The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-05-24
Newspaper Men Who Served in
Legislature Concerned.
SAYS THERE'S AREAsON
Was for Purpose of Boosting
Senators, Not TO Work.
He Leaves Favored Ones Out of
His List.

Emporia, Kan, May Ex-senator c.
A. Stannard of this place has given out
a letter attacking what he terms the
press agent graft in the senate. 1t is
as follows:
Emporia, Kan, May 20, 1911
To the People of Kansas:
There are a few things I want to
call your attention to pertaining to
the senate of this state; things that 1
think you ought to know concerning
some members of the senate that may
become candidates for offices of public
trust in this state. ! mention these
things now for the reason that there
is no campaign on, and that these per-
sons are not candidates for any Office
at this time so far as [ know, except
by the statements made by their press
agents.
And I am willing to presume that
this mention was merely the carrying
out on their part of their obligations
for the money received from the state
for which they performed no service
to the state, unless, their acting as
press agents for these senators was a
service to the state, and I contend that
it was not.
There can be no question of that.
My contention is that any person that
will take money from the state that
they are not entitled to, or for which
they do not perform a service, or a
person that will assist another to do
this, even in a small way, is not en-
titled to the confidence of the public,
and that if they will be party to a
small imposition of this kind they will
be parties to a larger one when the
opportunity is presented to them. That
is to say, men that are dishonest in
small things will most certainly be dis
honest in large ones, and they Will
take greater risks when larger amounts
are to be secured, or greater personal
benefits to be derived.
The things 1 would complain of are
as follows: Senator Robertson put on
the pay roll of the senate during the
last legislature Harvey Parsons, a re-
porter for the Topeka State Journal.
Senator Hodges put on the pay roll of
the senate, ]. Lewis, reporter for the
Hutchinson Gazette 6said to be the
Democratic state organ). Senator
StiIIings put on the pay roll of the
senate z. G. Hopkins, reporter for
several papers. Senator Porter put on
the pay roll of the senate w. r.
Kercher a reporter for the Kansas
City Journal. Senator Brady put on
the nav roll of the senate C. A. Cain,
a reporter for the Topeka State Jour
nal.
1 watched duringsthe session of the
legislature and made diligent in
quiry from several persons to find out
what service. if any, these reporters
performed to the state for the So per
day that they drew. as salary, and
could not find any labor they did or
service they performed for the state,
unless, as 1 said before, their acting as
press agents and keeping prominently
before the public the things that the
senators who appointed them did was
service to the state I have no
objections whateversYto any. man that
feels the need of having press agent
to exploit his works and to keep him
prominently before the people, but I do
feel that he should pay for this service
with his own money. and that he
should not ask the state to pay for his
press agent.
feel that a man that will do this is
unworthy the support and confidence
of the people, and that the newspa-
pers that permitted their reporters to
go on the pay roll of the state and
draw paw from the state without per-
forming any service for the state are
entitled to the censure of the Kansas
people. 1t is unfair to the taxpayers
of the state, and I may go farther and
say that it is unfair to the rest of the
press of the country, for if these pa
pers are permitted to have their en-
pIoyees on the pay roll of the senate,
they of course are not required to pay
them as much salary as they would be
otherwise, and the paper that keeps
reporter there and pays him his full
salary is at a disadvantage.
Senator Hodges was mentioned sew
eraI times during the session of the
legislature as a probable candidate for
OHiC0Q SIdIGS S0HdI0E OA lIS O0ItIO-
cratic ticket. Senator Robertson was
several times mentioned as possible
candidate for governor on the Demo-
cratic ticket. I suppose these state
paid press agents are responsible for
these mentions in the public press,
eeived to the senators that were re-
sponsible for their being able to get
this SO a day from the state without
performing any service to the state
for it.
Another little matter concerning
Senator Robertson which may be
pertinent at this time is the question
of his mileage in coming to and going
from the legislature, which he gives
as 1925, for which he draws from
the state fifteen cents per mile. This
figures his mileage from Atwood over
the Burlington, I suppose, by way of
Kansas City, although in figuring this
from the Burlington and Union Pa
cific folders, make the mileage from
Atwood to Topeka, via Kansas City,
and return, 1902 miles, leaving At
wood at 3:15 in the afternoon and
arriving at Topeka about noon the
next day. Now, If / were at Atwood
and wanted to come to Topeka the
way I would go would be to leave
Atwood at 3:15 in the afternoon, go
to Traer, drive from there to Oberlin.
about twelve miles. catch the $50
train, arrive at Norton at 1880 p. M,
take the Rock Island out of there at
1882 p. m. (Which train carries a
sleeper) and arrive at Topeka at 1850
in the morning. The mileage by this
route would be IT'S miles, or saving
of $37.05 to the state. Or If the
weather was bad and I did not want
to make the drive of twelve miles, L
could stay on the train and go to Su-.
perior, Neb., there take the Santa F'e,
with mileage of .s14 miles. This,
however, would not put me in To-
peka until o'clock in the evening of
the next day. Or I could get off the
Burlington train at st. Joseph and
come from there to Topeka on either
the Santa Fe or Rock Island, with a
of SIS miles,
These of course are small matters,
some of you will say hardly worth
mentioning 1 simply say it shows the