The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-10
Herr and Gov.
Hodges Made Them Clear.
Gov. Paid Contest Attorneys
Committee Refused Claim.

Both Governor Hodges and j. n.
! Herr, chairman of the house ways and
means committee, have issued state
ments in which they declare that both
the committee and the Kansas execu-
tive have been placed in a false posi-
ton in reviews of the claims filed with
the committee for attorneys fees in the
recent Hodges-Capper gubernatorial
contest
1t is claimed by Hodges and Herr
that there was never any intention on
the part of the committee or of the
governor to allow these attorney fees
and that Governor Hodges had fatty
announced that he would veto any such
items in the appropriation bills even
if they were allowed by the legislature.
No claims have ever been allowed the
attorneys by the house committee and
none will be, according to Herr. a
statement made by Herr reads:
THE Topeka Capital of March 9
makes the statement that the house
ways and means committee had al
lowed each of the Hodges attorneys in
the recent gubernatoria1 contest a fee
of 81 10000. This is an absolute misstate-
ment of the facts and 1 happen to
know that the Capital was aware that
the statement was false. L was fair
enough to place Robert Stone in the
proper light and in the same interview
made the positive statement that the
ways and means committee had not
allowed this claim and had the writer
of the article been inclined to be fair
he would have so stated. The article
places Governor Hodges in false
light in this respect as he stated to me
on the evening of March that If the
ways and means committee recon-
mends such a claim he would find
himself in duty bound to veto this item:
On the next morning at O'Clock. L
ran ha following
from Governor Hodges which needs no
further comment
This is the Hodges letter to which
Herr referred:
a bill has been presented asking the
state to pay the attorneys fees in the
gubernatorial incipient contest. l ad-
Vised the chairman of both the claims
and accounts committee of both the
house and the senate that would not
approve any appropriation for that
purpose. 1 am advised that this bill
has been presented to your committee,
and 1 wish to make the same state
ment to you that I did to the claims
committees.
MIR. Capper, T understand, to be a
millionaire and no doubt he will take
care of his attorneys fees. We have
already paid our firm $4,000 attor-
neys' fees, which until quite recently
I understood to be entirely satlsfac-
tory, and I am now advised that but
one attorney is dissatisfied, Win ms
portion. If there is an amount still
due him it will be satisfied upon the
presentation of his claim
: very truly yours.
" .GEO. H. HODGES. Governor"
Stone Agreed to 1t.
The real attitude Of Messrs Stone
and Capper regarding the attorney fees
in this instance is shown in the letter
that one of Hodges attorneys wrote the
governor as follows. GF
After talking with Mr.. Stone he pre-
ferred not to have an application made
for him because of the fact that he was
a member of the legislature, but he as
sured us that he believed the appropria-
ton ought to be made for us and that
he would endorse it and urge its al
lowance in the house. He has also as
sured US that there would be no critl-
cism on the part of Mr.. Capper, be- |
cause of our application. In fact, Mr..
Capper is not in a position to criticize
since he treated the services rendered
for him as being of a public nature and
made no payments except to cover ex-