The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-02-12

other wrong? Mr.. Bone seems to
think SO.
'City employees from the mayor
down are too poorly paid now" says
Mr.. Bone. That includes Mr.. Bone.
who is getting $500 year. How
much does he went? Please name IL.
We are now paying four commits
sioners and q mayor annually total
of $9,700 as against $4.400 to the for
mer mayor, and council, or consider
ably more than double for the same
work, and 1t has not been 80 well per-
formed. as more than 5000 petition
ers think.
Where the present commission, as
stated by Mr.. Bone. inherited debts,
the future government OF this city
will come to judgment.
AS to what Mr.. Bone refers to con-
temptuously as Our Great White
Way" the only thing chargeable to
the city Is its lighting. and is not street
lighting q legitimate part of city ex-
pendftures, and would have to be done
in any event?
AS to the issuing of bonds, does not
every citizen know that the special
election OF about two years ago was at
the instance and instigation Of our
city commission to vote about $780,
900 in bonds to rebuild practically
every bridge in the city, whether it
needed rebuilding or not? They are
still standing. Whose economy was
involved in that move? The city COM
mission now has a bill before the leg
isiature to do this without vote OF
the people.
Does not everybody also know that
the present move to build an electric
light plant by the city to furnish COM
mercial lighting, which means q tre-
mendous bond issue with no common
surate benefits. is the scheme of our
present city commission?
The commission city government
was put upon us by a minority of the
registered voters Of Topeka, as 1t only
jority out of q total vote cast on the
proposition of 4.S37, while it now re-
quires the signatures of 1900 electors
to have 1t resubmitted for displace-
ment b-r a special election. The law
says: Upon the petition of not less
than twenty-five per centum of the
electors of such city. q special election
shall be called at which the !.
proposition only shall be submitted.
If majority of the votes cast at such
special election be in favor of such
proposition the officers elected at the
next succeeding biennial election shall
be then prescribed by the general law
of the state
The petition presented to the city
clerk as required by law was secured
by numerous solicitors who testified to
their genufneness, and they relied
upon the sfgners' statement that they
were registered electors. They may
have thought they were registered or
they have intended to register in time
for the city election, as they have I'M
til ten days before the election to
register, and many of the names now
being cut out would be voters at the
city election. That there are dupli-
Gates was to be expected, and there
fore 1000 more than were required
were obtained. If there are any irreg-
ularities, it was the fault Of the sign
ers and solicitors. It is strangely pre-
posterous that it only required ten
(1O) per centum of the electors to Pc
tition a vote for the commission city
government, while it requires twenty
five per centum to obtain its resub-
mission and decentralization. It is I'M
fair and inequitable. It is tricky.
am advised that signers to our petition
are being stricken out for trivial, tech
meal discrepancies that are ridiculous
and unjustifiable. p. H. COMFY. =
Commissioner Bones Reply.
To the Editor Of the State Journal: =
81 Rs rs 5fFels II aSsN s.
to the article written by myself for
the State Journal. showing compares
tive expenditures of council and COM
mission government in Topeka, I wish
to call attention to the following mat
ters mentioned by him. shall take
them as they appear in his article: .
First, the captain says we must take
$423, 915.35 as Topeka's 1914 revenue
instead Of $371,749.53. He knows
that the latter figure is the total