The Price of a State Job
A prison employee claims he was fired for refusing to contribute to the Governor’s campaign fund.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
In an affidavit, Charles E. Brock, for 10 years employed at the state penitentiary, declares he lost his position because he would not contribute to the campaign fund of the governor, as requested by officials. He denies that voluntary contributions were made. 'On or about the 10th day of May, 1916,' Brock writes, 'Vollendorf (Frank Vollendorf is state clerk) came to me at the reading room of the penitentiary and stated that the present administration had kept me employed for three and a half years and that if I would contribute $25 toward Lister’s campaign expenses I could keep my job. I told Mr. Vollendorf that I couldn’t see my way clear to put up money for such purposes and within the same month I was discharged without any reason being assigned. It was understood by the employees at the penitentiary that unless they put up their assessment they would be discharged. I personally know that another employee was discharged for his failure to put up to the Lister campaign fund.'
“It was understood by the employes at the penitentiary that unless they put up their assessment they would be discharged.”
This allegation of 'pay-to-play' politics within the state apparatus highlights the persistent tension between civil service independence and political patronage. Such accusations continue to echo in modern debates over ethical governance and the integrity of public institutions.
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