The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-08-16
Official LOOseness.

General Hartranft having been asked
| by the Evans investigation committee
| to give statement of the condition o.
| accounts between Pennsylvania and
George o. Evans, testified as follows
"The claims on file at Washington,
which Mr.. Evans has undertaken to
settle, amount to $3,172,2lS.19; there
were three installments filed in 1862
and 1868, amounting to $4,000, 900 and a
fraction those claims were prepared
and put in q book-ichich is on fie In my
otfce-by Mr.. M'Michael." The book
prepared by Mr.. M'Michael must have
been filed In the auditor generals office
as early as the spring Of 1868 and we
may therefore reasonably assume that
it was in the Office when General Hart
May, 1866. Here, then, was the evi.
unsettled account between the state
and the national government. The fif.
teenth section of the act of 1911 very
plainly prescribes the duty of the audi
tor general in such case. II is in these
words; "The auditor general shall
annually report to the legislature list
of the accounts which remain unsettled,
and the reason therefor"
Why did the auditor general fail to
comply with the requirements of this
law? He does not plead ignorance ot
the condition of the claims filed by
M'Michael2 On the contrary he testi-
ties that he was informed of their con.
dition.
In 1870 General Hartranft himself
gave Evans over million of dollars
worth of claims. OF the condition oi
these claims he was fully cognizant,
but he made no report to the legisla.
ture of 1871, as the law required. Are
we to look forthe reason for this neg.
lect of duty in the fact that the
auditing officer accepted a loan OF
81 900 from the agent about the time
thatsuch report should have been made?
The two circumstances cannot be sep.
arated. In the spring of 1871 the law
required from John F. Hartranft a re.
port to the Legislature of the condition
Of the claims which he had placed in
the hands of Evans one year before,
and about the time that this report
should have been made he accepted
from the agent, who was benefited by
the failure to report, a loan of 81 900,
which he did not repay until that
agents nefarious transactions were
dragged to the light. 1t is fair to assume
tnht the lOau was III ING nature Oh con-
sideration. For $1,000 Auditor General
Hartranft stipulated disobedience to
the law. For $1,000 General Hartranft
conspired with George o. Evans to de.
fraud the state treasury.
And now this same John F. Hart.
ranft Is a candidate for the Office oi
governor. Honest republicans are asked
to vote for him, and about the ears OF
those who have the hardihood to refuse,
the corrupt ring that nominated him
snap the party lash and cry treason
But 1t Is apparent that those who have
"highly resolved" to destroy the ring
do not fear 1t nor the party lash. Charles
II. Buckalew, whose integrity is un.
questioned, whose capacity Is undoubted
and whose fitness in every respect is
conceded, even by his enemies, to be far
superior to that of his opponent, will
receive the votes of many thousands
of honest republicans who regard good
and economical government of much
greater Importance than fealty to q
party whose controlling power is a cor.
rupt ring.-PatriOt.