Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-09-07

tax eaters shall not rob tho tax payers, and
believe everybody acknowledges that to
his administration tho success Of the Re-
form movement il largely due. Tho ex-
posure of Phipps' villany will direct atten.
ton to the fact that the same system Of
plundering has been going on for years at
Harrisburg. Ihave investigated this SUBJ
iect from time to time. and l am we'll
satisfied that by collusion between the
officials on State Capitol Hill and tho con
tractors for supplies there has been extern
sive plunder Of the state treasury. know
q contractor who was caught sOmc years
ago delivering 1, 200 pounds of coal to the
ton to one Of the departments. In station
ary supplies there have been gross frauds.
The Legislatire Record publication has been
accompanied with jobbery and irregularity.
Tho list of supplies furnished to the
Departments is prima .fdeis evidence that
there are immense perquisites for hangers
on around the Hill. The prices paid for
some of them arc enormous, and the char
acter of them indicates that private houses
are furnished and storerOOms and cellars
filled out of the states purchases. The
people arc asking why the state should
buy bay rum and shaving mugs for
senators, and new cuspadOres, chairs,
sofas, curtains, and carpets every
year. The large contingent funds
cover y multitude of sins. BroOms,
buckets, etc., are furnished in quan-
titles sufficient to clean all the
legislative halls in the country. Pastors
and folders are employed in numbers three
times as great as necessary, aud paid SG q
day for the work that they can employ q
sub to do for SO week. Four tons of
soap. COO brooms, and as many more
scrub-brushes, $50 pals and $50 dust
brushes, besides $50 feather dusters-fOr
10 dozen of which $780, so dozen are paid
not to speak of window brushes, long and
short, sweeping brushes and chamOis skins,
ought to keep things from ever falling into
dirt and decay around the departments and
legislative halls. But why should the state
buy backing and shoe brushes, clothes
brushes and hair brushes-at s31.6O per
dozen-nail brushes and hair tOnics, shaw
ing mugs-$45.45 per dozen-fOr state
official What have become of the old
spittoOns. that eighteen dozen of new ones
are contracted for, sOmo to cost $50 per
dozen? The people want to know. They
are going to find out. l can 60 on with .
column catalogue of this sort of pilfering
at Harrisburg. 1t is stealing. and the peO-
pie know it, and they see that the rascals
who have been doing it and are living off it
are Beaver smost ardent supporters. There
IS feeling that PattisOn is the man to stop
this thing. Newspaper artillery and the
defamation of reforiners have proved
unavailing. Even well-dispOsed legisla-
tors do not seem to be proof against the
temptations which are offered them when
the Ring provides ali these creature COM
forts for them. What is needed is an
executive of iron will, honesty of purpose,
and inflexible courage. to clean house at
Harrisburg. The almshOuse exposures
will have a great effect over the state in
directing attention to Pattison as the fit
test man to prosecute similar investiga-
items at tho state capital"