The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-03-17
IN CLOSE ESCAPE
Four State Officers Face Work
Without a Salary.
Governor Allen a Victim of a
Legislative "BOnehead."

Unless the legislature takes the
kinks out of the fees and salary bill,
at least four constitutional state Off
cers-including Governor Henry ].
AlIen-must work the next two years
for nothing. Provisions of the fees
and salary bill, it was learned today,
repeal the sections of the general
statutes fixing the salaries of gov
ernor, secretary of state, treasurer and
auditor If the bill passes the legis-
lature as drawn, the four officials may
be compelled to wait two years for
their money.
James E. Larimer, a clerk for the
ways and means committee, today
found the errors in the bill. He re-
ported the errors to members or the
ways and means committees or the
house and senate and the trouble VIII
be adjusted before the bill is finally
passed and published. The bill, which
is said to have been drafted in the at
torney generals office, is declared to
have repealed sections of the general
statutes which fix the salaries of the
four state officials.
Governor Henry J. Allen, L. ]. Pet
| tijohn, secretary of state; Walter L.
Payne, state treasurer; and Fred W.
Knapp, state auditor. would have been
/ affected by the error in preparing the
! original draft of the bill. A wholesale
repeal of statutory provisions affect-
| ing salaries was asked by the commit
tee which presented the bill to the
| Legislature. The repeating clauses
, left the heads of the departments high
and dry. altho they fixed salaries of
clerks and assistants in the offices.
| No provision was made, however. for
| the elective constitutional officers.
Heads of Departments Not In.
! For example the working force in
; h. taken
| of in the fees and salary bill. So was
the office force of the three other Of
fices. But the heads of the depart
ments were not mentioned. The sec
tions of tn law which were repealed
however, fixed the salaries of these Of
ficials. Had the bill become law a;
drafted and as approved by the house
and prepared for third reading in the
senate, neither the governor, secretary
| of state, state treasurer nor state audi
tor, would have been able to draw one
dollar until the legislature met in 1922
and remedied the defects of the bill
1t Is All Muddled Now.
1t was the purpose of the commit
tee to care for these matters in sub
sequent bills. But the whole thing il
now muddled and disturbed in such ;
manner that no one seems to know
just where the legislature is going
The legislature itself is in doubt
Amendments to the bill have beel
adopted and removed. Now it seem
probable that the whole bill may hav
, to be rewritten before it can be final
ly approved by the two houses.
Had it not been for Larimer'
checking of the sections of the bill
j tho, it is quite probable that some sor
of law would have been passed wip
ing out the four statutory provisions
And thereby the four important stat
: officials would have been compelle
to live in Topeka, pay their own ex
penses and handle the work of thei
offices without receiving a dollar fror
the state until the legislature returne
two years hence to remedy the de
, fects of the salary law.
Senate to Aid.
The senate passed another bill as a
emergency providing for the sa1arie
' of the governor at $4,000, the stat
treasurer at $500, the auditor a
: S2,500 and the secretary of state a
: $4,000. The general fees and salarie
, bill had failed to provide for these OF
e ficers and present sections of the stat
: utes referring to their salaries wer
repealed.