The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-06
BROWN TO STUBS.
Kingman Democrat Defends House
| Ways and Means Committee.


w. l.. Brown of Kingman has writ
ten the following open letter to Cover
nor Stubs:
My Dear Governor: I read in one
of yesterdays dailies that which pur-
ports to place the responsibility of ex-
cesSlve appropriations entirely on the
legislature and that you would like for
any member to point out where money
can be saved the taxpayers by cutting
down Or out entirely any item now
carried in pending appropriation bills;
hence, with all due respect for your eX-
cellency, would beg to submit few
suggestions and ask a few questions,
the answers to which will no doubt be
appreciated not only by myself but
both bodies of the legislature as well
as the people of the state. To com
menee with your charges against the
house, think, are unfair and mis-
leading, but l am charitable enough
to believe are brought on misrepre-
sensations and without knowledge of
the facts. As a member of the house
ways and means committee permit me
to say that the Republican members
of said committee as we'll as the mi
nority members were appointed by the
administration speaker and the chair
man is one of your appointees. ] do
not speak of this as q criticism or
reflection on the membership OF the
committee. To my mind it has been
one of the best and hardest working
committees that has ever served in the
house, many the night they have toll
ed until the early morning hours try
ing to get at the facts in the case and
to determine where the dividing line
between an excessive appropriation
and absolute necessity was. (Please
remember l am asking no credit for
the Democratic members for up to
date a Democrat has never received
any credit from the days of the pass
age of the primary law until the pres
ent for any good deeds done from you
or your administration
Yet in your printed remarks you
catechiSe the house the same as you
do the senate yet in round numbers
there is 100000 difference in favor of
the house on economy over that OF the
senate. Will you kindly by special
message or otherwise let US know with
which you are in sympathy, the
house or senate committee which rec
commended the following items: En-
poria $4,000 more than house COM
mittee gave them; medical school at
Kansas City, for university $4,000;
private hospitals $4,000; two new
normals $4,000: university on fees
$4,000; Agricultural college on fees
1000; Hays and Pittsburg normals
$4,000; tuberculosis hospital $4,000;
armories $4,000; Pittsburg additional
$1,000: chronological appropriations
$40. 900: school2aof mines 100000
There are other appropriations passed
determine and I for one would like
your judgment on them, and if you
are acting in good faith and believe
as you have intimated that there are
only two coordinate branches of the
legislature, viz, executive and judicial,
it would be we'll to protect the cipher
in the triumvirate which the legisla-
ture represents, by reply.
However it is very dull citizen who
does not know that you have ample
| rAs% 80
not only all but any items in an APP
preparation bill; hence study of these
questions, If I am allowed the sug-
sestion, might fortify the position you
| would take in practicing what you are
preaching in regard to increase of ap-
preparations. Two years ago 1 served
on the ways and means committee
and We recommended a miscellaneous
appropriation bill which was passed by
the house and no doubt carried some
appropriation which should not have
been made but with faith that you
would veto these items it was checked
up to you. A blue pencil and a few
| lines giving your reasons why. would
| have protected the treasury but they
were not molested. yet from one end
of, the state to the other during the
last campaign the members of the leg
islature of 1909, were 1ambasted by
| your excellency for doing that which
| was entrusted to you and the fulfill
ment of which you preferred political
bunkum to a sworn duty. Speaking for
one member OF the legislature 1 am
more than pleased you have given us
your ideas which I will admit is in
| definite as you point out no place
wnere excessive appropriations can be
reduced at this time rather than to
wait until the legislature has adjourn
ed and the members gone home.
| If you are in real earnest about this
| appropriation business. help the men
who are making the fight to keep APP
preparations down rather than filling
your senatorial grip with documents
| for future use. If you are not only
i the executive but the legislative body
as we'll which you have assumed you
/ had better get busy so in the next
/ campaign you will not lay every bad
| law to the legislature and take credit
to every good one to yourself as you
did in the last. but be fair which will
| be the best evidence you have yet
shown of favoring a square deal.
| A few words in regard to suggesting
as to where items can be cut out or
lowered that will meet with the ap-
| proyaI of the taxpayers along this ap-
preparation line. One item which is
now reached about the $4,000 mark is
| the contingent fund of the different de-
partments among which is your own,
for which you demand $4,000 per an
mum, or $4,000 for the biennium. Hoch,
Bailey, Stanley. Morrill,. Click, Leady
and Lewelling got along with less than
this amount so if you are in dead
earnest about cutting out excessive ap-
preparations. supposing you come De
/ fore the ways and means committee
OF send to the house in your daily
messages a suggestion that you will be
| satisfied with the customary contin-
| gent fund of $4,000 per annunl Thls
| would not only strengthen my faith In
your remarks but also the faith of the
! people of the state.
Now a word in regard to how these
appropriations are made up. The diff
ferent boards appointed by you and
| a part of your administration have
been before the ways and means
committee night after night explain