Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-01-18
The Annual Plumber.

The annual report of the state treas
urer, showing how the state collects and
disburses some seven million dollars an.
nually, is document of great length and
of more than correspondingly great III
terest, though necessarily of not sutfi.
cient length to set forth i'm detail all the
minor expenditures which are classified
under the comprehensive subjects OF
t. expenses of government, public
grounds and buildings,''' House . and
= Senate,' and that wide-reaching term
" miscellaneous The other leading
items of expenditures are explicit
enough to at least reveal the character
if not the propriety of them, but tie
general classes we have specified, it is
readily to he seen, may cover a
multitude of sins. The Judges are
al expensive luxury and the Ma
tional Guard likewise the schools
get no more then their share of the pub
lie moneys and likely only small part
of the appropriations for charities is
stolen. The public printing and bind
ing cost S2SS ,637.29, exclusive of S23,-
S5i.1O spent on the Legislature Record,
most of which is swindle on the state,
as the contractor fails to comply with his
obligation, and renders his publication
worthless by his breach Of contract and
his claim for pay against the state in
valid. $4,000 interest on agricultural
college land scrip fund is another healthy
item.
But it is in the classes of expenditures
we have singled out for special animad-
version that appear most boldly, the
reasons for suspicion of fraud and wrong
doing and the state treasurer'S report
is made up in such wonderful system
of classification that it has to be searched
all through to find the different jobs
which play the harlequin first under one
head and then under the other; g sup
plies and contracts House" and
"Senate' are some of the titles in which
they appear. In general terms they sug-
gest the pilfering which has been go
ing on " on the hill'' for years, and if
the bills on file could be examined in
detail they would no doubt strongly
confirm this suspicion. II is safe TO say
that three-fourths of the money of which
the expenditure is entrusted to the dis
cretion of state officials at Harrisburg,
is virtually stolen or wasted, to give job
bers big profit at the states expense.
That notorious rooster, Harry Huhn,
chief clerk Of the House, drew S3,972
compensation, and, besides this, Sc, ,696.27
for " contingent expenses" SlS7.H for
" locks, shelving, &c." s1,60s.s4 for
REPAIRS" Sl0l.47 for ventilation, locks,
&c. {; $4,000 for incidental expenses, $500
for "indexes to.jOurnal." and 500 for
expert on ventilation. How much of |
that total SlO,S43.99, draw 10y HUM,
besides his " compensation, was honest
ly spent for necessaries, may be inferred
by those who know the character of the
man who handled the money. Surely
the subject needs g ventilation.'' and
the treasury ought to have '' locks
against such raids and such raiders.
That graceless scamp, Sam Adams,
who has infested Harrisburg for years
and whose bills for supplies have been
scandal almost time out of mind, drew
8, .lS for carpets, rugs, &c. :; sI45.I5
'or hair cloth chairs S3lS for "a: seat
For the lobby - $377.9O for furniture for
''""s" and S1O7.s5 for furnishing hall
rooms. E. W. Chellis
ina lump bill OF ST. 1885,
for departments. Sen
clerk of House, S. Bovd
$50 for repairs. w. M.
asa supply man. draws
Ilpplics - and 81, SSG.74
opn,&, dc. J. J. Oglesby