Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1906-10-25
Idol Shattered In That Famous
Brick Yard Deal.
STATE TREASURER is SCORED
Lc9ding Newspapers Of Pennsylvania
Condemn Transaction With lnstitu-
ton Favored With State Funds.

SCTECtft tlaiSSNe'O'' '"'N' ''''~~~'
ton Favored With State Funds.
State Treasurer Berry has not sue
"eaded in getting the people OF Penn
gIyania to take his view of his recent
lYickyard financial transaction that ''it
Is private affair."" with which his fell
low citizens have nothing to do.
The sensational developments in con-
me- ton with this matter have caused
no end of talk ana adverse comment
throughout the state. Mr.. Berry's
course has met with almost universal
condemnation.
The attempt of Mr.. Berry and his
friends to mitigate the effects of this
expose by setting up the plea that the
thrce other members of the state treas
uly board had forced the selection of
the Harrisburg Trust Company as
depository is laughed at, because of the
well-known fact that. while the board
does vote on the selection of deposito-
rps. the State Treasurer alone deter
mines the amount of the public funds
3 which shall be allotted to each deposit
tory at the seductive rate Of per cent.
One year ago, under Republican ad-
mnistration of the treasury, the Har-
lisburg Trust Company had only S22O,-
000 Of the general fund of the state
or about one-third of what Berry has
allotted to it. The fact that the Har-
rishurg Trust Company has been ia
N0red by Mr.. Berry with one of the
largest deposits in the state during the
period in which that same company has
been acting as trustee for the bon1
issue of the Fields Brick Company, in
which Mr.. Berry is the largest stock
holder will make it difficult for many
persons to believe the State Treasurer
has not employed his control over the
public funds as a means of rewarding
his business friends.
Eias Been Most Liberal.
Beriy's explanation that he went TO
Harrisburg to float his bonds because
he did not want people in Chester to
know his company was in the market
lDf real estate mas lltu llltlt tHbtt III
lessening the sensational character of
the news that he is doing business on
Il large scale with the holders of state
deposits.
It is unfortunate for Berry that he
should have found it necessary, in case
he really had to go outside of Chester
to find some one to finance his project
ffb bo1 nialyad pIt 10 hank n hn
whole state to which he has been most
liberal in the distribution of the peo-
pies money.
Quick Change is This.
In this connection, the comment OF
leading newspapers of Pennsylvania is
interes ting.
Last year the Democrats Prohibit
tionists and me-too Lincolnites rang
all the changes of fraud in connection
with the state treasury and the bor-
rowing of money from the Enterprise
Bank by Republican politicians, says
John J. McLaurin, in the Oil City Der
rick Homer l.. Castle stumped the
commonwealth to sound the praises OF
william H. Berry, the Democratic nom
inee for State Treasurer, and denounce
to a finish William H. Andrews ant
other Republicans for getting funds
from bank that held state money or
deposit. Berry was to ''lift the lid,
if elected, and reveal terrible condi
tion of affairs. He won out enough
weak -kneed Republicans to give hin
the victory, taking sufficient stock II
the hue and cry to cast their ballots
for Berry.
The new Treasurer, who had posef
as reformer of the thirty third de-
gree, implacable and immaculate fo'
CT the practices he and his henchmer
IN the campaign had damned from
Dan to Beersheba and return" assum
ed his Office in due time. Promptly h,
lifted the lid and it paralyzed him ant
the whole herd of corruption shrek
eFs to find every cent of the $4,000 00'
in the treasury. What next?
William II. Berry has scracely warm
cd his official chair when, as disclosed
within the last three days, he dit
precisely what William II. Andrew