Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-11-03
THE JUNKRT BUSINESS.
How 1t Has Grown 10 It's Present Aw-
ful Proportions--D Democratic and
Republican Rule Compared.

Pennsylvania there are few things more
interesting or instructive and absolute
ly nothing more fully demonstrable
of the curse of the machine rule than a
study and comparison of the various
general appropriation acts of the state
Legislature. Mr.. Wanamaller has fit
tingly supplemented the work of the
Democratic party, its conventions, COM
mittees and press, in explaining to the
people that these acts cover many mon
Gtrous eXtravagances and villainous
steals. There are not many of the
features of them more prolific and as
founding in this range of development
than those that touch the sums voted
for legislative junkets, extra services"
of legislative committees, and the
multitudinous commissions that are
constituted for the sole purpose of put
ting unearned money into the pockets
Of the henchmen and retainers of the
dominant party throughout the state.
carefully compiled table, made up
from an item-by-item search of the
general appropriation acts for the past15
years shows that in 1888, the first year
of Governor Pattison's first administra-
tion, there was a total of $T34S.91 awarded
for these purposes. These included the
expenses of Investigating The State COL
lege, the clerical force of the several
state departments, the western Penn
sylvania insane asylum and peniten-
tiary, and the accounts of that eXpen-
sive appendage to our state govern
ment, Mr.. John c. Delaney, then occu-
pying the position of librarian of the
senate, which had no library.
They covered also the cost Of the Bos-
ler- Wagner contested election case
($l1S5) and of a commission selected
to report a comprehensive system OF
bookkeeping for the several depart
ments.
In the year 1885 there We're still fewer
appropriations of this kind, the total
being but $685. out of which an item
of $1,000, for the expenses of the COM
mittee to investigate the Standard Oil
trust Governor Pattison vetoed, leav.
Ing balance of but 81, 71S.43 taken from
the treasury by the general appropria-
ton act as finally made a law, for
these purposes.
In 1887, however, General Beaver hav-
ing in the meanwhile become governor,
these appropriations swelled to SIC, ,965,
an increase of several hundred per
cent. AS Illustrating the careless and
fraudulent methods that had already
begun to prevail, $4,000 of this total was
voted in a lump sum for four investi-
cations, an excursion to Gettysburg
and a members funeral.
1t was not until 1882 however thaI
there was anything like a really riot
Gus revel along these lines. Beaver wa'
still governor, and the aggregated items
in the general appropriation bill 70
these unnecessary and unlawful use
reached the enormous sum of $123 SSS,
so. These included $17,S6O for a hous
contest and $39, 1872 for senatorial
contest, entirely unprecedented figures
$4,000 for a committee to examine anr
report upon the charitable and correc
tional systems of the commonwealth
$4,000 for commission to codfy tn
road laws, another $4,000 for a com
mittee on Industrial education ant
s10,7O0 laid out in taking tn
Legislators to participation in tn
centennial Inauguration of Georg
Washington as president. And Beave
never interposed single veto. !
unique item in this list is 800 for
committee on amended photography
There was certainly bad spell of ap
preparation legislation about that time
1t was so bad, in fact, that its cost t,
the taxpayers was greater even thai
the accomplished and proposed simila
steals of the 1887 legislature including
both those in the general appropriation
and those in the special appropriation
bills, and the citizen who believes il
honesty and economy in state eXpendi
lures may be pardoned for askni
where were Wanamaker and Swallow
then?
In 1891 the Democrats again had tn,
governor and that year the appropria
tons for junkets &c, in the genera
act We're but $73,S59.S3, and of thes,
Mr.. Pattson vetoed Items aggregatinl
$34,116. leaving the actual outlay bu
S39,743.23 or less than third of Beav
er's last term figures.
In 1893 warned doubtless by these We
toes, the legislature made the genera
appropriation act cover only SO, 466. II 0
such expenditures.
But the Republicans came in agail
in 1895, and that year the total wa
S115, ,4S6.92, or about $4,000 more in tn
general bill than there We're in 1898 il
both the general and the special bill
together Here again was a sharl
summons to Republican reformers, bu
they failed to put in an appearance
Hastings had not yet fallen out will
the naCnlne. HIS NeIOeS, IN 1893, q
this class of items amounted, all told
to s4O,715, leaving a balance awarded
of $74,771.92, or nearly % times as mucl
as the total for Pattisons last term.
The 1897 legislature voted for pur
poses within the category under discus
sion Sal, ,4Ol.43 in the general bill ant
s6O,123.02 in special bills. or the aggre
gate, S101, ,52445, Governor Hastings We
toed all told, but $50 $3.50, leaving tn,
actual waste on fraud at $40, ,691 So
There was absolutely no excuse fol
more than probably a tenth of thi!
outlay. 1t comprehended, as fully ex
planned in another article very many
audacious swindles in addition to tn,
handful exposed and overridden by tn
governor. And yet the cost to the stat,
of the whole business was much les
than that of 1895 or that of 1889, though
in those years the Democratic protests
went utterly unheeded by the so-callet
Republican and Prohibitionst reform
ers, and the perpetrators of the scoun
draIlV ora hs pockptpd thp eUap an,