Barton County democrat., 1914-02-27
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE
Topeka, Kansas, February 2S, 1S1

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE
Topeka, Kansas, February %, 1914
A lengthy article ON state finances
in the Topeka Capital of February
10, signed REPUBLICAN STATE
CENTRAL COMMITTEE reminds
the Press Bureau of the story of the
country man and the circus posters
The country man had seen lions arc
elephants and tigers, but had never
seen a giraffe. He studied the pic
tuna of that animal carefully anc
his final conclusion was expressed
in about these words: "0h HcE.
There aint no such ANIMAL AS far
as the Press Bureau can learn, there
is no Depubhcan State Central Com
mittee, and the Capital itself a few
days ago, gave out the information
that althouhg diligent search had
been made, there were fully a third
Of the counties of the state which
could not be heard from.
The financial statement to which
we have referred, is certainly a
wonder. It was doubtless prepared
by the youthful 'Chiuaman,' who re
ported state house news for the
Capital and so far as their correct
ness is concerned, might as vel
have been taken from the Hongkont
newspapers. There was strained
effort to show that Governor Stubs
spent less of his contingent funC
than has Governor Hodges. This re
suit was arrived at by admitting tha
Stubbs had spent large sums O
money for a variety Of purposes
among them s2,7O5.62 during tn
horse plague, and Republican Stat
Central Committee boldly under
takes to say should not be counted
and thus by an elimination of var
ious expenditures, they reduce tbs
Stubbs account to less than that o.
Governor Hodges, and in the hnguag
Of William Alien White, they are at
tempting to play ths\nebular hypOth
eSts on a tmbourine.'
This is something entirely novel il
the way of bookkeeping and It onl!
serves to show that our Republican
friends are compelled to resort t
the baldest juggling Of figures t
their strained attempt to put some
thing over on the administration.
The simple fact is that the begis
lature of 1911 appropriated Twent,
Thousand Dollars to Governor Stubt
as a contingent fund, to cover tn
fiscal years from July 1st, 1911, t
July LIST, 1913. The auditors book
show that from July Let, 1911, =
January, 1913, Stubbs spent NOR
than fifteen thousand dollars Of thl
money. Governor Hodges has BEE
in office a Httle over thirteen month
and has spent only about 100000 @
his contingent fund.
These facts can be verified at tn
auditor g office.
The assertion has been frequend
made IN the Topeka Capital and wa
also made by one Of the speaker
at the Kansas Day Club, that ther
were several hundred more en-
ploye on the state payroll under tn
Hodges administration than under tn
Stubbs administration. This stat
ment was in line with the Capital
consistent course Of misreprsSenti
ton. o. b
Last week, the Governor had tn
figures compiled as to the Aumbf
Of state employees on the payroll
for December, 1912, under the Stubt
Administration, and those on th
state payrolls in December, 1sl
under the Hodges administrato
These figures taken from the bool
in the auditors office, show thi
there are 127 less employD On Il
state payrols under the Hodges a
ninistration than under the Stub
administration. And tbs count
, cludes a large number Of persons
departments which cot the sta
nothing. but are paid wholly fro
fees paid by persons for whom b
services are rendered.
! The fact Is that figures given o
by TIE Topeka Capital cannot