Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-10-01
PATTISONS FIGHT
FOR PUBLIC HONESTY
An Unimpeachable Record of
Official Fidelity. ,y.
GUARDED THE TREASURY
AS Controller and Governor He Firmly
Opposed All Forms Of Extrav-
agance and Fraud.
AGAINST BOGUS PAY ROLLS
Determined Efforts to Correct Appro
pration Bill Evls-Plain
Talk to Legislators.
FACTS FoRJUDeE PENNYPAcKER
Special Correspondence.

Pennsylvania who has served the peo
pie in public capacity has ever been
more vigilant, courageous and faithful
in the discharge of all the duties as
signed him than Robert e. Pattison.
This is the story of the record made
during five years occupancy of the
city controllers Office in Philadel.
phia, and eight years as governor.
Upon one point particularly was this
official most strenuous in demanding
strict compliance with the law, in let
ter and spirit. He always stood at
the door of the public treasury, guard
ing it to the extent of his power from
illegal and unjust attacks. All the
world knows that it was this fidelity
to duty in the first office he held which
impelled the people to call him up
higher. He saved the taxpayers or
Philadelphia large amount OF money
and instituted reforms in the auditing
of the public accounts which have con.
tinued to this day. Further, since
1882, no man has aspired to that office
who did not possess the very highest
measure of public respect and con-
fidence.
How He Watched Appropriations.
When he came to Harrisburg, in
January, 1888, Governor Pattison said
to a friend: 81 expect to have about
as hard a time as any man has ever
had for the first year. After that 1t
will be smoother sailing" In accord
ance with his clear ideas of duty, and
invincible purpose to meet every OBJ
lection, the governor promptly began
the closest scrutiny of every bill sent
him by the legislature, especially those
involving appropriations of the pub
lie money. He disapproved a large
number of measures of this kind. He
returned the general appropriation
bill of the regular session Of 1883
with many sections disapproved, in
whole or in part. He called attention
to the fact that the items referred to
had no proper legal standing and most
vigorously contended for strict COM
| pliance with the law. He denounced
| the proposed payment of extra COM
| pensation to certain officers of the leg
| islature, as "a most glaring attempt
| to increase salaries over fifty per cent.
| In plain violation of the constitution
| and laws" He discussed the matter
in detail, with great clearness and
conclusiveness. He expressed the
| earnest hope that he would be relieved
| in the future of the unpleasant task
of disappearing of so many items" but
declared that he should rigidly main
tain the provision of the constitution
| in question, both because he believed
| it to be his sworn duty and because he
regarded the section quoted "as emf
nently wise and proper"
Again, in 1885, the governor met this
issue, quoting in his support the just
protest of Governor Hoyt, who, in 1881,
had pointed out the illegality of extra
compensation appropriations. He
| showed that the practice objected to
was utterly unjust, was without any
warrant of law and was nothing less
than a species of public robbery. The
legislature, to it's discredit be it said,
both houses being Republican, disre-
| garded the executive veto; but the gov
ernor's record must always commend
| him to the highest consideration of his
| fellow citizens. The amount he turned
down effectively at the session of 1888,
when the house was Democratic, was
over $4,000.
Scathing Rebuke to Legislators.
| The people have not forgotten Gov
ernor Pattison's consistent and cour-
ageous action in disappearing the half
million dollar appropriation bill passed
at the fruitless extra session of 1883
This constituencies grab as compensa-
ton for doing nothing and refusing to
pass just apportionment bills, was ex-
posed and denounced in veto message
of remarkable strength, document
that was read and heartily approved by
all honest citizens regardless of parti-
Ean views. Here are some timely ex-
tracts from this historic rebuke to
faithless legislators:
After wasting six months in con.
temning the constitution, members now
send me this bill to pay themselves hall
a million dollars for refusing to dc
what they were elected and sworn tc
do Every consideration of law and
the simplest principles of common jus.
tice protest against such an attempt
to take the money of the people with.
out consideration. There is no law
authorizing public officers to pay them.
selves for defying the law. No citi-
zen in his private business capacity
would sanction such principle as that
underlying this bill Monstrous as
such a claim would be under any cir.
cumstances, it is yet more repugnan