The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-07-01
A TREASURY RAID.
Gigantic Bills Piled Up for Running
Mock Investigations.
OVER $4,000 Is NOW DEMANDED.

SSIR pllO,OUV 10 NOW DLM hNUbU.
6hs People Asked to Pay This Sum
ICor sham InvestIgati ions mbers
uaefuseSA, Accept Money For Bogus
! Expense Bills-The Latest Scandal in
uahe Legislature.
dFrom Our Own Correspondent)
Harrisburg, June 29.-This. the clos
Hng week of the legislature. witnesses
Stne greatest raid on the state treas
my known in recent history Of legisla-
stiye sessions in Pennsylvania. 1t would
ss.em as though the present legislature
tptended to outdo all of its predecessors
IN snch acts. 1t has been prolific OF
more attempts at bad legislation In
'the shape of "rippers" and other similar
measures than any recent similar body
u has been noted for more scandals
such as the insurance scandal tine
ureasury investigation and the oleo-
margarine rottenness. than has been
KNOWN for many years. 1t has insti-
auted more sham Investigations than
any Legislature in half a century. and
si is now pilng up more bills OF ex-
psnse for which there is no reasonable
Ssxcnse than We're ever piled UP by
any former legislature.
The sum of $4,000 is the grand total
demanded by the investigating COM
>nittees for alleged expenses incurred
IL Is terrible sum to pay when the
people OF the state consider the results
Of these Investigations. All the bills
are now In. and this Is the result
\ Treasury Raid.
Expenses of committees to investi-
gate the penitentiary, sl4S93: to inves-
'&igate condition OF anthracite miners
Sll,aS; to investigate condition of BIZ
luminous miners sl1.415: to investigate
capitol fire. s1.105; to investigate state
treasury. Si,73I; oleomargarine investi.
cation, 1000: the Andrews investi,.a-
tiun in Philadelphia. $66. 900. Here is a
sIotal OF more than $1,000 To this must
Koe added the demand for .37l to pay
5the expenses of the legislature for kind.
Xiy attending the unveiling of the Grant
sand Washington monuments
The latter item OF expense may be
considered first. In all there were s57
F-nemhers of the legislature. together
with employees, visited New York and
Philadelphia to attend the unveilins
sN the Grant and Washington noun
Ihnents. Not one Of these paid any car
fare, for the Pennsylvania railroad
FURNISHED transportation free. Not ont
III them paid for a seat on the grand
stand, for that was furnished free. TIL.
sonty items Of expense were $500 for a
boat in New York. the printing of
Foadges and cards of admission, and
Ia, h,t a..
during the New York trip. And yet
chr people Of the state are asked to
poAy ,37l for this.
Never Left Harrisburg.
Sumo idea Of the reckless demands Of
,rommittees appointed to investigate is
Furnished in the statement that the
committee to investigate the capitol
rSire. which did not leave Harrisburg,
and held all OF its half dozen meetings
within three squares of the Legislative
Inalls, demands $l.7O5 for its expenses.
Another similar instance Is the case of
rthe committee to investigate the state
treasury, which also did not leave
Harrisburg, and yet which charges up
-N.a34 for It's expenses. This committee
pnffd all of It's meetings right here in
Harrisburg. examined less than SO wit
xsesses. and yet wants $4,I34 for its al
Scged expenses.
The committee which investigated
.or made a p.etense OF investigating,
Uhe two penitentiaries In the state has
presented a bill for $l4S93. No more no.
sorious investigation was ever held
than this. The committee apparently
sendeavored to see how near 1t could
srume to investigating without doing so.
III refused to permit Judge Gordon to
rpresent witnesses and examine them
AS TO the condition of affairs said to
exist in the Eastern penitentiary at
Philadelphia. 1t went off on junket
10 New York state, and took a trip to
Columbus, o.. at the states expense, for
the alleged purpose of looking into the
workings of that institution. and in
tthis way piled up useless expenses.
Accomplished Almost Nothing.
For investigating the condition of the
anthracite miners that committee de-
rrands $ll,9S7; for investigating the
condition of the bituminOus miners
Sr, ,fI5 is asked, a grand total of over
32Sl0lo. All of these committees lived at
the very best hotels, whore the rates
:are from 81 to $40 per day they smoked
tths best cigars, rode in palace cars,
anu yet with the exception of the COM
mittee to investigate the bitimunious
miners accomplished practically moth.
Ing.
Some light Is thrown upon these eX-
Jpense aLlls by Chairman Hosack, Of the
COMMITTEE to investigate the oleomar-
Csxf ne scandal. The bill OF expense pre-
, senttd by this committee amounts to
A.: s.. 900. Chairman Hosack refuses to ac-
, cept- auy mileage for his services as a
nember'of the committee. Mr.. Hosack
2 says that he did not have to pay his
i.iare on the railroads. and he refuses to
J.aucept mileage. Hon. Hampton w.
inice, 'of Bucks county. has refused.
also. to permit the item Of $42 allotted
TO him Tor extra car fare and other
personal expenses In the bill of ex-
7p.nFs- Nr Rice declares that he had
nS extra expenses. and will not accept
the money.
crNme Fake Expenses.
.n,e,tIop Mac rroa tod In tho hnuc.,