The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-03-07
MAJORITY REPORT IS ADOPTED
Newspaper Men Are Formally Acquit-
ted Before Bar of House.


ted Before Bar of House.
| The report of the special committee
appointed by the house to investigate
the charges against z. G. Hopkins, j.
S. Leach and D. o. McCray, newspaper
| correspondents charged with receiv-
ing funds from the state illegally, was
presented to the house late yesterday
| afternoon. Two reports were read,
one concurred in by all of the mem
bers of the committee with the excep-
ton of the author of the resolution
calling for the investigation. The
majority report was adopted.
| The second or minority report was
made by the author of the resolution,
j. M. Davis of Bourbon county. The
first report. which was signed by the
majority of the committee, exOnerated
all of the men under investigation and
gave them a clear bill of health. The
report of the majority in generating
each of the men as well as Superin-
| tendent of Insurance Luling says:
That the duties assigned to the said
| (Hopkins, Leach. McCray) and to be
performed by him were clerical and
did not require a technical knowledge
OF the business of the insurance COM
pany. That the said (Hopkins, Leach,
| McCray) at the time of his appoint
| ment possessed no technical knowl-
! edge and had no previous experience
in the insurance business. That the
tirely satisfactory to the insurance de-
| partment. The reason for said ap-
pointments was to inquire to the
| truthfulness of the statements of the
said companies filed in the insurance
department required by law
With reference to the charges
against Hopkins the report says:
THAT during the time that Hopkins
was employed in the state treasurer's
office he also did some work as a re-
porter on the Topeka Daily Herald,
| but his work as such reporter did not
| seriously conflict with his duties as a
| bond clerk and that the charges set
forth in said resolution of having
wrongfully obtained money from the
state are not sustained by the evidence
and that in the opinion of your COM
mittee he should be exonerated there
from"
The report of the majority finishes
with this paragraph:
THAT said resolution was intro
duced under a misapprehe of the
law and the facts, and for such rea-
son your committee is of the opinion
that said resolution should be ex-
plunged from the records of said Iegis-
lature, and so recommends
The report of the minority was not
so easy on any of the accused men but
paid particular attention to T. G. Hop
kins who is said to have ben drawing
money from the state while in the en-
ploy OF daily newspaper and
the side. Hopkins admitted to the
committee that his services as a report
er required practically all his time until
two o'clock in the afternoon although
he was drawing a salary as assistant
bond clerk and in various other capaci-
ties from the state under the directions
of State Treasurer T. T. Kelly.
The report of the minority says:
That Mr.. Hopkins report introduce
ed and admitted in evidence shows that
11.1 @nrr y e. ,s,.ok
IL. 1905, that voucher No. 1850 contains
nine days for which per diem was
charged, although said voucher was
sworn to in the auditors office on the
18th day of September 1905, only five
days after the appointment, which
shows that Hopkins claimed for four
days more time than he put in in such
examination.
That total of s1.507.11 was paid to
said q. G. Hopkins as an employee in
the state treasurer's office. that vouch-
er 1850 and voucher 1915 show that said
u. G. Hopkins was employed in the
state treasurer's office at the same time
that he was an employe of the state of
Kansas in the state superintendent
office, made examination of in
surance company and drew money,
under the authority of the appropria-
ton made by the legislature for botn
of said services for the same time. and
while he was, in fact, employed and
presumably at least, drawing pay for
such employment from the Daily Her
aid. Attention is hereby called to Sec
ton &c of Chapter 488 of the session
laws of 1905. which reads as follows:
ANY person, assistant, clerk or en-
ploye in the executive or judicial de-
partment of the state provided for in
this act who shall accept, receive or ap-
propriate to his own use any money ap-
propriated by the legislature in excess
of the salary fixed by law shall be
guilty of a felony and. upon conviction
thereof, confined in the state peniten-
tiary for a period for not less than one
year nor more than ten years
THE committee failed to ask the
opinion of the attorney general upon
the bearing of this statute upon this
particular case. The testimony fur
Their showed that the state treasurer
had a right under the statute. to ap-
point an assistant bond clerk, and that
appropriation was made for the pay
of such clerk but the testimony also
showed that such clerk was not at an
times necessary to the work OF SAID
ofTice and that Mr.. Hopkins did not put
in his full time in the office ana that