The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1906-10-08
TT WAS A REVELATION.

1t is rare inded that a greater sur
state than those of Pennsylvania ex.
perienced when they were made aware
Of the shameful misuse of public funds
in connection with the building OF the
new State House. Nor. we presume.
has any corrupt gang been worse
who were so suddenly brought to task
for their dishonesty. The people
themselves seem to have been kept
in ignorance of the wrong being done
them. and had II not been for the
election Of an honest state Treasurer
in the person of Mr.. Berry it Is prob
able that the looting would go on as 1t
had been doing.
The people generally were appar-
emily of the opinion that the original
appropriation of four million dollars
was all that was being used in the
construction and furnishing OF the
building. 1t was even announced with
a flourish of trumpets that about for
ty thousand dollars of the four mill
lions was left over and would be re-
turned to the Treasury. This WAS a
blind. but 1t might have passed had II
not been for Mr.. Berry. When h"
came out with the announcement tha'
at least twelve million dollars. tn.
stead of four. had been used ther"
was such a flutterins as is rarely
witnessed. The ring and the ring or
fI,ri -don0nnre1
Berry as an unmitigated slanderer and
defamer. but that didn't work long. He
brought up the facts and figures and
finally forced the guilty Buildings
Board to admit that thirteen million
have been spent. They try to cover
their dishonesty by claiming that the
extra nine millions went for furnish
ings" and other extras. but that is
known to be very poor subterfuKs.
The truth is out, the gang has been
exposed and the taxpayers are as
founded. Berry has made good" ~
the saying is, and now the best de-
fence the gang can put up Is that
great State like Pennsylvania can well
afford a thirteen million dollar state
House. That is weak argument In
defence OF what was plain stealing.
But there is still one feature Of the
affair that is inexplicable. This prof
ligate use of the States money has been
going on for several years. by all &C
counts. What were the newspapers
and newspaper men doing all that
time that they never caught on? Es-
pecially what were the Democratic pa
pers doing? They are generally on
the watch for any wrong perpetrated
by their political opponents, and as all
this disreputable work went on un-
der Republican administrations, and
was done by Republicans it seems
strange, to say the least of it. that
nothing was found out till Mr.. Berry
went into Office The old saying about
honor among thieves must have been
observed with unusual fidelity or
something would have leaked out.
An important question is. what ef-
feet will these disclosures of official
rascality have on the coming elections?
Will the voters of the State take the
cue from Roosevelt and bloviate about
"the Pennsylvania spirit" while they
vote to perpetuate the rule of tho gang
which has been robbing them? For
1t must be borne in mind that these
hooters belong to the Penrose crowd of
regular Republicans which has put out
the ticket for which Republicans are
expected to vote. Are we to find ar
ter the election that majority Of
Pennsylvania voters favor official ras-
cality?