Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-03-21
t1ster fnteuigellfer.
aigbee and Cexe.


= ~ must be something lacking in
nner Of keeping the records of the
S orphans schools of this state,
~ the department Of the govern
which has charge Of them, il the
fGB Of the pupils admitted to them
ming the life time of their fathers,
80 the law permitting such admissions
ut into f0rce," cannot be supplied to
. legislative committee without the
lxput1e that has arisen between State
fotor Coke and State Superintendent
(Sbee over this matter. The sena
- with praiseworthy purpose,
M q foot an inquiry to determine how
10y children were enjoying this bounty
q the state whose parents were not
Institute, as the law contemplates. OBJ
S1ouSly he took the proper way to get at
this by calling for the names of all the
xhildren admitted under the special
xEivileges of the later laws, so that the
undeeerving could be sifted out upon
INSPECTION of the list. The state super
3ntendent replied that there were 12,3Ol
admissions in all and that it would take
oix months time at the lowest estimate
10 prepare answers to the eight specifi-
cations required as to each Of them. He
added, however, Z" all these data are on
de in this Office, and the committee can
have free access to these files and ascer-
tain every particular specified
Not to be diverted from nor deferred
In his Inquiries by such considerations,
Mr.. Coke employed clerks on his own
xesponsibility to abstract this data, and
while engaged in it they were halted by
DR.. Higbee, who inf0rmsthe Coke com
mittee that while the papers of his
ofice relating to soldiers orphans
schools are ready for the free use and
full inspection of the committee of in
vestigation, he did not intend to con-
vey the meaning that irresponsible clerks
should be sent into the department to
take charge of the papers and make such
comments upon the same and the depart
ment itself as they might deem fit. He
therefore, again writes, asking that
said clerks return our papers, and also
that until further action Of the commit
tee, he shall be under the necessity of
not allowing said clerks to handle the
papers of his Office" Senator Coke very
properly brings the matter to the atten-
t;on of the Senate, which directed the
committee to proceed with the investi
cation and, as it has the power to send
for persons and papers, no member of
the state government, nor head of any
department can withhold from it the
public records, which are open to all the
coordinate branches of the state gov.
ernment and all citizens of the common
wealth.
There seems to be 70 allegation that
the persons employed by the COM
mittee have done any injury to the rec
ortls, and the committee itself must be
responsible for them if they do. The
intimation that such persons have
ssmade comments" on the records of the
department does not justify the reluct-
ance of the department to let them make
the copies desired, for it is obvious the
right to freely express an opinion about
public records is of as sacred constitu
tional guarantee as the right to examine
them. But, irrespective of the unex-
planned sensitiveness of the department
to an examination of its records, it is
inexplicable that the information desired
could not be promptly furnished by the
department itself. 1t might be reasona
bly, supposed that if the names of all the
soldiers orphans, with the dates and
conditions of their admission, we're not
on file, Systematically arranged in the
department, each school at least would
nave its own and be able to supply them
on six hours notice. The state depart
ments should all be so conducted that
this kind of data would be forthcoming
at short call.