The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-06-04
- ID "A D 81 "a 81 "a ~
THE BIG REPORT.
= Voluminous Document
Embodying Some True
Reform Ideas.
POLITICS NOT FORGOTTEN
Court of Pardons Chestnuts Re-
Roasted by Voorhees, and
Corbin Campaign
Rhetoric.
FOR APPROPRIATION BILLS
Excellent Financial Suggestions
The Newspaper Bugaboo-
State House Robbery.
Special to the Jersey city Neaus.

SDeclut 10 tHG JEfStD Ceiy -fOoOo'
TRENTON. June 4, 1S95.-Chairman
Voorhees, and Cousellor Corbinworked
hard all day yesterday, and late into
the night. upon the report of the IN
vestigating Committee. 1t was after ten
O'Clock last night when the last copy
went to the printers. The printers kept
their presses running all night and Wheh
the LEGISLATORS came to the State House
this noon they found the reports upon
their desks
No public document in the history OF
the State has aroused more interest than
this report. Everyone eagerly caught
up the volume and rabidly devoured its
contents. This is what they read
To the Senate:-
Your select Committee appointed to
INQUIRE into the charges of extravagaaiillcs ail &c
in furnishing the State House ana ,to,l1ic o1ngc
Charges touching the conduct OF pun:HS
aTfaiTs. report that they proceeded with
the examination of the files and records
at the State House and the 0eod 1ak1hg IN {hat at
work until the present time. o,,uoas
We have not exhausted all the sources
possibie nd 1b. 'iis' roads to discovery but have
pushed our inquiries into subjects that
seemed most important ana nd {hat a., IN IN
vestigat ton, accomplishing as much az
Z was ipraeticable within the time at our
The Obtaining of proof in an inquiry
< of this sort is attended with much dill
Guilty. Persons directly involved lS.e;1 o,a IN =
ing the evidence of their actions. anu
others who are aware of the facts are
generally reticent. and even when olsf oHf
piVn unwilling testimony VI
the nnety-seven witnesses examined, pg
far the greater number have tesnHeo iea
under compulsion, and little information
has been volunteered. Enough, however,
has been disclosed to indicate the course
House and to suggest legislation for
guarding against a, recurrence OF siHliidr
Irregularities. ,,,,,,-r,,,e
Previous to 1889 there was no proveI,slo,n n
for the care and furnishing, of the state
Hoqse except a joint Tesolqtlon lt ronsgfv passgf1
in charge of the treasurer to pc Kept N
order. No money was ever appropriated
Under this meagre authority the mat
ter drifted along forty-three years until
the annual expense had grown to go
0o0 which was paid without any appro-
In 1889 the property was by statute
placed in charge OF superintendsdin[; PEI a osin J,
ST. 600 in 1894 and were. as usual, charged
to '.State House Expense" This sum
<,for repairs. maintenance and furnishing.
tets, passed at different times. from
BS5 to 1892 for special objects, the first
aving been passed to meet the energen-
! caused by the fire in the State House
1885. 1t would seem that these acts
Arpose, but under the constructions
given to them some of them continued
penditure of State moneys up to 1874,
and might be used indefinitely hereafter
WITHOUT limit. We, therefore reported at. to
ana they were repealed March Y, leyo.
Under these laws parts of the State
House and Assembly Chamber were re-
built, and a vast amount of money ex-
pended for furnishing, painting ventil-
ating and repairing. in addition to the
annual sums charged to State House ex-
penses as above explained.
Between 1889 and 1898 nearly all the
auction or : otherwise, disposed Of for
trifing sums and new furniture put in
its place. Some parts of the building
realized for the sale of old furniture has
not yet been paid into the treasury
In the making of this substitution
The prices We're exorbitant, being often
double the usual retail price of the goods
Bills We're ialsified in quantities and and
were paid to State officers. Furniture
and carpets paid for by the State Were
State for their private use Moreover
much Of the new furniture was inferior
to that which was displaced, and changes
were made which were not desired by
the occupants of the offices.
In the furnishing of coal, lumber and
other supplies for the State House, there
was deliberate systematic swindling.
Quantities and prices We're falsely raised,
goods being billed to the State, and paid
centages were added to bills, sometimes
undoubtedly for the benefit of State Off
bele benefit of the dealer The. State was by
the collusion of bidders and others, made
to pay $3.50 for fag-pole and flag on
State Comptroller and in the face of the
protest of other State officers against
construction Of pigeon holes and similar
appliances which could readily have been
obtained for $500. and atill have AFFORD ford
than $4,000 was paid to one painter upon
bills wherein false entries OF labor an, and
material ,ad been made the the prices ke
being probably $4,000 That commissions
were paid on this work was not seriously
IN the rebuilding of the Assembly
Chamber, which cost s2S2. 900, an archi-
tect was employed who had never before
much of the work he appeared to have no
control, It being under the immediate
Of g flii this 'S Work appear TO be in the posses
sion of the. State except certain blue
prints found among rubbish in the
so much as Indicate any ventilat-ng ap-
Taratus. Such apparatus was, however,
put in at q cost Of S9s. The evidence
is that full price, with large. profit,
more, that the apparatus is obsolete and
highly unsatisfactory. The same con-
tractor by arrangement with the Gov
ernor, afterwards put similar apparatus
in the Senate Chamber at a cost Of $21,
CPS. The evidence is that a. full price
would have been 81. .102, and that the
svork is obsolete and well nigh useless.
The electrical plant in the State House,
With fixtures and supplies, cost about