The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-08-05
HERMANS REPLY.
He Fails to Itemize His
Bills of Expense and Tries
to Justify His Course by
Showing the Motive that
he Thinks Prompted the
Exposition of His Bad
Record.


Exposition of His Bad
Record.
MIDDLEBURaH, Pa, Aug. 2, '97.
To the Editor of the Posr:
1t must be very gratifying tc the
people Of Snyder county to learn
that q new Champion of their rights
aud liberties has suddenly risen up
among them.
Ever since the time OF the Roman
and Grecian forum lights of more or
less magnitude have hurled their
malice and venom against those who
may have honestly differed from
them in matters OF community, state
or national, and it is not surprising
to ind among US censor who with
one mighty sweep of the pen hopes
to forever cast stain upon what.
eyer was commendable in the public
life OF fellow citizen.
You, Mr.. Editor, are the censor.
You invite me to defense and I &C.
cept the challenge.
Your msananimous offer to give
me your columns through which l
hope to reach the people who have
honored me with their suffrages and
whose confidence, l believe, I have
always had, l must cheerfully nc.
cspt.
No man realizes more fully than
! do the force OF the common saying,
that public Office is q public trust.
Every man in whom is vested repre-.
sentative power ia responsible to
those who confer such power and I
have never avoided criticisms of any
public acts Of my life. invite such
criticism now but I want it without
malice or appearance of vengeance.
You devoted considerable space, to
what you call my record, in the last
issue OF your paper, and cant help
but feel that you have horored me
much beyond my deserts. In the
three columns that you devote to me
directly and by inference you labor
most heroicallv to tell the people
that l betrayed their sacred trusts
You are very charitable in your de.
claratiOns that my great sins were
all committed during the session of
the legislature just closed. You ad.
init that the first term l most zeal.
ously guarded the interests of the
people Of the county but that the
old satanic spirit had at least seized
me and that my course during the
last term deserved nothing but the
severest condemnation.
You charge me with four great
crimes which you think l should OK
plain to the people, because you say
that the taxpayers have right to
know what reasons a man has for
betraying them. You are very much
exercised over the fact that l was a
member of the Elections Committee
and that in the bill providing for the
expenses OF the members of the CON-
mittee in conducting the Roberts
Saunders contest an item of $3O4
was appropriated to me. The amount
IN itself does not stagger YOU so
much as the items that are to make
up the amount. You don't appear
to know what is meant bv extra car.
fare, boarding, liveryhire, postage,
kilograms, ct cetera. The first terms
are easy enough and your Latin will
helpyou out in the OF cetera.
You say that the Governor came
very near home and demanded an
itemized statement from me. If
you will accept the reply l sent to
Mr.. Beitler. the governors private
secretary, who asked for information
think will have made sufficient
explanation. My letter to Mr.. Belt
Ter was as follows:
MIDoLEBUReH, Pa. July 20, ~.
Hon. Lewis Better,
Dear Sir:
In reply to yours OF recent date in
relation to the item specifically ap-
propriated to me in House Bill,
No. -. ! beg to say that the amount
includes items for extra carfare,
boarding, livery hire, streetcar fare,
postage and kilograms (used as Sec
retary OF the committee). The bill
is based on precedent establisbe ed at
session of '95 and all previous legis.
latures. If the items are not au.
thorized by law I am willing to be
held up as an example so that the
present as we'll as the future protec-
tion OF the state may be secured.
Very truly,
Chas. W. Herman.
I am glad that the governor is fair
enough to say 1T has been the prac-
tice for many years to allow mileage
etc. to members of committees of
the General Assembly, and, IN with.
holding. my approval from these
items, I deem it proper to stale
that no reflection upon the charact-
or Of the members can be fairly i'm.
piled because OF these appropris
tions." Ihave no right to question
the Governors motives, but I can't