The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-09-13

as 10 Whlch L nave no INFORMATION, tue
original platform fell into the hands
Of the agent of the ssociated Press
and was telegraphed over the state. L
submit, therefore, that my action with
reference to your endorsement by the
state convention is open to no criticism
whatever
THE governor here stated: I did
not know the circumstances which you
have given me-
DECLINED SUGAR COATING.
"I went on: AS to the Republican
convention, in my own county, | want
to say that the platform as adopted
cNtained a resolution which endorsed
your administration, An amendment
to the report of the committee was
offered from the floor which amend
ment consisted of three resolutions, the
first Of which endorsed you strongly,
and especially endorsed you for your
vetoes of certain acts of the legisla-
ture. The second resolution condemned
the legislature in very drastic terms,
and the third condemned by name the
Republican senator from Northampton
county. | opposed the amendments and
in the course of my remarks stated
that no man in Pennsylvania knew
better than l how fully you deserved
the strongest terms of commendation
which could be expressed by any con-
vention; that no man knew better
than l the value to the state of your
public services; and that no one could
go further than l in favoring any
strong expression of commendation or
endorsement of your public acts; and
that, If the resolution commencing you
stood alone IL would meet my hearty
and jealous approval; but that the
purpose of the authors of this amend
ment was to disorganize the Republi-
can convention then in session, ana
that the resolution commencing you
will be simply the sugar coating upon
the pill. and was intended to operate
as a gag for me, and l closed my
speech by moving to lay the amend
ment on the table.
THE scheme of the persons who had
offered this resolution was simply to
| disorga nize the convention, and 1t was
not possible to divide the amendment
as submitted so as to permit action on
| the resolution of endorsement alone
without throwing the entire subject
| open to debate on the floor
"As to the information which has
| been brought to you by four gentle
| men relative TO my having told them
| that | would in the event of any FUR
| ther fight between you and Senator
| Quay, resign my office as secretary of
| the commonwealth and join Senator
Quays force, l have only one word
| to say-your informants told you that
which was absolutely false. The only
| thing ever said by me which could be
tortured into any approach to any such
statement was a remark made by me
| to Dave Martin at the Neshaminy park
| encampment, in the course of con-
! versaton with him in which he IN
| quired whether there was going to be
any further war between you and Sem
ator Quay. and remarked that If there
was another fight, he was going to sit
| back and look on; and / replied That
is a pretty smart thing to do, and l
would like to do the same. L had no
further conversation with anybody, ex-
cept the conversation detailed with
Dave Martin on this subject.
NO FIGHT WITH QUAY.
"The governor then said: There will
be no fight between Senator Quay and
me, as l intend to go out of politics
as soon as my term of office is ended
II replied: I can't say that
'Touching the governors complaint
tat General Reeder had not been zeal
Gus in aiding the governor in his work,
| General Reeder says he reminded the
governor that in the earlier stages of
the work of preparing for a new capi-
tol nobody on the hill was more zeal
our than he, but that gradually At
torney General McMormick appeared
to supplant him as an adviser of the
governor. that he accepted this as an
intimation that his services were not
desired.
LAS to the bond, I want to say there
never was any such bond as has been
described and there was never any such
conference as has been painted in the
newspapers. There was an agreem ent
to which a number of gentlemen were
signers, which agreement was prepared
and signed about five weeks before the
adjournment of the legislature. You
will, of course, admit that tha act of
1874. which fixes the force and salaries
of clerks and employees of the legisla-
ture, is antiquated and out of date
The force therein provided for is al
together inadequate to do the work OF
the Legislature and the salaries therein
established, while fair enough accord
ing to the scale of wages prevailing in
1874, are altogether too high for the
scale of 1897. The fact that the act OF
1874, does not provide a sufficient num-
Der of employees to perform the work OF
the legislature has long been recognize
ed, and for the last fifteen or twenty
years, the legislature has been compel.
ed at every session to add extra EN-
ployes in order to have the work fully
performed. This was done in 1895, anC
the amount of money necessary to pay
the extra force was provided for in ar
item in the appropriation bill, which
had your approval. At the opening Of
the session of 1897, the officials of the
house and senate, accompanied by the
auditor general and state treasurer
called upon you and submitted to yol
their ideas as to the needed extra force
i was present in the room, and knew II
general way what was being done
but / never heard from you or from
anybody else the details of the agree
ment which was entered into between
you and the house officials and the fis
cal officers except to have understood
in general way that you had assenteC
to their proposition for the employment
of extra persons. / never knew unit
the item in the appropriation bill pro
viding for the salaries of those EN-
ployes was under consideration. tina
there had been any persons employe,
except those to which you had givel
your consent About five weeks befor
the session ended, an agreement wa
10 Ntit he