Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1869-09-01

law OF February I'd, 1867, by whic
the Treasurer was authorized TO r,
, deem the oser due five per cent. loan
and replace them with loan bcarin
six per cent. In this arrangement
the hand Of Governor Geary is pIainl'
seen, for without his consent il coul,
not have been the law.
A loan of more than twenty.thrc
millions OF dollars, bearing interest a
the rate OF five per cent. was transmu
ted, by this operation, into six De
cent, loan, and the amount OF the in
terest payable by the people, which il
1866 was 81 1893, los, was increased il
1867 TO s2,257 ,033, or over $3.50. .0Ol
: of an increase in tho first year. Il
} 1865. we paid sl,S7S,690 in interest
or Se1 900 more than we had TO pa,
in 1866 J he expense of placing til,
new loan paid By the State was nearl,
$4,000, making an aggregate of ovel
half million of dollars paid sine,
1867 to enrich the Treasury ring. All
Of this twenty-three millions of six
per cent. loan is yet to mature upon
II this year aud each succeeding year
until payment, s230,000 more of your
money Than before was necessary
must be paid in interest. These fig
ures are from the official documents.
and the same documents show that
,he State Treasurer had in his hands,
in 1867, AN average monthly balance
of over three aud half millions OF
dollars, and in 1868, his average
monthly balance was over two mil.
lions three hundred thousand dollars.
With these princely revenues ut their
command. what could not the Treasu.
ry ring etfecty Large fortunes flowed
gently into the laps of these shrewd
inanciers and they controlled every
appointment to power and place. No
law could be passed against their will,
and their assistance in legislation was
a guaranty of success. No bill was
ever passed in which these men was
interested that was refused the sigma.
ture Of the Governor, and he never
Initiated fnaoial movement against
their will.
That corruptiug and debasing inhu-
ehccs surround and pervade the ut.
mosphere of the State capital. scarce
needs proof Tho closing hours Of
tue last session Of the legislature were
tull of proofs Of the wealth. the power
and the corrupt purposes of the Treas.
ury ring. aud so vile and base have
we become. and so plainly was the
that the moral sense OF the people WIN
hear me would bcshocked at it's recital
and the outrageous character of the
transaction almost stamps il as false.
hood. The Knowledge that the calm
and intelligent scrutiny Of a capable
aud honest Governor was TO be fas.
tened upon their deeds, and that the
veto power would be exercised in hold.
ing them and their purchased privile-
gos up to the scorn and exccration of
an outraged people, would 20 for to
deter these men from corrupting the
weak and purchasing the corrupt.
The evil is Il terrible reality. 1t con
fronts us in high places aud il saps the
viIals of the State. The remedy rests
with the people alone.
The vast increase in private lerisla.
ton and the many corporate monopo.
lies granted, to tho injury of the peo-
pie, can best te shown ba colnpari
son of different periods
Under the administration of Gov.
crnor Packer, during 1858, 1859, aud
1860, there were passed a total of
of 2,0l9 bills which became laws, or
AN animal average OF 673. During
ls6l, lS65, and 1866, under, Governor
Curtin, there were passed 3,l3l bills
which became laws. or an annual NV.
errgc of l,O44. Whilst during the
sessions Of 1867. 1868, and 1869, Gov.
ernor Gcary's three years, 1859 bills
became laws, showing an annual aver
sEe Of ,ZS3, or nearly double the av.
cragc during Gus rnor 'acke, STERN.
The necessity for special legislation
during the war was Tar greater than
since, aud, the amendment TO the
constitution depriving the legislature
Of power to enact laws In eases in
which the courts have jurisdiction. in
the hands OF firm executive officer,
would have vastly decreased the
amount Of these vicious enactments
Scores Of laws are found upon the
statute books Of 1867, 1865 and 1869,
in which the courts we're vested with
the control ofthe subject yet favoritism
or some other reason, secured the ap-
proval Of the Executive This is the
field, too, in which special privileges
are occurred and in which the peculiar
vocation Of legislative borers is made
profitable, and when il is seen that in
the term of Governor Geary overeight
hundred laws have been enacted grant.
ing charters TO private corporations,
or enlarging the power of those al.
ready granted, their profits may be
estimated and the vice of the system
understood. Twolhirds OF this legis
lation is unnecessary and detrimental
TO the people, and their safety deman-
ded clearly defined policy on this
subject and n rigid adherence there
to by the Executive. General laws
are broken through by sp, cial enact
ment with his consent until the rule
has become the exception. For in.
stance, TO give him patronage, the
general law for the appointment of
notaries, defining their number, has.
in the session of 1863, been again aud
again supplemented, uutil he was YES.
ted, m that single session. with the
power to appoint over one hundred in
addition to those already ia commits
sion. Such practice, multiplyingI
officials, overloads the statute books
aud destroys most salutary rule OF
government that of governing by
general laws rs far ns possible. The
remedy for this mischief was in the
hands of the Executive lie has failed
TO apply IL ard has aided and abetlcd
A lta