Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1894-10-25
0'Connor on the Roster Matter,
''No HARM DONE WHY WAS NOT THE
CONTRACT FILED?-wHY DID
Villas ADVISE TO CAN
GEL CONTRACT?

Gel CONThACIs
Att'y-General 0'Connor has given
the administration view Of the roster
rascality. 1t is not a highly moral
idea, says the La Crosse Leader,
then the job itself was not put upon
highly moral principles. 1t would
hardly be supposed that a job of that
sort, planned in the seclusion of back
office of the governors private secre-
tary, would be justified upon any moral
ground.
The encouragement said of the ros-
ter contract, that 1T was a legal at
tempt to carry the project through,
and since it did not cost the state any
thing it was not a serious matter -
This is the attorney-general's idea
of an attempt to take from the state
treasury $40, 1000, to donate to the
democratic organ which was lettering
under mountain of debt 1t was not
a serious" thing to do, because it
failed.
Mr.. O'Connor says the "attempt to
carry the project through was ''le-
gal" The law requires that all pub
lie contracts shall be filed with the Sec
rotary of state. If it was ''legaln
contract, why was this provision of
the law not complied with? Why was
the contract securely hidden away in
the governors desk, instead of being
placed on file in the office of the secre-
tary of state? Why did the governor
refuse to permit it to be seen by the
state printer, Col. BirdP Why was the
attempt made to carry the project
through in secrecy? Is it the custom
of public officers to transact public
business in a star chamber?
The state was put to no cost, and
therefore lit is not a serious matter. =
Mr. OC0nnOr was very jealous in
prosecuting the ex-state treasurers on
their bonds, to recover the interest
on state funds. But the state lost
nothing through the loans made by the
treasurers. Every dollar that came
into their hands from their predeces-
sors, was accounted for; yet the attor-
ney-general seemed to view that as
quite serious matter. The governor,
Mr.. O'Connor and the governors pri-
vate secretary violated plain provis-
ion of the law, in the attempt TO conceal
the roster contract until the project
was carried through. Is that not a
serious matterP" Most people whose
morals are not oblique, would so re-
gard it.
Suppose that a burglar with his
jimmy attempts to enter a residence,
but before he succeeds in effecting an
entrance, is frightened away by the
appearance of an officer before he Sc
cures booty, would MS attempt be
thought not serious thing? The in
tent OF the roster jobbers was to carry
through project by which large
profit could be made, from the pro-
ceeds of which the embarrassed organ
might liquidate its debts. Senator
Villas foresaw the disgrace that would
be brought upon the administration,
and advised that the contract be can
celled. But it was not until after the
500, ZOO had been realized upon it
The state lost nothing it is true, but
the fact that it did not does not relieve
the roster gang of the odium which at
taches to the infamous transaction.
The '.good scheme" as Gov. Peck
called it, was not abandoned until the
state printer had taken steps to test
the legality of the contract, when pub
licity could not have been avoided.
Perhaps even Senator Villas would not
have advised its cancellation, but for
that fact. The roster crowd knew that
the supreme court would declare it IL
legal. and that the whole affair would
be thoroughly exposed, and exposure
was what they did not desire. When
the legal attempt to carry the pro-
ject through was to be passed upon by
the highest court in the state, the
schemerS ran for cover. They were
well aware that they could not defend
the legal attempt, if it was to be
subjected to judicial investigation.
That it did not cost the state any
thing. is no credit to the roster
schemers They simply got fright
ened before they finished the job
WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL.