The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-06-30
PATTISONS VETOES.
Objections to Appropriations for
Election Contests.
DISHONESTY DIRECTLY ALLEGED.

Yhe Governor Fully Satisfied That "Far
More Witnesses Are Charged For Than
Were Before tho Committee and More
MiIos Charged Than were Travelled"
HARRISBURG, June Ex-Governor Patti
son has cleared his table of all bills left in
his hands by the legislature. He vetoes the
McCarrell Street railway consolidation
bill, and tho appr opriation of s26, 571 90 to
pay the expenses of the house committee
on elections for the general and necessary
expenses incurred in investigating four
contests to seats in the legislature. He
says he has already approved, mot with
out some misgivings, eleven bills appropri
ating SIS, 500. 70 to pay the expenses of con-
testants and contestees In such disputes
and to pay the salaries of ousted mem
bers."
He warns the public that this system of
paying all parties has a tendency to pro-
mote and encourage such contests and to
transfer their investigation to body too
often moved by partisan interest, and to
take them out of the courts where the
more deliberate methods of judicial inves-
tigation are better calculated to create
confidence in the final Judgment reached
Regarding the additional bill of $685.
571. GO to pay the expenses OF those investi-
eating these contests, he says the bill is
largely made up of items practically con-
stituting extra compensation for officers
and members of the house in direct viola
tion Of that provision of the law which de-
clares that mo greater or other colnpensa-
tion or allowance" than is provided by the
existing salary act shall be voted by
either house TO any officer thereof for SER
vices performed at any session"
The governor refers to the charges of the
sergeant-at-arms, and declares there is no
warrant of law for his excessive bills. He
is entitled to his actual expenses only.
Special inquiry, he says, satisfies his mind
that the service of subpnnaing witnesses
and the mileage charged for were not
actually rendered and performed by the
sergeant-at-arms He is fully satisfied
that far more witnesses are here charged
for than were actually before the commit
tee or necessary to it's investigation, and
far more miles are herein charged than
were actually travelled" He picks out
items in the bill and shows the extrava-
ganee of the charges, especially the hotel
bills, amounting to s., 1910, and extra
car fare and kilograms" He believes this
latter item to be n pretext for increasing
the compensation of certain m embers of
the legislature.
In conclusion he says: "This entire
measure Is so saturated and perm Gated
with an attempt to impose upon the COM
monwealth, aid to take from its treasury
large amount of money for which no
just claim exists, that am unwilling to
approve any portion of the same or to make
1t possible for those who framed and de-
vised it, and for whose benefit it was inn
posed upon the Legislature during the hur-
ried business on the last day of the session,
to profit from it.'
These appropriation bills were approved:
House committee on appropriations, ST.
557 senate committee on finance for 1891,
$1,000. Contestants and contestees as fol-
lows: Charles !. Baker, 81, 720; A. L. Tag
gart, 81, ,00o Eli Waughaman, 81, ,720: Will.
iam II. Barnhart, s1,73s; w. P. Highly,
5000; w. H. Andrews, $1,000; f. L. Okell,
$1,000; j. p. Quinnan, s2,720, George For
rest, s., CHI w. w. Franklin, $1,000, G. A.
Mccarthy, $1,000.