Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-11-03
COMMUNICATED
BUTLER, PA, Oct. II, 1898
HON. JOHN WANAMAKER,
Philadelphia Pa.


Philadelphia Pa.
DEAR SIR--On the 9th of November,
A. d. 1897. | met with a serious accl-
! dent while crossing the Pennsylvania
railroad tracks at Harrisburg. ! nave
| been an invalid ever since have been
| unable to leave my home during the
| summer nor am | yet able to do so Un-
| der these circumstances had noped
| that | wonld at least be let alone IN
my humble retirement. In this, now
| ever, | was disappointed.
; A friend of mine mailed me copy OF
| vour speech delivered in Dauphln coun
| ty on the lst of this month, as reported
| 10 the Philadelphia Press. In 1T you
make bold to present me to your near
ers as one of the consplrators 3oOut Jhe
| public printing establishment VINO nave
been robbing the State Treasury.
You give the aggregate cost per an
mum Of the state printing for number
of wears and then say ~ report OF the
state printer as required by law was
made last year, and 1t is impossible 10
glve accurately the figures for :hat
year. but | have in my possession an eX-
pert's report placing the estimated eX-
nense of the printing department. from
'July lst. 1897, 10 July lst, lS9S.at S725-,
| 1oO-n 1t is quite safe to say that the
| amount when tabulated will not relcn
one fourth of that sum; but you need
nor have been so woefullY in the dark
on this subject. The report must be
| about ready for printing, The present
| Superintendent of State Printing was
appointed to that position by the Gov
ernor IL April last, and IS IN his conn
dence: he IS a reporter fer the Phlladel-
phia Press. had you called upon him nc
! would. am sure, have given you reila-
| bic information on the subject. Hou
| owed 1t TO yourself you owed 1T to the
| people YOU undertake to enlIBhien TO
have done this.
| You speak of the great increase OF the
| cost Of the state government IN recent
years. | recall 70 mind when boy
away back in the forties, 0r listsGlng 10
| Wing orators talking OF the great ex-
travagance of the National admlnlstrd-
| ton L recall one speaker who informed
his hearers that the administration OF
John Quincy Adams cost only twenty
| seven million of dollars year. He drew
1 a comparison between that and the cost
of the Democratic ADMINISTRATION, then
in power. Instead OF $27 0J0, VQs year
it now takes 81 600 900, 900 year 10 car
nv on the government. If increased ex-
| uense is an evidence of decay surely we,
| az nation are in bad condition.
You have spoken of the increase OF
expenditure IN state affairs. but do yon
try honestly to tell the people how
tins is brought aboutI In all honesty
| YOU ought to do this Have you serious
ly tried to know why our state govern
| ment is more expensive than formerly
or do YOU not wish to know Gou speak
of 1t all as the outgrowth OF Quay dom
ination. Is this honest what h1d
Quay TO do with the passage OF the ACT
organizing the Agricultural Depart
ment2 1t was well uade-stGod 10 be an
administration measure; ana l WOnld
advise you, before you talk to the peo
ple on this subject again to examine IN
bill: you will find it in the Laws OF 1879
| nave : read 1t and see what varied duo
numerous places are created with iber
al salaries attached. Atr Edge Is tp'
nominal head of this department, bu
| | Professor Hamilton was soon m1d'
depatv, and, owing TO the poor healtt
of the Secretary beoaWa The leading h5
, ure IN the department He waa at one
4, time student at State College ant
after graduation, remained there rs a
|
him to the deputyship He is an excel
lent gentleman: but | doubt not there
are gentlemen IN every county in the
state yEo would make better road su
peryisors than he tiis road law i .
beginning YOu ought To study tLa
law and tell the people what its virtue
are If it is not repealed II Will soon b'
TIE foundation for an expensive roal
system
Next / would advise yQu 10 examine
the 212th page OF the same laws; tber,
| you will find the act creating the Su
pefior Court This was pet measure
of the Governors In response 10 q
call by telephone | rep9Ired 10 the
Executive office ! found the Govern
or ia company with Il gentleman who
wished 10 be one of the Judges of thai
CONT when created. The Governor
told me that ne wanted me TO see the
Butler County members OF the Hous'
and 10 induce then, ~ vote for the bill
II became law III due time and j. now
runGIng at a cost apprOXimating 500
900 "A year, all these changes have
brought work TO this printing depart
| ment But ! have not time to dwell
| longer on this subject The truth II
most of the deuartlnents were recast II
1895. The Insurance, the Banking, thu
Adjutaut Generals &c, salaries were
raised in them all and clerkships pro
vided &c / am not mentioning these
things complainingly, but simply
pointing out where a Christian
gentleman, who desires TO tell the trutI
|, may md rot only where the money
goes, but why IL goeg there.
As understand it, the Auditof Gen
erals office, the Treasury department
and the Interior department are II
sympathy with Senator Quay, while
the Agriculture department the In
|, snrance department and the Banklgl
department are in sympathy with th'
Governor, and the combine; these latte
are the departments that have dipped 81
deeply into the Treasury But II II
well 10 remember that this state is no
only increasing in population but tina
she IL keeping abreast Cf her Rei9hbor
= ing states in her educational, benevo
lent and charitable Institutions. Ines'