Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1857-10-09
General PACKER and the Public Works


document presented to the Legislature
Of 1889 by certain contractors, agains
the Canal Board Of that day, of whom
GENERAL PACKER was one. The
charges presented were deemed Of so gravt
character that Democratic Legislature
thought it due to its party aud the publl'
to raise Committee of Investigation
which sat for long time, and ELECTED ;
heavy mass Of testimony. Gen. Packc
deemed the danger so great that, with al
his characteristic coolness and self posses
sion, he employed OVID +. JOHNSON as
counsel. We need not say how fully the
testimony sustained the charges made
against the Board and their employees
ITO the lengthy, Official records, We refer
The charges were that Packer aud his con-
federates received good money from the
State, aud exchanged it Cor deprecated
currency, which the poor laborers had to
take at a loss-also that they improperly
used the Is per cent. reserved from con.
tractors dues
But the evidence evolved two minor
points. First, there was a law in exist
encc, in 1882, when he was Superintend
ent of the West Branch Canal, requiring
that no rors should be let or re-let by 81,
perinteudents, engineers, &c, upon the
public works, ,oiMom being adcertised.
Yet, in defiance of this law, which his Of
fetal oath required him to observe strict
ly, be let and re.let work without adverti-
sing. That he did so was proven inciden-
tally before :he Investigating Committee
of 1889, by WV. b. SULLIVAN, who,
among other facts, testified as follows
81 have known work upon the Canal to
be thrown up day or two before letting,
under MIR. Packer (meaning whilst Pack
er was Superintendent He (Packer)
let me contract for removing building
on section 9, West Branch Canal, uittout
adoertisiny. He also let me a public
bridge on No. 9, but Mr.. Harris, the En-.
gineer, came along, and annulled the
contract, aud gave it to another without
advertising"
Not only did Gen. Packer violate his
official oath whilst Superintendent upon
the North Branch Canal, from 1882 to
1885, but it was also shown in this inves.
, ti0ation. that VICroR f. PIoLErT. his ap-
pointee as Superintendent upon the North
Branch Canal, had an interest in a con
tract, end that, too, during his Superin.
tendency, although the laws Of the Com.
monwea.th expressly forbid it. Indeed,
they imposed the penalty of disability to
hold Office on the public works upon those
who had an interest in all such contracts.
These laws were founded upon the high
est necessities Of public policy. They
we're designed to compel the employees of
the State to keep themselves free from all
jobbing; aud, therefore, from all favorit-
ism in the awarding of contracts. But
for the proof. Moses j. CLARK testi-
fed before the Committee, that Victor E.
PioleH, then Superintendent, ,cas interested
IN contract vih himself" Gen Packer
was present as the defendant in the case
then pending before the committee, heard
this testimony of Mr.. Clark, and yet he
did not have Piolett removed. If We mis-
take not, the public records show that Pi-
olett retained bis Office long after this fact
became known to Gen. Packer, although
be, as Canal Commissioner, knew of the
law prohibiting such official misconduct,
and knew that it was his bounden duty to
remove Piolett.
We appeal to our readers whether we
have not established fairly, by the testi.
rhony Of disinterested parties, that Gen.
Packer, both as Superintendent of the
West Branch, and as Canal Commission
er, did knouinyly violate the written law
Of the land in two several instances? Is
the official violator of law fit person to
elevate to the chief magistracy of a great
Stale like this Oayht a man to be 50 el-
Grated rhose c6fcial career is stained wah
oticidi misconduct?
FURTHER EXPOSTTIOMS!
We have shown that Legislative Com.
mittees Of Investigation, both in 1888 and
in 1889, have had occasion to condemn
Gen. Packer, either by their report, or in
the testimony elected, of gross official
misconduct There was another committee
raised, in 1871, by his political friends,