The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-10
Louis and Herman lehman. Manaeers
COST OF JUNKETING COMMITTEES
Nearly 500 900 Paid Out by the state for
Useie-s Investigations

locleaS nvcbthRAttohs
ALBANY, May Estate Comptroller Roo-
erts paid out up to the end OF the last hscal
year. Sent. 30. 1895. over sos. 900 for the ex-
penses OF the various legislative INVESTIGATING
committees appointed by the Republican
SENATE md Assembly of 1895 to junket about
the state during the past summer. The publ
cation in The sun Of the amounts paid out 10
the several committees, their counsel, and at
tendants, and its exposure last summer OF the
farce called an investigation of the Regents
had It's OBJECT in stopping nearly all attempts 10
arrange similar expensive junkets by the
present Legislature. still another erect was
the withholding of all the unpaid expenses OF
last years committees until the last two days
of the ses sion, when they were put into tho
Supplemental Supply bill and rushed through
without being printed. 1t was sneak iesisla-
ton of the worst character. as none OF tho
Senators or Assemblymen outside or the mem
bers Of the Ways and Means and Finance COM
mittees knew what was in the BILL.
For the Assembly IN on Cities,
which investigated the Brooklyn Bridge and
the Brooklyn Department of Charities and
Correction. an appropriation of $780, Is
made to nav Robert c. Chaplin for his services
to the committee, $4,000 to pay Hugo hirsch
for his services as counsel. 81 ,5OO each 10 pay
Charles w. Earring and James King DuHS ior
their services to the committee when 1t inves-
,,gat.d the bridge trustees-a total for the SER
vices Of assistants to this committee or slf'-
100. 20. The net result was The presentation
of two reports and the introduction or two
bills which did not pass. To the above amount
must also be added the personal expenses OF
the members Of the committee, which will
probably appear In the next report OF the comp
troller, when most OF them have retired to pri-
,,to liSa An adeouata communication Tor all
ing It's value to the State. would be sl69. 20.
in A Am spprop a9xest1s af 81 .7e Sfar1 George Raines.
who defended his brother, the famous sena'
v.stiSation Into the charges OF bribery pre-
ferred against him and Senator Goggeshall.
That little ipvestisati9n n@a ns streI ny, e3 Gso Ins
Raines's services were forgotten until the
Supplemental. supply bill was prepsred
now Senator Nussbaum, recalls that funny
investiRation OF tho RegentsI office by Assem-.
thIcs viii Henri NJ, 4 Ab a9S.'' Mri Nss'0f He w ga.
first appointed by Mr.. Abel as counsel OF the
s~ab,Gommittee; 1t does not not HPneSr b thdt n the
power 10 appoint counsel for subcommittee,
but Mr.. Nussbaum says he was duly appointed
Committes thought 81. 900 a small compensn-
ton for Mr., Sussbaum's services and put 1t
in the bin without dsmHr' commit,.s tam !,
that OF 81, 900 TO be paid 10 Judge George Q.
APPEL Of NJ; Vernon maze A Rp asten bV so mas IN m9 Sis
political foes. The charges brought against
him were referred to the Assembly Judiciary
Committee, which decided that H. must spend
tho summer ut II and be furnished with COun-
sci. Assemblyman Robert Scherer OF Albany,
a Plat Republican, secured The joo. Ihe
ment. What Scherer, got does not appear.
but Sl,253.S SO was paid out TO the committee
prior TO Sept. 30, 1895, and now Judge Appel
gets 81, 000.
yer and Republican politician, received the APP
pOlntment OF counsel to tho Nixon Surface
Railway Investigation committee. and re-
ceives 50, 900 for his summers work, This
must be added TO the Sl,SOO already reported
as expenses OF this committee,
Thus the supplemental supply bill adds to
the 500. 900 previously reported in THE sun
as the expenses Of these worthless inycstiga'
ton committees the sum OF SbO,nb4' 20, or a
grand total OF nearly slu'uuu' lue, worst OF
II Is this sum does not represent the whole cost.
as payments have been made 10 individuals
since the report OF the Comptroller, anu viii
not therefore be Officially reported for a year.
This Is a favorite trick or kepu liCan State
officials, and IT 10 generally successful As an
this, Supplemental supply bill, one o. 5000 for
y. Nj. McGOnigal, u young man who assisted
the, very inefficient compiler OF the Consti.
t9Llonal Convention 81 lHOt, and another or
S705 for Herman +, TrappeT, who had a con-
test, for his seat in the convention.
There are other interesting items In this Sup
Elemental supply bill 10 which the attention of
citizens should he called. A particularly
prominent. one is that or siH'O0O Tor the ex-
Penseso OF the prosecution of the charges against
the Democratic Superintendent OF Prisons,
Austin LAthrop. These charges were first em-
bodied In a report OF one OF the legislative
sommittees. They were so worthless that Gov.
"A beVV m RSnublL,an DoliLiciana In Glinkoa