The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-01-27
But They Pause to Make State
ment of Explanation.
MAYOR ADMITS FAULT
Billiard Says Commission as the
Taxpayers Would Have 1t.
Bone Answers All Charges in a
Strong Interview.

Apparently the city commissioner
are not losing any sleep over the
danger Of being thrown from office or
account of their alleged violations OF
the commission law. At the city hall
today they have little fear of losing
their positions, because of a deficit in
the 1911 budget. In fact they offer the
excuse that it was a case of working
| against a few of the technicalities of
the law or allowing the municipal gov
ernment to go to the bow-wows
Mayor Billiard states that many times
the board has violated a variety of the
legal points. But it had tc be done or
the departments would be closed down.
II we had carried out every section
of the commission law the fire depart
ment, the police department many of
the city offices and the crematory
would have been closed down." the
mayor said. And we would have AL
lowed the smallpox epidemic to have
worn itself out spreading over the citv
We did what we deemed was practical
despite the law. We did what the tax
payers would have us do If it will
cost us our positions and if our bonds
are to be sued-welI, I am willing to
sacrifice all 1 have"
Stotts Makes Statement.
The report of Commissioner Bone
of about nine thousand dollars in the
crematory and sanitary departments
and balance of over one thousand
dollars in the Garfield park fund"
salq san Commissioner Stotts. The budget
under which 1 have worked was pre-
pared by Mr. Holman and I had moth
ing to do with it, but if I had had, the
preparation of my own budget there
would undoubtedly hove been a deficit
IN view of the fact and conditions with
which I was confronted during my
term in office.
Mr.. Holman could not foresee the
smallpox epidemic which ragged in To-
peka almost from the dav entered
my office. Twenty-three people died
as result although the scourge was
confined to a small district on the east
side of the city. The. severest and most
contagious epidemic which ever visited
the city.
"The funds in the sanitary depart
ment were exhausted long before the
epidemic was wiped out as were the
funds in the crematory department
The health, the very life of the citi-
zenship of Topeka was in my hands
and I would have been the basest in
CRATE and coward if 1 had not arisen
to the occasion and put the best there
was in me towards the stamping out
of the disease and the suppression of
further epidemics by keeping our city
clean.
"Of course, I could have closed the
pile high with manure and putrid gar
bage for the perpetuation of smallpox
and the breeding of other epidemics. |
But I would have been untrue to the
friends who placed me in Office with |
the feeling that their lives and health /
would be safeguarded. Under similar /
conditions 1 would do the same things /
over again and be at ease with my |
and 1 believe that the sane
residents of Topeka feel just
as I do in regard to this matter.
''There has not been a cent squan
Tered or misappropriated, nor has there |
been such a charge made. An emer-
gency arose and I met it to the best /
Of my ability and with a conscious /
ness that I was doing my duty to my |
fellow residents in Topeka The tech
1icality of which an attempt has been
made to make so much is just such a
as confronts the state many
lines every year and our banking in
stitutions almost daily and where it
some law. 1 believe I did my duty
and under like conditions would act in
he same manner again.
Miller Hunts for a Job.
Commissioner Miller was inter
viewed on his way. - the Melan
bridge. Il am untins, Tandy," Mil
Ter laughed. = hear he is hiring
men to work ghoveling out dirt be-
meath the brid-"- I want to see if
,an get a position"
Commissioner Bone took the mat
-er more SERIOUSLY. In answer to the
statements published in the news
papers, Bone dictated an answer to
each charge and quoted from the
commission law and from the stat
lteS. His explanation was accept
I'd by CommiSS, Oner Tandy. Bone
brought out the fact in his statement
that the law giJr~ the city a right to
raise money for "A great white way.
This is the fist time that feature
has been exploited. It will cause
in the Miller ranks,
where the great white way was Of
fered up as a sacrifice to explain the
shortage in the electric light depart
nent.
Here is the statement signed by
Commissioner Bone and approved by
Commissioner Tandy:
THE reports to the effect that the
entire commission has violated the
commission law to the extent that
heir offices are thereby vacated, it
Ooxs as though il was necessary to
make a statement of some kind or
give the people of Topeka the idea
hat we were all set of blockheads
md knew nothing whatever of man
aging the city's business.
1.-THE commission law says that we
hall not create an indebtedness beyond
he estimates of the budget unless the
Lctual revenue shall have exceeded
iuch estimates Now as a matter of
act when the time for making the
budget this past summer drew near I
aw that we were confronted with a de-
icft unless something was done to for
tall it. The result was that our license
ordinance was rewritten and licenses Of
Iimerent occupations raised and license
axes on callings that had not hereto
ore been licensed and our revenues
we're thereby raised to cover any de-
icft which was at fba+ time anna rant !