Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1872-03-06
Letter from Harrisburg.
uAnR1sprre. March 4, 1872.


ment. There are degrees of all the vices
and virtues known to man, so there are
degrees in demagoguery; there is
small demagogue who appeals to the pas
sions of the ward meeting, and there is
the larger demagogue who, for selfish
purposes, advocates what he does not be-
lieve, in a Congressional district, or in
State 1t seems to have remained, how
ever, for Messrs Sumner and Schurz to
sound the lowest depths of this vilest Of
arts in the proposition which the latter
instigated and the former fathered in the
United States Senate few days ago
Your readers are already familiar with
the facts involved in and elected by the
Schurz-Sumner resolutions. They have
observed to very little purpose if they have
not detected, as the animus of the whole
matter. desire to degrade certain mem
bers of the present administration, even
at the expense of complications with for
eign governments. A vulgar proverb
calls that a mean bird that would be-
foul its own nest, and the people will con-
cede that they must be mean Senators
who would be the first to bring charges
against their own country.
The "Evans Embezzlemcnt" question
at this capitol has assumed many of the
features of the Schurz- Sumner resolu-
iion. General Hartranft, the Auditing
Officer, and Mr.. Mackey, State Treasurer
of this commonwealth, believed that G..
0. Evans, State Agent, and his partners,
had two hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars of the peoples money, and they in
their official capacity have honestly en-
deavored to obtain it from them. Upon
the refusal of those offices to settle with
Mr.. Evans as he desired they should, or
to aid him in his great raid upon the
treasure, he tried the effects of bribe
but to no purposes The Legislature met
and committee of investigation is ap-
pointed by that body. Now the embez-
ling syndicate" fear they will get what
they don't want-justice-and they
bring here set of resolutions embracing
charges of grave nature against the
Auditor General, the State Treasurer, and
a distinguished Office of great Pennsyl-
vania corporation. Everybody here is
acquainted with the history of these
resolutions They were go evidently
gotten up to frighten off the officials
trom the prosecution of the Evan, inves-
tigation, that not single member of the
Legislature of either political faith would
touch them, and they would never have
had public notice--had they not appeared
in the New York Tribune of the 2S,h of
February, dished up in manner that
clearly indicated that his whole purpose
was to injure Auditor General Hartranft
as a candidate for Governor, and to COM
pei him and the State Treasurer to can
eel the claim against Evans. 1t is gen.
orally believed here that article in the
Tribune WAS inspired by l.. w. Hall,
whose brother in-law, T. Jordan. is also
candidate for Governor. AS the charges
contained in them are asserted to have
occurred in the early part of lS7O-more
than two years ago-theirappearance at this
time, just on the eve of tha State Conven-
ton, make their object easily understood
General Hartranft and Mr.. Mackey have
demanded an Investigation, the report
of which. when published, will correct
some erroneous impressions Those who
make such charges always have the ae-
vantage of compelling an investigation,
lest the refusal to make it be construed
as an admission of guilt. The people,
however, will remember the investigators
and authors of it. and give them most
unenviable immortality of infamy for it
The day after the charges were made
against Gen. Haitranft. tie House took
up tho bill to regulate the manner in
which the vacancy should be filled in the
Auditor General office, caused by the
death of DIR. Stanton. The bill was so
amended as to require General Hartranft
to hold over until the first of December
next, and provides for the election of his
successor at the regular annual October
election. 1t passed the House unani
mously and will no doubt pass the Senate.
This shows how little people here credit
any OF The charges made against the
present incumbent of that office.
The amount of labor to be performed
by the next State Convention will ex-
ceed that of any convention that has met
in this State for years 1t will devolve
upon them to nominate candidates for
Governor. Auditor General, Supreme
Judge, and Electoral ticket and delegates
to the National Convention and if the
Convention bill passes in
its present shape, and the bill to increase
the Judges of the Supreme Court, they
will have thirty three delegates to the
Convention and two ad
ditional judges to nominate.
The apportionment Committee on Con-
gressional Districts have had but one
meeting. Nearly every member and
Senator has a draft of the district he
wants for himself. but seems to have for
gotten that any one else should have a
district YOur corresnopdant h., 49,.