violated any law or
that he had misplaced any of the
| states funds. That resignation was
placed in the hands of H. P Dillon of
! Topeka but was later, at the written
request of Mr.. Kelly turned over to
/ Governor HOch. 1t was charged by
I his enemies that Kelly did not mean a
word that he put in that escrow res
! ignation. The people of the state,
however, believed that he did andre
| elected him state treasurer. Up to the
failure of the First National bank
there was no positive evidence against
Mr.. KeIly's questionable actions in the
treaSurer's Office except the Rowett re-
port which a great many thought was
such partiasn report as to make it
a little doubtful, but when the First
National bank at Topeka failed it de-
| lveloped that Mr.. Kelly had on deposit
more than half a million dollars. 1t
also developed the fact that he had
seven or eight hundred thousand dol
lars on deposit in other banks in alb
solute violation of the law.
when these discoveries were made
| it looked as though Mr.. Kelly's resig-
nation ought to be accepted, but mot
on your life says Mr.. Kelly He not
only refuses to acknowledge the
validity of that resignation, but he de-
fes the whole power of the state to
put him out.
Governor Hoch has been in con-
sultation with many of the best law
yers of the state for three weeks in an
from the Office in which he has
brought disgrace upon the state and
the people who have twice honoreC
him with an election.
"A plan has been agreed upon by
these gentlemen and the governor viii
| carry it out to a letter, and the officer
: who lays a straw in the way of its
execution will be blue penciled' by the
indignant people of Kansas. and the
5 individual, who is not an officer nee6
never apply for political preferment
if he presumes to defend Kelly, after
what has transpired since the first o1
| July
Ewing Herbert FTops.
Now Ewing Herbert has drawn the
blanket about him and left the Hoch
reservation. He has set up a camp
of his own and proclaims w. R. Stubbs
as good man for the governors chair
! Governor Hoch, while probably
| meaning to do the right thing, has ac-
quired the curse of doing the wrong
thing" says Herbert in his World "He
is great disappointment to most OF
the men who made him governor. His
, friends in Brown county are so sore
! that if Bailey opposes Hoch for gov
ernor next year not a few of them viii
! lay low and thus help Bailey carry the
; county simply because Hoch has dis
: pleased them as much as Bailey did
Anyhow, how much worse was Bailey
than Hoch is? The Nemaha county
man is the stronger of the two, mas.
, much as he stood by his friends.
The mistakes made by Hoch do no
vindicate Bailey. Bailey made mis-
| takes-bad ones. So has Hoch. Bette
: try new man next year. AS betweer
Hoch and Bailey, one is little bette
S than the other.
s IF Bailey had just paid that grocer!
/ bill he would now have a large follow
ing for a second term. Hoch is loSinE
votes every day. If Stubbs will stant
a draft he can be governor. And h
should be-
! TO SUE OLD DIRECTORS
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