The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-01-11
POLITICAL GOSSIP
Senator Porter Would Have De-
partment of Mines.
Addition to Course Of State
Manual Training School.
AFTER DEL TRAVIS.
Ex-EmplOyee Makes Charges
Against Game Warden.
FTER DEL TRAVIS.
Bent" Murdoch Doesn't Know
Why He Is Here.

Senator E. F. Porter, OF Crawford
county, comes to Topeka this time with
three special bills in his pocket as fol-
lows: An act establishing department
of mines and mining In Connection with
the state manual training school in
Pittsburg; an act establishing night
school at the state manual training
normal for the benefit of foreign born
citizens of the state desiring to learn the
English language; and act establishing
a substation of the state agricultural
college at Girard.
Senator Porter is one of the veterans
of the senate, as he begins his third
term tomorrow. He has been spoken of
as a candidate for president pro tenn
of that body. The senator will not talk
about his candidacy for this place but
is willing to go on record as opposed
to the state publication of school books
The Republicans of both houses will
hold their caucuses this evening. The
three important house positions have
been decided upon as follows; Speaker.
j. N. Dolley Wabaunsee ciunty;
speaker pro tenn, r. J. Hopkins, Finney
county; chief clerk, w. T. Beck, Jack
son county; assistant clerk, Chas. A
Brilliant of Elk county
In the senate the fight for the big
places is still undecided.
Charges of Irregularities at the Kan
sas fish hatchery at Pratt have been
brought to the attention of Governor
Boch, and D. w. Travis, state fish and
game warden, has denied them. Cover
nor Hoch has turned the charges over
to Governor Stubs for whatever action
the latter may desire to take in the
matter.
The charges were brought by Alexan-
der Milne, formerly an employee of the
game warden. Milne was the sGperin-
tendent of the hatchery and the time
Tn HI oh he
that employees of the hatchery paid by
the state had worked on the farm of Mr..
Travis, near the hatchery, and that the
time of such employment was not taken
from the state payroll and not paid by
Travis, but that the work was done by
state employees on state time and at
state expense.
]. c. Gafford. state accountant. was
sent to the state hatchery to make an
investigation. Mr.. Gafford checked up
the accounts of the department and OBJ
tanned the affidavits substantiating the
charges.
Mr. Travis was then informed of the
charges, and he filed formal denial
and some supporting affidavits, show
ing that state employees did not do any
work on his farm at state expense.
Milne was then timekeeper and Travis
says that it was his duty to see that
any work done on his own private pro-
perty was charged to his personal ac-
count and not to the state. Milne says
while Travis says that Milne was dis
charged.
"Bent'' Murdoch is here today. This
is a simple enough announcement, for
Bent comes to Topeka pretty often.
But this Ell Dorado editor came to
Topeka on the occasion of the
Inauguration of the first Kansas gov
ernor forty-eight years ago, and has
been here at every occasion of the
kind since then. He is here today
with the same young light in his old
eyes, barricaded as they are behind
two pairs of spectacles, and the same
warm heart and genial kindness for
friend and stranger. The red car
nation he wore on his coat was not
fresher and brighter than your
''Unc1e Bent"
II don't know why I am here" he
said ''but here I am. I'll soon get
tired of it all and go back home, but
I'll catch the germ again and be back
here again before the legislature has
| been in session very long
ct attended Gov. Robinson's in
augural, so why not the one in which
Roscoe Stubs plays the leading part?
There is nearly a half century between
them
81 have never held state job in all
those years. so they cannot class me
with the pie counter fellows. I'm a
Kansan of the old school, I guess, and
simply cannot keep away from Topeka
when there is a state meeting going
on. There used to be a lot of us, but
there's not so many now. They have
crossed a broader, deeper river than
the Kaw.'
There is no one at the Copeland to-
day who knows more people or has
such an ''alluring handshake'' as w.
P. Fleeman of Coffeyville. ex-peniten-
tiary guard and ex-sergeant of the
Coffeyville police force. Fleeman is
ole Nv inns golf oioc
may call him joke or a nuisance, but
this would not prevent the worthy
sergeant from extending to them
every courtesy if he succeeds in land
ing the place as doorkeeper of the