The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1867-11-21
THE POOR HOUSE.

TO the following communication upon this
subject from Mr. A. D. Criste, holding
that any citizen has right to be heard
touching the conduct Of our Poor House
Directors, or any other officials. We
know nothing of the merits of the contro-
yersy, and any person feeling himself
aggrieved is welcome to our columns for a
reply. There is one grave mistake, not
TO call it by harsher name, in Mr..
Criste's paper. Speaking Of Henry Byrne,
Esq, he says, "At whose command he
thus evaded his sworn duty, you, sir, well
know" We know no such thing. That
remark, Mr. Cristc, is entirely gratuitous,
We have not spoken ten words with Mr..
Byrne since his election, and have been
equally distant with Mr.. Daley and Mr.
Orris. We have no pleasure in local
fights, and, least of all, do we wish to get
iato the poor house with them. But to the
communication
MUNSTER, Nov. Is, 1867.
r. L. JOHNSTON, ESQ. -Decu' Sir: [
propose, with your kind permission,
through the columns of your paper, to say
few words concerning the treatment
which | have received lately at the hands
Of the Directors of the Poor Cf Cambria
county On the 29Ih of September last
the Board of Directors met at the Poor
! House and appointed me Steward OF that
/ institution. Since the House has been
| opened the appointment of officers was
/ always made at the September meeting.
| Well, on Monday, Oct. 28th, the Board
met at the Poor House, and after reading
/ the minutes of the previous meeting, Mr..
! Bycue said Il move to set these appoint
ments aside" Mr.. Thomas 81 second
the motion" Now these men had legal
right to 90 this, and have the same
right to deal with them with just as little
GER nony. shall 20 SO al 8elTatina.
Mr.. Byrne, who proposed this outrage,
is the same person who was elected TO his
office in reward 70? his : rgiccs in Canada
during the late war. This may be ex>
cused, being the effect Of constitutional
defect for which man Is not strictly ac-
countable. But there is a moral coward
ice which neither the laws OF God or man
viii excuse, which deters men from per-
forming their sworn duties when there is
danger of giving offence to some one to
whom they owe some little political favor,
which strikes down the integrity of men
when opportunity offers to profit by dis
| honest gain.
A great deal las been lately said by
MIR. Byrne's friends in Ebensburg about
h honesty. Is ne an honest man, or is
he the moral coward above described
Let US see. He was elected ostensibiy to
put things right about the Poor House
Very we'll He was scarcely warm in his
place of honor until, at his instance,
visit was made by the entire Board to
Johnstown. On this occasion ALI expen-
ses were paid by the county. The party
went upon a regular spree. They did,
L believe, hire Il Doc;or-nothing more
Mr Byrne came next day to the Poor
House and coolIy issued an order in his
own favor for the sum Of ten doLg'S-a
small sum, but the principle is the thing
An arrangement was made to meet
again during the next week, at least Byrne
said so. One evening during the ensuing
week he arrived az the Poor House and
ordered out the team to go to the Station
TO meet some friends, as he said The
friends arrived, and after spending the
night one of them presented bill to the
| Board tor something over forty Gollu;S.
An officer Of the House took Mr.. rByrne
out Of the office, and told him he did not
believe the bill was just, and warned him
not TO pay it. ooh - says Mr. Byrne,
don't be uneasy, l will never sign it
Mr.. Byrne and the person who presented
tie bill then started together TO town
What passed on the way is known only
to themselves, but before many days hIr.
Byrne returned TO the Poor House and
signed an order for the bill, without in
quIry. His moral cowardice was further
displayed by his absenting himself from
the regular meetings of the Board, in
August and September, thus ncglecting
duties which he had sworn to perform.
His attendance, l am informed, has
since been ample At whose command
he thus evaded his sworn duties, you, sir,
well know. In the face of these charges.
which l dare Mr.. Byrnc 10 deny Gf he
denies them access to the books Of the Poor
House, Il refused ,oW be entorced,) will
lie continue to occupy the Office Which he
has thus disgraced If he docs, l.e ex-
hibits degree Of moral lurptul, Of which
political depravity exhibits few parallels
Had one such charge been made against
me, and substantiated, as the above can
be, would have quietly wilted under the
lndisnity which has been perpetrated upon
me, and would have been perpetually si~
lent. On the contrary, no pretex; what
ever was offered for this high handed act.
Twas not even alleged that my family
was large, expensive and idle neither
was 1t asserted that l was a gambler, in
temperate or lazy Buf when II ,yoe s,,,