The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-10-03
Job6ing ,otth the Public Money.

,JOb6i1,0 1Oith the PuGIic Money.
There are still a good many honest peo-
pie in Pennsylvania who in their simple
and confiding natures persist IN believing
that the affairs of the State treasury are
conducted in strict accordance with the
/ laws, and with due regard for the public
interests All the facts that have been
spread before them for the last ten years
have failed to convince them that the mon
ey of the treasury has been habitually used
for the purposes of private speculation and
political corruption. When forced upon
their attention they complacently read the
August report of the Sinking Fund, and
are pleased to find that reduction of
half million has been made in the public
debt without seeing the proof in the report
itself that the debt should have been re-
duced to the extent of a million more, in
stead of being retained in the ''unex-
pended balance" as the banking capital
for the financial speculations of the State
Treasurer and his ring. These people will
not be convinced of the corrupt maEage-
ment of the public money because they
/ Wilfully close their eyes to the proofs that
! are living thick all around them. To look
the truth steadily in the face would COM
| pei them to give up their faith in the in
| tegrity and patriotism of too many of their
! trusted leaders, and that would cause a
shock which their feeble natures could not
| withstand. Conscience might compel them
| for once to abandon party for the sake of
/ the State.
1t is useless to remind these people of
! that financial transaction by which State
! Treasurer Macl1ey lost $50, 900 of the pub
! lie money deposited for purposes of specu-
! lation with Charles II. Yerkes & Co. 1t is
| true the public has the assurance of the
! Treasurer that the loss was made good to
! the State, and with two millions, more or
less, of an unexpended balance in steady
employment, at fair interest, this was not
difficult to do. OF the epistolary litera-
ture, with which the history of the State
! Treasury abounds, the following letter has
/ already become almost forgotten:
"AUDITOR GENERALS OFFICE, HAK-
RISBUEG, Dec. 81, 1871 Dear YerkeS: Cal
/ houn telegraphed me to-day for money, and
! / had to give a check for $500, which he
will present to You tomorrow (22d). cam
not avoid this. L met Mackey here on Mon
| day. He went west IN She afternoon, and
| will not return until Monday L did not
! like to ask him again, but / did not think
! Calhoun would want any money soon. L
will see you on Saturday, and whatever you
want done L will do. l will meet Maclley
| here on Monday, and whatever is necessary
/ l will ask him to do.
| "YourS, most truly,
-. +. HARTRANFT.
| "P. S.-Win lift Calhoun's check on Sat
| urday, and give you certificate of deposit TO
/ that amount. j. F. H."
/ This letter is not reproduced to revive a
scandal which humiliated people would
/ gladly dismiss forever from their memo
ries, but to afford another illustration of
the uses which are made of the money in
the Treasury of Pennsylvania. So far as
| its author is concerned, this letter, the
| photograph of which was flashed N the
faces of the people year ago, shows that
/ he was making use of the money of both
State and National Treasury. He had at
the same time share of the funds en-
trusted to Pension Agent Calhoun for the
payment of the annuitieS to soldiers
widows and orphans, and a share of the
unexPended balance belonging to the
/ Treasury of Pennsylvania-to say nothing
of the loan made by Geo. o. Evans.
But it is quite enough for the present pur-
pose to show how the Treasury is managed
by the official who asks the people TO go to
! the ballot box and continue him in his re-
! sponsible position for another term of two
years If they propose TO deliberately
maintain corrupt and cOrTupting system
of administering public money, which has
no parallel in financial management, they
will elect him.
! When the writer of this Calhoun letter
was a candidate for Governor of Pennsyi-
vania many good citizens soothed their un-
quiet consciences with the excuse that it
was necessary to elect Hartranft in order
| to ensure the election of Grant. The life
of the nation was to be saved for yet an
other time, and they must do evil, there
fore, that good might come of it. Every
| Republican who expressed purpose to
vote for BuCkalew was denounced as an
enemy of Grant and Il traitor to the party
In this way the public conscience was
stified. The refractory were driven into
line, and the Philadelphia repeaters and
ballot-boX suffers completed the work
But what plea will now be urged III behalf
of the ring candidate for State Treasurer?
Grant is President, and the life of the ma
tion is not to be saved again for three years
to come. A majority of one hundred thou
sand and upwards, of the people of Penn
| sylvania, have declared at the ballot-box
that the management of the Treasury
must be reformed. The Republican poll
ticians have responded by placing in nomi-
nation for Treasurer the very official ag ainst
whom was directed the amendment to the
I constitution making the state Treasurer
elective by popular suffrage. Was this
| amendment the mere capricious whim of
an unthinking and irresponsible mob, or
WAS it the solemn act of a free and intelli-
gent people? The election in October will
go far to determine this question. In the
meantime let us appeal to those good peo-
! pie OF Pennsylvania who have made so
! many sacrifices of feeling to save the ma
ton to come up this one time and try their
hands at saving the State. te.-HOtkidays6u
/ Standard.
! THE Lancaster Express Republican) de-
/ ClneS to support Mackev for State TreoS