Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1891-10-01

The Governors Proclamation.
Governor Pattison, acting in the dis
charge of what he conceived to be his
duty, TO "take care that the laws be
faithfully executed" and in accordance
with the provisions of the Constitution
which he construed properly, on Satur
! day made proclamation calling the Senate
OF the commonwealth to meet in extra
ordinary session on the 18th day Of
october next ensuing, for the purpose ot
making ''diligent inquiry" into certain
grave charges" with respect to the
official conduct of the Auditor General
and the State Treasurer, to the end that
it may be formally ascertained whether
reasonable cause" can be shown fol
the removal of these officials, "after due
notice and full hearing on the address
of two-thirds of the Senate" When
| District Attorney Graham made public
| the Bardsley (McCamant and Livsey)
correspondence, last week, he not only
demonstrated his just appreciation of
his own duty to the public, but he made
it an imperative necessity for the Cover
nor of the Commonwealth to take up the
lines of duty where he laid them down,
and to carry them to the remotest ac-
Pattison was required by his obligations
to his great constituency to do what he
has done. He was similarly required
by the Constitution, which told him how
he was to do it, to do what he has done.
This cannot be made too clear to the
general understanding, as already it has
been limited, not only by those who are
directly interested, in advance, to dis
credit of ,ie
motives, but by some partisan journals,
that he was led by political considera-
tions to convene the Senate in extraordi-
nary session for the purpose set forth in
his proclamation.
These insinuations of an unworthy
motive are more likely to hurt their
authors and the Republican party than
the Governor, whose entire official re-
cord as Chief Magistrate of this Com
monwealth is so clear as to be read
Alright by all men of fair minds. Every
circumstance revealed by the Bardsley-
McCamant-Livsey correspondence was
separate force which urged, or compelled,
the Governor in respect to his convictions
of what was his simple, inevitable duty
to ascertain the truth of the grave charges
publicly made against the administration
of the offices of the Auditor General and
the State Treasurer That correspon-
dence revealed conditions recently pre-
valllng in the two Offices named which
render necessary the most exhaustive
inquiry by the Senate. The extraordi-
nary session has been properly called
and the District Attorney of Philadel-
phia and the Governor of PENNSYLVANIA
having done their duty in the premises,
the Senate, with like high sense of public
duty, with like courage and with like
regard for the ascertainment of the
truth, and the whole of it, without regard
TO what party or what persons may be
hurt by 1t, must do its duty.
The public wants to know the top and
bottom, the length and breadth of the
official maladministratio which has not
only plundered State and city, but which
has covered both with disgrace. The
public's demand is very simple one-it
is that no innocent person shall lie under
suspicion of wrong doing, and that nc
guilty person shall escape the penalty OF
his offences. The responsibility for the
entire matter has now by the action OF
the Governor been placed upon the
shoulders of the Senate. That BODY is
of the same party as are the officers OF
the Commonwealth against whom these
grave charges rest. But it is not to be
assumed that, under existing circum-
stances and in the present state of the
public mind, the majority of the Senate
will, in disregard of what it owes to
itself, its party and the community, fail
to realize general expectation by making
its investigation of the acts of the Audi
tor General and the State Treasurer any,
thing but satisfactory to the entire body
OF the people whose servant it is. If it
would serve its party best, it will by an
open, fearless and exhaustive investiga-
tion of the implicated officials conduct.
establish their guilt. If they are inno-
cent the party will be relieved from all
responsibility for wrongdoing which two
OF its official representatives have in
directly put upon it; if they are guilty
the Senate, as the representative of the
party, should proclaim their guilt and so
secure their removal from office. The
Democrats are not half so much interest
ed to discover the truth with regard to
these grave charges" as are the Re-
publicans, and the Republicans, having
the power to do it, should be eager to
discover and proclaim it. The people
Will tolerate no partisan jugglery in this
business, and at least two-thirds of the
Senate should know it.-Phila. Ledger.