Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1906-10-26
Then the Huge overcharges.

$3,ZZ6, III graft!
Then the Huge overcharses.
Setting all that aside, Berry showt
that of the 81 ,562, ,252 spent for fur
nishings" under the furniture act OF
1896 at least 81, 10000 is overcharge
This is in the chandeliers and brackets
Bacarat cut-glass panels, bronze deco
rations, filing cases, etc. He considers
probable "a proportionate overchargt
in the other s4,O00,0 900 of expenditures
but declares that nothing short of
rigid investigation by experts. empow
cred to subpoena witnesses, will re-
veal the whole truth.
How the pennsylvania Construc
ton Company" which had no plant oI
visible means of doing any work al
all, got the metallic contract which
gave it a clean profit of half millioI
dollars, is partly revealed by the fact
that nearly everything was by "tht
foot" or by the pound" Berry illus
trated:
A special design was made for {
chandelier; the bidder would estimate
what he could make it for at profit
as such things are ordinarily made
and, suppose his figure was 5000. HI
would then estimate the weight of 1t
as such things are ordinarily made
only to find that 1t would weigh, sa,
80 pounds; but the maximum price il
IS per pound, and. of course, he can.
not bid, but the contractor who is wis'
to the scheme can take it. becaust
he knows that instead Of the usua
lie or n of thickness OF metal, h,
can make 1t R-inch or 1-inch, or fool
thick, If necessary, and make 1t weigh
200 pounds, and thus get $1,000 for 1t.
This is the way this contract wal
let. and some of the chandeliers wer,
made to weigh as high as 1000 pounds
and costing more than 100000 each!
More than 100000 pounds of bronz,
was put into these chandeliers. costint
the maker 80 cents per pound, or $780,
900. The work upon them cost say
twice as much more, making $270,00O
and sold to the state for $1,000, 900
million dollars in this one item. TIL,
glass globes and panels were extra,
and cost $13s.757..o9.
Eevery item on this schedule Is oper
to the same criticism. and the estimat,
I have made of the total overcharge II
extremely conservative.
Berry is a mechanic, and knows {,
good Job when he sees 1t. Let Il b,
assumed that the capitol Is a good jol
despite the showing already thai
parts of 1t are the contrary-let 1t b,
assumed that the expenditures hav,
been legally made, and that over
charges cannot be proved, yet the erec'
tion Of such a gorgeous, sumptuoui
palace for the use of few men and tht
qualification of larger number, Il
without excuse, having been secretl,
and surreptftiously done, while many
worthy charities and necessary publit
works were denied, as they are today
the support they need. The helpless
wards of the state are suffering fol
common necessities, and the indigenl
insane are sleeping and dying in tn,
corridors of the overcrowded asylum.
owned and ostensibly cared for by tht
state. The appropriations for thes,
have been denied and vetoed to keel
the money in the treasury so that tn,
grating capitol scheme and the farm
ing out of the surplus could continue.
The people are about to choose thu
men to investigate this whole shock.
ing disgrace. Will the people choos,
the candidates whose political or per
sonal interest lies in exonerating tn,
politicians who have done the plum.
dering or made 1t possible? The bronz,
head Of Candidate Young is on tn,
capitol door. He drew $4,000 a yeal
from the state for keeping the capito
transactions straight" He is no
seeking the Auditor Generals ofic,
with the aim of exposing and condemn
ing himself and the grafters. But tha'
Is the object of Farmer" Greasy, Mr.
Emery and their colleagues, including
the anti-Gang nominees for the stat,
| legislature