The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-08-29
MAY GUST A BOARD
Mitchell County Complains Of
Its Commissioners.
Sends Lengthy Petition to At
tOrney General.
STATE SENATOR LOGAN SIGNER
Misuse of Funds for Bridges Is
Charged.
Also AIIege One Member Was
Intoxicated.
STATE SENATOR LOGAN SIGNER

Charging that the commissioners of
Mitchell county are violating the law
in their expenditures of funds for
bridge work and that one of the COM
missioners has been intoxicated while
in his office. Senator E. c. Logan and
fifty other Mitchell county citizens
have asked Attorney .neral John S.
Dawson to institute custer suits
against the three members of the
board. Dawson is investigating the
case.
Mitchell county citizens charge that
their board has wasted thousands of
dollars on bridge building contracts
not specifying any specific amount
and claiming that contracts with the
Midland Bridge company and the Illi-
nois Bridge company have been lille
galIy made and that excessive amounts
of money have been spent in direct vio-
lation of law. Not only do the Mitchell
county petitioners ask that custer pro-
ceedings be brought against II. T.
Prewitt, c. NJ Seidel and John Engle-
bert, the present members of the board,
but they ask that civil actions be
brought against these three men and
Slater White, former member of the
board. to recover the money which is
claimed to have been illegally spent.
If the petitioners have their own way
in the matter. civil suits will be
brought against these four men indi-
vidually and their bondsmen to recover
for the alleged eXtravagances.
Contracts Were Illegal.
Prior to January. 1913, Prewitt.
Seidel and White were the members
of the Mitchell county board; In Jan
uary, Englebert succeeded White. IL
legal use of public funds is charged
under both administrations and it is
claimed that the county board per-
~
for bridge building, that appropriations
for this work was not set aside in ac-
cordance with the law, that the board
failed to advertise the letting of con-
tracts as required under the Kansas
statutes and that in numerous in
stances prices paid for work were far
in excess of the estimates for the
work. Under these allegations, it is
contended that the board is now sub
iect to custer under the provisions'o 'of
the 1911 custer law, and that the in
dividual members and their bonds
men are liable to the county for the
money which it is claimed was mis-
appropriated. Two recent cases OF
bridge building near Cawker City are
cited in the complaint, although in
neither instance is the exact or ap-
proximate amount of loss to the coun-
ty set out.
Complaining still further. it is
charged that the Mitchell county board
by allowing a certain portion for
public highway in the county. This
road received an adverse report at the
hands of the board of review, ii is
claimed. Yet in the face of this report,
the board allowed the road and failed
to give the affected property owners
a hearing, the petition recites.
Says Seidel Was Intoxicated.
AS a still further reason why the
board should not be permitted to re-
main in office. it is charged that in
January. 1918, c. NJ. Seide was intoxi-
Gated while in the Office of the board
and during d session of the commits
sicners. Under the Brewster custer
law. this charge if proven is sufficient
to remove public official.
An investigation of the charges will
be made by the attorney generals Of
fee After receiving the petition today,
General Dawson refused to
discuss the case further than to state
that he expected to investigate the
matter at an early date.
Many charges of extravaganza and
misuse of public funds in bridge build
ing have been made in Kansas in re-
cent years, but this is the first time
that the indignant taxpayers have
sought relief through custer proceed
ings against their board.