Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1857-10-09

2 work, that the transaction can neither b.
I explained or excused.
"The circumstance cf III. B. PACKER
one Of the contractors far this j,b, Jeiny q
BROTHER of of the Canal Commission
G ers, should not deprive him Of an equa
e clance with any other citizen in the Com
/, monwea!th, for public work, for which he
night b, the lowest and best good bidder;
but, certainly, this circumstance should
give him no preference. The committee
will not say that, because MIR. Packer is a
| brother of Canal Commissioner, he was
therefore favored in the allotment Of job.
They will, however, assert the belief that
the contract is one, the granting of which
they can not reconcile uih proprie,y or
justice 10 the peope Of tie Commonwealth.
Besides the allowance of most extravagant
prices for the job, the circumstance atten
ding its allotment we think deserving of
) censure, and 60 far to show that it was
previously determined upon not to give out
the public work to the lowest good bid
der, but, by arrangement, to hrow certain
.joJs into the hands Of certain persons, and,
at the same time, to satisfy all prominent
competitors for the job" (Vide 2ud vol.
J. II. R. 1871, page 575)
The committee state it as their opinion
that the State lost, by this favoritism of
the Canal Commissioners, sl69 200 10 the
canal aud railroad contracts in lS40-that
is, that they awarded the contracts at pri-
ces so far above what reliable contractors
offered to do them for, that that sum over
and above what was proper expenditure
was paid. (Vide same, page 52S.)
Does this favoritism to his brother, this
squandering in single year Of SlG9, 200
of the public money, evince fitness for
positions of responsibility and trust p
If they do, then Gen. Packer ought to be
elected; otherwise, he ought not. No
such shameless family partiality, or such
reckless profit sacy aud waste of the public
money, stains or mars the record of DA-
vID WILMor. His private and public
character are alike unimpcached and uu-
impeachable.
! But this is not ALL An intelligent CO.
temporary, the Butler An.erican, has ta-
ken the pains to make resume of the
comparative expenditures made upon the
public works whilst p was a member Of
The o.aai Do.-as -t.;.I ;-"",.d,.,aly rrA-
ceded and succeeded that to which he was
attached Here is its statement:
, "The three years that Moses SULLIVAN
and others we're in the Canal Board-to
wit, the years 1886, 1887 and lS3S-the
revenue upon the Portage Railroad was
S454, 764 81, and the expenditures during
the same time were sI39, ,224 80, being an
excess Of revenue of Sl5, ,53S "a.
'Tke three years that Wm. +. Packer
was Canal Commissioner-viz. 1889, 1910
and lSil-the revenue Was S46l ,O20 81,
and the expenditures were S542,9o9 81,
being an excess Of expenditure of SIS, ,959-
03. Add the excess Of revenue Of 1856,
1887 and 1888 to the deficits of the years
1899, JS40 aud 1871, and you have the
amount of S94, 497 G7 as the loss of the
Packer administration as compared with
the three years Sullivan's administration.
"Then take the three years succeeding
Packers administration-lS42, 1913 and
1S4l-uudcr WM. b. FOSTER aud others,
and the revenue for three years amounted
to S464,l2S 90, and the expenditures to
the sum of S4SS, ,S04 AZ, being differ
ence against Packers administration of
s5l,5ss1s." |
What clinches home the whole thing
most powerfully was, that, being conscious
of his official mismanagemeut, being fully
convinced that faithful, honest and ca
pable officer at the head Of the examining
aud auditing bureau, would most certain
ly detect and expose the rascality and cor
ruption which he then knew prevailed /
so extensively upon the public works, and
to which he was a party, he sought aud
obtained the appointment, under Porter,
of AUDITOR GENERAL. He had thus the
settlement of has oun accounts IN his
oun hands. If there was anything to be
settled in violation of law, any overdrawn
accounts, any swollen contracts, any fat
jobs to be covered up, he had the legal
position wherein it could be done. Be-
sides the advantages and facilities afforded
by that position, he had all the skill and
experience in such matters which were
requisite to enable him to conceal these
things most successfully.
We now appeal to the intelligence of
every man in the State. We ask him,
with the fact staring him in the face that
there we're large, improper and unnecessa.
ry expenditures of the public money,
whilst Gen. Packer was Canal Commis-
sioner, and with the other fact superadded,
that he was appointed Audi'or General to
settle and aojust his o~n accounts, whether
there is not strong presumptive evidence
of completely on his part with, if not ac-
tual participation in, the frauds and steal
age then so common upon all the public
works Of the State!