Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1875-07-28
THE SINKIN G Fun D,
PARTIAL REPORT or THE IN
FES7YGATING COMMITTEE
OF THE HOUSE.
THE DIRECT AND INDIRECT pLuNDER OF
THE RING.

THE DIRECT AND INDIRECT pLuNDER Oh
THE RING.
TO HIS Ercellency, John H. HdriranH
Gopraor of he Commonwealth o.
Pennsylvania, andJ r. Temple, Aud
itor General
The committee Of the house ap.
pointed TO investigate the accounts OF
the treasury of the State, beg leave tc
report their proceedings to date. 4
The committee is composed of mem.
bers of the house of representatives,
alone. They were appointed by the
speaker, under a resolution passed in
conformity with a wcll-established par
liamentary practicc-a system gencr-
ally followed by Legislative bodies, and
which, in its practical workings, has
given birth to the most important in.
vestigating committees Of the Con.
gress of the United States The reso-
luton directed that the committee
should have power to send for persons
and papers, should have free access Ia
all books and papers in the Office OF
the treasurer of the State, and have
the assistance Of a clerk and an ac.
countant. After organizing, a MAORI
ty of the committe, with their account
ant, called upon the State Treasurer
at his office, in Harrisburg, and stated
by what authority and for what pur.
pose they had called The State
Treasurer refused TO recognize the
committee, denied that they had any
authority to investigate, and would
not permit their accountant TO even
look at the books or papers. The
members of the committee, as private
citizens or individual members Of the
legislature, he said, might examine the
treasury accounts, with the assistance
Of the clerical force of the depart
ment. This mcagre grant of privi.
lege, the committe felt they had no
right to accept. They were there as
duly authorized representatives of a
branch of the legislative department
OF the government that branch IN
winch alone Is vested the power oil I'M
parchment, as well as the sole power
of devising methods Of taxation. They
felt that they could only act in this
representative capacity ana that py
accedlng 10 the terms Of the state
treasurer they would dlvest them
serves oi their right 10 invoke the
power OF the house, when IN session,
70 open the books and papers to the
inspection OF themselves and their ac-
countant. l w.
Upon this refusal OF the State
Treasurer to permit free and full in
vestigation, the committee might have
rested, conscious that the people OF the
State would not have required the
committee to go further, until the
house rc-asscmbled, its power was in
voked, its dignity maintained, and the
books and papers OF the treas
ury opened to searching and untram-
meled investigation.
But the committee have not given
up the inquiry on which they started.
The best means at their command
have been resorted TO. A vast field,
however, is before them, and mass
Of facts is to be scrutinized embracing
transactions of many years, and inclu-
ding innumerable items, amounting to
many millions of dollars. II, as is al
legged, frauds were perpetrated, no
monuments have been erected to mark
their existence or aid in their discov-
cry. But the committee desire TO
make the investigation thorough, and
IN Law naked every fact that has In IL
H. oc ,,.....;~.. ii i,-l
une uiihto Vi corruption anu uisnohesty'
TO this end they invoke the aid Of any
and all who can name n witness that
sho,Id ho ooIIod or ,,.o,soo,;on
which should he INVESTIGATED
Tn this connection tbe comm;,,ee
call attention 10 ,bo follow;na facts.
Tho omondmon, ,o ,ha cons,;tu,;on
of lsae odontcd IN IssS nrov;dod
that aunless Il cose of war ;nvas;on
or ;nsurrcct;on NO mart Of tbe s;nLinn
Snnd shall be nsod or annl;ed o,her'
wise than IN ,he ex,;ngn;shmon, of
the publio debt until the amount Of
snch doht 10 rodroad holnn, | sha s,n, - y,
Eve miIl;ons Of dollars . 4 s;m;,or nro.
vision was Inserted in tho constitution
of 1s73
These would seem 10 be suf,,c;entlv
nlain a,;d exnl;c;t to nrcvent anv n.
roads unon tbat fpnd Vol on mace
40 of he renort of the STATE Treaspr.
or for Ie75 viii bc fnund th;s entry .
an. .,.,,, ..,.a.,...
under a resolution Of r the Ss r csm.
missioners Of the sinking fund, p p
date May 9Th, 1874, being the
general Ov ' pv.na.o. ,an sIn"" ,Ss SseS c,,e ,s'
ton Of the iund.................. sa,ssr, ,sl1 81
The first use of any part of the
sinking fund revenues for other pur.
poses than the payment of the public
debt appears to have been made about
1866. From that time to 1874. tho
large sum of three millions of dollars