Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-14
THE BIG TREASURY HOLE
Couldn't Have Been Made by Bards-
ley Without Boyer and
McCamant.
AMOUNT OF THE DEFALCATION.
The Charges Made Against the Delinquent
Tax COnspiratOrS.
PARTISAysHIP NOT TO BE REGARDED


the full text of Governor PattisoH's messag
sent to the extra session of the Senate to
day:
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT OF THE Com
MONwEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA,
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR,
HARRISBURG, PA, Oct. 13 1891.
To the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsyl
Nania:
GENTLENEN-By virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution L have
convened you in extraordinary session by
proclamation for the transaction of execu
tive business. In my Judgment conditions
exist in the Commonwealth to warrant and
require the exercise of this power. The
Constitution provides that all officers elected
bv the people, other than some especially
excepted, shall be removed by the Governor
for reasonable cause, after due notice and
full hearing, on the address of two-thirds OF
the Senate. Having convened you In order
to give you an opportunity to take appro-
pirate action, under your constitutional
powers, with relation to the alleged mis-
conduct of the heads of two departments OF
the State Government as well as of other
elective officers, deem it my duty to briefly
review the course of events which have led
to the call for this session of the Senate,
and to refer YOU to such sources as 1 know
Of for further information.
On or about MAY p, 1891 John Bardsley,
Treasurer of the city and county of Phila-
delphia. elected in 1885, and whose term
would not have expired until the end of the
present year, practically retired from the
active discharge of the duties of his Office,
and rendered his resignation of the same, to
take effect May 80. 1t was soon disclosed
that very large sums of money which he had
from time to time collected for the Com
monwealth of Pennsylvania had not been
paid over by him, and that no adequate Sc
curity for the same existed or had ever been
given to the State.
INVESTIGATING COMMITTEES.
For the several months succeeding the re-
tirement of John Bardslev from his Office,
various investigations have beer in progress
with a view to ascertain the character and
extent of his malfeasance, the complicated
transactions in which he was engaged, using
the public moneys for private speculation
and other unlawful personal purposes; and
TO discover, if possible, the connection and
completely of other persons, official or pri-
vate, in his illegal and criminal acts One
of these investigations is being conducted
by committee of the Councils of Phila-
delphis, and another is in charge of experts,
duly appointed and acting under the author
itv of The Mayor of Philadelphia Repre-
sentatives of the Treasury Department of
the United States have been engaged, for
many weeks, in examining the books
of at least two of the national
banks in which John Bardsley de-
posted city and State funds. A commits
sion, assisted by expert accountants, of nv
own appointment, has likewise been en-
gagged in investigating the accounts of John
Bardsley with the banks and has been in
quiring generally into the relations of the
accounts of John Bardsley with the Com
monwealth and his transactions with its
moneys. The present Treasurer of Phila-
delphia city and county is also actively and
earnestly engaged in investigating the prac-
tices and in uncovering the abuses which
have prevailed in the former administrations
Of his office, especially touching It's rela-
tions to the Commonwealth.
Criminal prosecutions were begun against
John Bardsley bv the District Attorney of
Philadelphia, and terminated with his plea
of guilty and sentence to 15 years imprison-
ment in the Eastern Penitentiarv for the
conversion of public moneys TO his own use
and for lOaning them for interest.
REFUSED TO TESTIFY.
In a preliminary hearing before two
Judges Of the courts of Philadelphia, con-
Quoted by the District Attorney of that
county, John Bardsley was called as wit
ness to testify to his relations with the
State officials whose duty it was to require
from him an accounting for and payment of
the money collected by him for the Com
mOnwealth. He persistentlv and defiantly
refused TO testify, whereupon it was held bv
the Court and by the District Attorney that
no warrant for the arrest of the State Off
cials could, under the circumstances, prop
erlv issue.
AT that hearing, and subsequently, large
number of letters were produced, substan-
tally admitted to be genuine, written TO
John Bardsley by officers of the Common
wealth, whose duty under the law it was to
have required accounting for and payment
TO the Commonwealth of the public moneys
coming into his hands
A Joint committee of the two branches of
the Legislature, appointed January 10, 1891,
authorized to inquire into the administra-
tion Of the Offices of Auditor General and
State Treasurer, and instructed to report to
the Executive at the earliest time possible,
has held sessions from time to time since
the adjournment of the Legislature and the
evidence which it has taken will be accessi- |
hle to you, l assume
Hon. George S. Graham, District Attor- |
ney, Of Philadelphia county, and Hon. f. |
). Stuart, Mayor of Philadelphia; Francis |
j. Reeves, chairman of the commission ap- |
pointed by the Executive of the Common |
wealth, and Mr.. William Van Osten, chair |
man Of the committee of Councils, have |
freely offered TO furnish all the evidence in |
their possession bearing on the subject of |
the present inquiry.
BARDSLEY'S USE OF PUBLIC MONEYS.
From these various sources of informa- |
tion it appears to be the undisputed fact |
Il. I L.
Bardslev was permitted 10 retain and to |
Use a very large amount of money collected !
for and payable into the State Treasury, for
which he was neither made, nor was ever
called upon and required to make, the ac-
count directed by law. For the collection
Of the moneys so retained by him no such
legal steps were ever taken as are manda-
torv upon the State Treasurer and Auditor.
General, and he is shown to have embez-
lied them to the. amount Of more than
s., ,2J0, 000
The memoranda and entriesTmade in his
books at the time by John Bardsley, and
when he had no apparent reason to expect
public disclosure or adverse use of them,
Indicate that apart from the salary, fees and
of his Office, to which he was
entitled by law, he made as interest, diyi-
lends and bribes nearly $1,000 The
yreater part of this was paid to him for the
use of the State moneys which he was al
owed to retain in his possession, and for
ais exercise and abuse of powers in associa-
ion with and under the control of the
Auditing and Fiscal Departments Of the
State.
The stubs of his check book and the en-
ries upon his private memoranda, made at
he time, show that he paid to a clerk of the
Auditor Generals office one-half share of