The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-16
EX-Speaker Simmons Gives Les.
son to Chart Class.
Shows Up Expenditures of Past
Two Legislatures.
THE 1909 TRIMMINGS.
Embraced Larger Part of Stubbs
Appropriations.
The 1907 Crowd Spent Money
for Permanent Buildings.

J. S. Simmons, speaker of the house
in the 1907 legislature, was a Topeka
visitor and while here was asked
about the political trend of affairs by
the reporter. Mr.. Simmons was full
of this subject and he at once dictated
statement in which he makes COM
parison between the appropriations of
the 1907 and 1909 legislatures. The
figures in this statement clearly con-
tradict the Stubbs claims of an econ
omicaI administration. They show
that the Fitzpatrick and Simmons leg
manent Improvements than did the
Stubbs and Dolley legislature. They
show that the Stubbs and Dolley leg
islature spent many thousands more
for trimmings than did the pestiferous
boodlers of 1907. The big increase in
these trimmings is manifest more par
ticularly in the governors office and
in the offices of his appointees and
boards in the total sum of $191,000
net. The elective offices were left to
paddle their own canoes. These
boards and appointive officers are the
main cogs of good political machine.
These figures show that the square
dealers of 1909, with all their loud
cry of reform, feathered their own Of
while the much abused machine
crowd of 1907 We're adding permanent
improvement to the state institutions
in the sum of over half million.
The reform that talks reform and in
creaSeS current expenses suffers by
contrast with the old crowd of pirates
who cut current expenses and spent
$500, 900 for new buildings.
Mr.. Simmons figures are worthy of
careful consideration by the citizens
of the state in general and the inde-
pendent voters in particular.
The statement by the ex-speaker
who claims to have been one of the
original square dealers is as follows:
1T is according to the constitution
hat the legislature make the appro-
but it is fact that the legislature of
1909 was aided or hindered by the
governor as never legislature was
tefore. The edict went out from the
executive office that Mr.. Dolley should
be speaker, and Mr.. Stone and others,
perhaps fearing that they, like myself,
| light be read out of Mr.. Stubbs, party
| # they should be elected in opposition
| to his wishes, had to stand aside
| Again, this was the first legislature in
which administration measures be-
| came prominent, in fact, the most
| prominent of all measures, as was the
case this time. As exhibit "A to sup
| Z ort this statement, please refer to the
files of all the newspapers in the state
| in the State Historical society. 1t is
cnly fair to say that the defenders OF
the present governor do not attempt
| to evade the responsibility. but make
| tie claim that the growth of the state
! Institutions, and the demand for new
! buildings, made these increased appro-
priations necessary. An analysis will
how that neither of these statements
| is true
Comparison of Appropriations.
''The total appropriations made by
| the 1909 legislature were $650,651
more than the total appropriations
made by the legislature of 1907. a
| raise of practically 10 per cent. Ex-
hibit B. see figures of state auditor
Continued on pa ee Eiehtl