The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-09-08
.POPzGUN STUFF
MOTTER SAYS
OF DEMO SLAP
absolutely Nothing to Political
Charges Against Allen"
G. O. P. Chairman RetOrts With
Tale of Bourbon Expenses.
THOMPSON FRANKED CAMPAIGN
And He Tells of State Grocery
Bills by George H. Hodges.
Reed and Allen Paid Personal
Bills Out of Own Pockets.
G.. O. P. Chairman RetOrtS With
Tale of Bourbon Expenses.
THOMPSON FRANKED CAMPAIGN
And He Tells of State Grocery
Bills by George HI. Hodges.

Flat denial of charges that the state
has been called upon to pay political
and personal wire service accounts of
Governor Allen and Judge Clyde NJ
Reed was made today by H. H. Mot
ter. Republican state chairman The
statement was made in answer to al
legations by Forrest Luther, chairman
of the Democrat state committee. to
the effect that the Allen administra-
t1on has charged political and per-
sonal telephone and telegraph ac-
counts to the tax payers.
Motter supplements his statement
with reference to waste and extrava-
gance of the national administration
IN Washington and alleged reckless
use of public funds by Governor
Hodges, Democrat, during his admin
istration from 1913 to 1915. Motter
also counter charges with the claim
that W. H Thompson, then United
states senator, franked a large amount
of the Democrat wire campaign ex-
pense in 1918 and that the bills were
paid by the government.
In a statement last week, Chairman
Luther asserted that Governor Aliens
expense for telephone and telegraph
for eighteen months was more than
five times the expense of the Capper
administration for the previous efgh-
teen months. He charged that. one of
the reasons for the industrial court
row was refusal of Judges Wark and
Higgins to approve Judge Reeds po-
litical expense items. Luther stated
that many of these items were subse-
quently paid by Governor Allen from
the contingent fund given him by the
Legislature. Motter's statement today
gives to Luther the burden of proving
his charge.
''Pop-gun Politics.
charge that personal and political wire
expenses were charged to the state-it
is simply pop-gun politics. said
Chairman Motter. "Such bills from
the industrial court as were paid by
Governor Allen were items which
properly should have been charged to
his fund and not to the court. and
the change of accounts was made for
that reason.
"AH personal items were, blue-pen-
ciled and paid by personal check:
That is not all. Judge Reed himself
blue-penciled these items What is
more. Governor Allen personally paid
large numbers of bills for calls from
I his home-expenses which should
have been and were a just charge
against the state.
But why bubble about a few pen
nies when the record of Democratic
waste and extravaganza in Washing
ton stares the country In the face.
Anyway. if the Democrats want to
look around they have but to refer
back to the Hodges administra ton,
when the papers were filled with
stories about his charges of personal
MESA ges-I think even his grocery
items-to the state. 1t was a scandal
which was followed by Governor Cap
per carefully scrutinizing every ex-
pense voucher and paying all personal
bills with his own check. The same
policy has been followed by Governor
Allen Somehow it seems ridiculous
to mention these matters when it was
a notorious joke among telegraph
operators in the state as to Senator
Thompson's use of his franking privi-
lege in 1918, At that time, so I am
told by a very competent authority
Senator Thompson transacted most OF
the Democratic committees wire bust
ness by use of his frank. and the bills
We're paid by the extravagant govern
ment in Washington"