Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-01-05

lishlnG oil his Ofhco as 4 matter OF lntOrma-
tion, gave brief statement Of the Origi-
nal powers of the Office, and traced the
gradual encroachmcnts on these powers
down to the present time.
ME. CONES STATEMENT.
Why Ilo Declined to Do sworn In as Senator
HARRISBURG, Jan. 40 my Constitu-
emts: ldccm it my duty to state to you
simply and clearly the reason which force
me to refuse to take tho oath prescribed
by the constitution rs i necessary prc-re-
quisitc to entering upon iny duties as sen.
atOr, knowing as do that this refusal for
fc;ts my seat. Tho required oath is: II
do SOlcmnly swear or affirm that | will
support. obey and defend tho constitution
| OF tho United States and the constitution
of this commonwealth, and that will dis
charge tho duties Of my Office with fidelity;
that | have not paid, Or contributed, or
promised to pay or contribute, either di-
rcctly or indirectly, any money or valuable
thing to procure my nomination or cleo
tion or appointment, except for necessary
and proper expenses expressly authorized
10y law that have not knowingly violated
any election law Of this commonwealth or
procured it to bc done by others in my be-
half that l will not knowingly receive,
directly or Indirectly, any moneys or valu-
able thing for tho performance or nolI- per-
formance of any act or duty pertaining to
my Office, other than tho compensation al
lowed by law
Tho words to which object are eek
prcssly authorized by law" A law ell
titled can act to define the necessary and
proper expenses incident to the nOmina-
ton and election Of senators, representa-
tives, state, judicial, municipal and county
officers, and to authorize tho payment
thereof" was passed in 1874. and in the
only necessary expenses are defined to be
first. A.-For printing and travelling
expenses second. For dissemination OF
information to the public third. For po-
| litical meetings and conventions. The fore
| going expenses may DO incurred either in
person or through other individuals or
committees Of organizations duly consti
tuted for the purpose, but nothing con
i tained in the act shall be SO construed as
to authorize the payment of money or
| other valuable thing for the vote, or influ-
cnce of any elector. did not lay out ono
| dollar to procure my nomination. On the
contrary, I was anxious not to be nomin-
ated, but after receiving the nomination
spent money willingly and literally, not
only for my own election, but also for that
| of the whole ticket.
| In fact, l felt much more interested in
| the success Of the other Democratic can.
| didates than in my own. The expendi-
lures may he classed under the following
heads:
A.-Political assessments and contribu-
tions (this included my assessments by the
<>e
wanna, and contributions to several legis.
lative district committees.
a large portion Of this money l know
was expended for the payment of taxes
and clerk hire, prothOnotary's fees and
other expenses necessary to procure the
naturalization of large lumber of per-
sons rs, in consequence Of the existence
of the Grccnback- Labor Reform party, no
Democratic naturalizatiOns had taken
place for several years. Neither Of these
arc expenses expressly authorized by law.
B-Prntins, advertising, newspaper ar
ticles, getting up and distributing the
latter, including postage. C-POlitical
meetings and demonstrations, including
the travelling expenses Of 4 large number
of men and clerks who were carried by
railroad to meetings in all parts Of Lu-
zerne county. For Il and c spent
very large amount Of money, but as both
arc expressly authorized by law, shall
refer to them no farther.
D-A large number of men, most of
whom arc employees of Coke Bros. s. Co.,
were sent to nearly every part of my dis
trict for the purpose of presenting my
claims to the workingmen, and meeting
the objections that were made to me
that was = coal operator, and that conse-
quently no wOrkingmcn should vote for
me. These men were anxious for my elec-
tion, and glad to get work. |, of course,
paid them for the time they lost at their
work, and for their expenses. This cost a
large amount of money but is expressly
authorized by law under the head of dis.
scminat;on of information.
E-I paid personally small amount for
tax receipts. This is not expressly author
lied by law.
F-As election day approached became
satisfied by my own observations, and
from information received which l consid-
all the polls should he carefully looked
after, both before and during the election.
There are about les election districts in
my territory, some of which required very
careful watching and thoughtful, consid-
crate men had to be employed to sec after
the window books: to attend to the dis
tribution Of the tickets to the voters
challenging to bring out the entire Dem.
ocratic vote to prevent the other side
from getting more than theirs; to look
after the Grccnback vote to sec that the
tickets were straight, etc. I found also that
men who understand their business, and
would stick to it all day without giving
up, could not Ee depended upon to do it
out of patriotism that, on the contrary,
they expected to be paid for it, as they had
a right to do. Work not paid for in poll
tics, rs in business, is unreliable.
| was informed before election that
tickets with my name misspelt or omitted |
altogether, or with another name substitu- !
tea, would be in circulation in some places
that the regular Democratic tickets were |
Or would be in the hands of the opposi. |
ton in other places that, in political |
par!ance, "jobs - were being set up on me
ut certain points, etc.
Believing that where there was so much
smoke, there was probably some fire, I
provided, as we'll as could, that every one
who wished to vote the straight Demo-
cratic ticket, or for me, would have u
chance to do SO without difficulty. This
involved heavy Outlays, many Of which
would come under the head of dissemina-
ton of information, but some of which are
not expenses "expressly authorized by
law"
G.-I spent certain amount in travel
ING about myself (authorized as travelling