Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1854-03-24
Peculation.

Free Press said that the superintendent
of Public Property at Madison stated that
he had supplied over thirty reporters for
the press with stationery from the State
supplies, while there were only ten in ac-
tual attendance at the Session; and added
that one editor of the State, had applied
to the Superintendent and received a sup
ply Of paper, pens. quilts, envelopes, &C.,
and decamped Herewith the next morn
ing. The Madison Journal used its
strongest terms to express its opinion of
the nlednneSs of this act, and called for
the name of the individual, so that he
might be ;'heldupto universal contempt"
The Madison Correspondent of the WIS
cousin thereupon said the writer of this
was the one implicated; and added that
the supplies had been obtained through
false representations. This was copied
and commented upon, quite severely, by
various papers of the State, and especially
by the Conservative portion and good
thereout, because we have spoken pretty
freely about the wrong of Members Ia
king newspapers at the State expense.
In alIusion to another matter Of the Jour
nal, we incidentally said that the alleged
facts, out of which all this fumigation
arose, were simply not true. Thereupon
the Wisconsin Correspondent got an Aft
dayit from the Superintendent, and pub
lished it. This affidavit we have not
seen; we have only seen notices of it.
And now that the matter has come and
gone, and all the Indignation, dcnuncia-
ton, and personality exhibited, that our
peculiar friends have seen fit to show,
and all excitement in regard to it is past,
we propose to call the attention of our
brethren, and of the Legislature to some
features of the matter, which, as yet, we
have not seen noticed.
According to all showing Mr.. ITalpin
has given a quantity of paper, pens, PEN
ellis, envelopes, quilts, inkstands, &c, &c,
to over thirty different editors of the
State. or their protested reporters. What
right had he to do this? Is he put in
charge of the Public Property to deal it
ecu: as he peases to his personal or polit-
zeal friends? According to what is said
al the affidavit. 1--WE have not seen IT'D he
has published himself to the world as
4jiol0tor IF public trust, and as having
wantorily teuANDERED the State Proper
tyl
Ought not gUch condLct to be vebukedR
But We hacye waited patiently, and not
enc Pqper IN ah State has as yet rcbukcd
1t. though we have tr.en so freely dcnoun-
ccd. And why hayS we been singled out!
because we have talked about public pc
cui5ti0p md swmdiing.
According to their own showing, if we
had been bribed to SileRce, by taking our
paper, rnd furnishing lis with stationary,
ain would have been well. But we chose
mot to be so bribed, and cried out against
thegross squandcring Of the people mon
ey, and the Indignation is all turned upon
us. the alleged recipient, and not upon the
thieves. Shame! Shame on the pVcss that
will take no haSher view Of It's d19tyI
Can no difference be seen between chaE
longing as wrcGg, q system or an action,
and dcnouncing personally these who dc
these things? New nark what we say;
1t is a gross SWINDLE apon the people,
for the Members of the Legislature to pay
for their newspapers cut Of the public
treasury, for the Superintendent TO sup
ply the editors of the State, or their re-
portcrs, with stationery, and all other
like acts. We do not thereby accuse the
gentlemen of the Senate and Assembly,
and Mr.. nalpin, with premedItatcd steal
ing-other Sessions of the Legislature
have bought newspapers, and other SUI
perintendents have given away State sta
tionery. These are customs which have
grown up, for which perhaps, no particu-
lar individual is to blame. They are.
nevertheless. inherently wrong, and the
wrong should be exposed. We have
done it. and shall continue to do it. But
we have been personal upon no indvidu-
al; We have charged individual fraud and
corruption upon no State Officer, from
GOV. Barstow down to Mr.. Halpin. We
have mentioned no names, and INDUCED
in no personalities. 1t is the system, the
WRONG. which we wish to expose we
have no individual or party spite to graf
ify; the present State Officers, as iRdi-
rid,.diS, are, doubtless, no better, nor no
worse, than any individuals, in any par
", taken from the same circle of social
life. 1t is not the men we denounce. but
the pecuidtioR and the SwINpL1NG.
Another thing Have the reporters in
active attendance at Madison any more
right to the State Stationery than the
editors in the remoteSt part of the State 7
Mr. Booth. of the Free Democrat, and
Mr. Watson, Of the Sentinel, are more or
less at Madison during the Sessions, for
the benefit of their readers, their papers,
and themselves, and not for the benefit
Of the Members, or the State the editor
II the Lacross Democrat is laboring for
the same end at his far off locality; and