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

The Camerous Il use the term to
cover big ring) are now moro anxious
than over they were to hold the Audi
tor. Generals Office aud the State Treas
ury, while the possession OF II UOvcrnOr
for the next thrco years IL of Imperative
Importance. Let me give you the situa'
tion: First. Tho Camcrous now own
and control the State Treasurer. They
are his principal bondsmen, and reap
tho largoet portion OF the aggregate OF
gains secured by banking with the funds
of the commonwealth. Directly and in
directly, Simon Cameron, his son
Donald, and his brother William, are
| the principal shareholders in a bank
respectively ut Lewisburg, g,Northumber.
land, Harrisburg, Middletown, West
| Chester, Lancaster, Lebanon, and Read
ing. The banks at Harrisburg and Mid.
dletown are controlled by the Camerons,
| Donald being a paid officer In each,
| while the others do his work. These
banks havedeposits ofState funds aggro.
eating at least 100000. All checks for
small amounts of money paid by the
State Treasurer are drawn on the Cam
eron bank here. You can see by these
facts why the Camerons are so anxious
to have Hartranft elected Governor.
The Secretary of the Commonwealth Is
a member, in conjunction with the state
Treasurer, and Auditor General, OF the
Sinking fund Commissioners. Thnt ;,t
office, in case Hartranft is elected, will
be dictated by Cameron, and then, with
, an Auditor-G General in their interest,
and Treasurer whose election they can
purchase, the resources In the sinking
J | fund remain within their grasp and use.
For this reason the last Legislature was
manipulated to prevent Geary from ap,
pointing an Auditor General who might
have been inimical to Cameron's in
terests, and therefore, to cover up long
, secreted series of stupcndous frauds,
Hartranft's time of Office was extended.
Senator Billingfelt, at the time this was
: done, pleaded in vain to let little ray
RI of light penetrate into the Treasury,
which was not done. That would have
! been fatal, for the reason--Second. The
, Camerons are State Treasurer Mackey's
principal bondsmen. By Philadelphia
brokers' failure Mr.. Mackey lost frac-
, tion less than one hundred thousand
dollars. He is poor man. But his loss
, had to be made up. How was this to be
, done? Not by the Camerons. Hence
Mackey opens check on q Pittsburg
: bank for the amount lost by the failure
of the Philadelphia broker, which check
was never cashed, but deposited in the
vaults of the Treasury, where 1t yet re.
, mains, with innumerable other similar
papers, all counted as cash, when they
are really not worth a farthing more
Q than their weight on the ragman's
scales. The vault of the State Treasury
is the most polluted locality in the
, State government, and in its dark and
impenetrable recesses there are more
frauds hidden than those which damned
the Tammany Ring of New York, all
of which the Camerons are resolutely
determined shall not be exposed. II
o they can get Mackey's accounts sealed
+ at the expiration of his present term
and his vault accounts turned over as
cash to his successor, whoever that may
be, it will ease the CamerOns not less
than one hundred thousand dollars, ,and
D for aught L now know, 1t may save
q them from paying double that sum. Ii
1t strange, then, that the Camerons
fight for the control of the Auditor
Generals Office and the State Treasury
With halfa million of outstanding capi
tai in favor of the State in their control
and with quarter of a million of re.
spOnsibility in the vault of the Treasury
it is not surprising that they struggle tc
Q keep the eAuditOriunder their thumb, tC
carry the State Treasury in their pock
y ct, and to elect Governor whom they
4 can lead by the ear.-PreSs