The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-11-03

The above article by Mr.. wana-
maker Is n full expansion of the gem
eral points made by George A. jerks,
the Democratic candidate for govcr-
nor, I'm several of his now famous
campaign addresses. Vote for jerks
and equality of taxation and equality
in all other respects before the law.
The Democratic party has for many
years insisted that the management
of the finances of the state of Penn
sylvania has been reckless and inde-
fcnsiblc. The late developments Incl
dental upon the failure of the Peoples
bank, and the admission that the man
lpulatiOn of state funds in various 9TH
er banking institutions were of a cor
rupt character, should be no news to
the people, because at various times
disclosures have been made through
the Democratic minority in the state
Legislature of daring and fragrant mis-
use of the peoples money entrusted to
the state treaSurers and auditors gem
eral. In the most direct way the spe-
cific charge was made in the session
Of the legislature of 1889 that n fraud
ulent misuse of the sinking fund mon
eys were being. and had been. made by
Mr.. Quay and Mr.. Quay's creatures.
! These charges were formulated by
Mr.. s. NJ. Wherry, of Cumberland
county. who made a strenuous. but in
effective. effort to have the abuses cor
iected. Mr.. Wherry did more than that
he showed beyond question that a de-
lherate and corrupt misuse of the Sc
curities in the state sinking fund had
been made. On March -. 1889 he intro
duced a joint resolution calling atten-
tion in a conservative way to the fact
that the sinking fund was being i'm
properly manipulated. On March rs
he offered a series of resolutions. re-
citing the further startling fact that
the sinking fund commissioners had
sold, in December. 1887. and January,
| 1883, 81, 600 of United States bonds,
which We're under the law a permanent
investment of the fund. This sale vio-
| lated not only the constitution, but the
statutes made in pursuance of the
constitutional requirements. In con-
lection with this series g. resolutions,
Mr.. Wherry had spread upon the rec
ords OF the Legislative proceedings of
| that date a carefully prepared memo
randum showing that this sale of bonds
had resulted in the loss of a quarter Of
a million dollars to the state. These
United States bonds were deliberately
taken from the sinking fund treasury,
| then under the domination of Mr.. Quay.
and by the direct action of Mr.. A. Will
| son Norris. then the auditor general.
and Mr.. Livesey, of the treasury de-
partment. Mr.. Livesey soon after left
the state and has been absent ever
since. He is supposed to be still absent
| from the state because of his connec-
tion with this and with other misuses
of state funds. The facts presented by
| Mr.. Wherry showed concusively that
| for the two years of 1886. including
| transactions from Dec. l, 1886, to Dec.
/ l, 1883, these manipuations had en-
tailed a loss directly of two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars upon the
| state.
1t showed that in the early part of
| the fiscal wear of 1887 one million dol
| lars worth of United States 4 per cent
! bonds were abstracted from the vaults
of the treasury, where they belonged as
/ a constitutional part of the sinking
! fund, sold and the proceeds placed in
the various banks favored by the state
political ring, of which Senator Quay
was the head. Mr.. Wherry, in a very
conservative statement. declared that
| after a careful examination of this
| transaction, so suggestive upon Its
| face, he was of the deliberate opinion
that 1t was so much in violation of the
constitution and the law, and that the
bondsmen and the state officials who
constituted the state sinking fund COM
! missioners We're liable for the loss en-
! tailed, and should be held accountable
for every dollar of interest lost on the
United States bonds sold, and for
other losses to the state. He declared
that In the aggregate the losses in two
transactions alone exceeded sixty thou
sand dollars in one year. The actual
and indirect loss, he declared, sustain
ed by the state would amount to nearly
81, 100000 He said: "At the very time
the sinking fund commissioners were
selling United States bonds at loss
of interest and buying per cent state
loans, payable in 1892, at from 115 to
1883, the states per cents, payable in
1925 years to run, were selling on
the market at 121. Discussion of Mr..
Wherry's resolutions were, of course,
inevitably cut off. After a number OF
Intellectual attempts to have his charges
considered even after the report from
the ways and means committee provid-
ing for an investigation and adjustment
of this mismanagemert of state funds
had been presented, he was compelled
to abandon his effort. His resolutions
were carefully buried in committee.
Such is the mere record spread upon
the journal of the house of representa-
tives, showing transaction even more
daring than that by which the Peo-
pies bank plum tree" was shaken
The senior senator when he wanted q
loan for his family Of hundred thou
sand dollars, agitated the golden fruit
plant of the state treasury to the extent
in one case at least, of one hundred
thousand dollars. In this instance
when his friend and chum, Mr.. Norris