The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-15
TURN The SCREWS
County Clerk Zimmerman Gets
a Taste of Politics.
Purchasing Agent Appointed
Over His Head.

Samuel Zimmerman, county clerk
| elect has been disciplined. He says
that he refused to permit the local po-
litical ring led by Doc Newman to die
tate his appointments and as a conse-
quence the board has appointed S. H.
Haynes, the retiring county commits
sioner as purchasing agent at SAL
airy of $3.50 a year.
The position of purchasing agent is
a comparatively new one. When it
was created the work was given to the
county clerk to facilitate it and he re-
ceived the allowance to extra pay to
compensate him. It was taken for
granted by the new county clerk that
he would receive the appointment and
when he got wind-that he was to be
turned down he submitted long COM
munication in which he told the board
that the work was in line with his du-
ties and he would do it without pay.
But the board went ahead and ap-
pointed Mr.. Haynes and he Will get
the salary despite Mr. Zimmerman.
Mr. Zimmerman said: Il expected OF
course that I would be appointed pur-
chasing agent for the county at sal
airy of $3.50 per year, as my predeces-
sor had been. / was approached by
Doc Newman and other local poll
ticians who insisted that I appoint the
men they named as assistants IN my
office, and when I told them that L
would make my appointments from
among my friends and had decided
who would be appointed was told
that had better listen to the advice
of my friends
ct selected my clerks without re-
gard to the recommendation of the
politicians of the county who seem to
have in the past been accorded that
privilege and in turn I was informed
that 1 would not be appointed pur-
chasing agent for the county. I feel
that this appointment belongs to the
Office to which was elected as nearly
every county clerk in the state acts In
that capacity for the county board.
Supplies must be given out at all hours
of the day and as the commissioners
are in session but a small portion of
each week the officers who draw their
supplies from the county should have
access to them without being COM
PEELED to wait several days or until the
board of commissioners are in session
prior to the time Newman took the
office of county clerk there was no
salary attachment, as purchasing
agent, but shortly after he was sworn
in he was appointed purchasing agent
with a salary of $3.50 per year which
he drew regularly as long as he was in
office and then his father-in-law who
succeeded him received the salary.
After had been Informed that I
would not be appointed purchasing
agent and learned that the retiring
county commissioner, S. H. Haynes,
would probably get the appointment
at an advance in salary 1 asked the
hoard for the appointment feeling that
1t belonged to me. I submitted my
proposition to them offering to act as
purchasing agent for the county as
did the predecessors of Newman, free
of charge. I was told by the chairman
of the board. Mr. Sterne, that the pro-
position, would not be considered and
then asked that it be made a portion
of the records of the conn issioners'
office.
MIR. SteIne then told me that he
would see to it that the records of their
board would not be burdened with my
proposition. and there is nothing to in