The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-10-22
DEMOCRATIC
| FAKE POLITICS
Distorted Statements Of the
Legislative Investigation
to Deceive Voters.
STATEMENTS UNWARRANTED

SLdEllllS, Lue pEOOiS VI CuAIuptlVi dAu
inefficiency so glaring. that the officials
responsible were permanently driven
from power and the Democratic party,
to which they belonged, was unable to
control either branch OF the legislature
for twelve years Last year this party
elected majority Of the members of
the lower branch Of the legislature.
Probably. judging by themselves, they
assumed that in these twelve years of
Republican rule there must be found
much to criticise, SO they appointed a
committee to delve into the affairs Of
the different departments Of the state
government.
Much has been said regarding the
findings of this committee. Newspa-
pers, with superficial knowledge of
its proceedings, have stated that graft
and incompetency have been unearth-
er, and the Democratic candidate is
entertaining his audiences with similar
charges These charges, however, are
general in their nature, and when any
attempt is made to specify the specific
statements are so evasive and in some
respects untruthful that candid re-
sumo Of their procedure is demanded.
1t should be Remembered that the
authority for legislative Investigations,
questionable at, best, places in the
hands of the inquisitor one of the most
powerful and undemocratic forces
known to the common law and has
never been justified except on the
ground Of utmost necessity. The ques-
ton may well be asked whether the
right of such investigations has not
ceased entirely to exist. Remember
'95 and its counsel were very jealous
in their efforts to arrive only at the
facts, to protect In the highest degree
the reputation Of witnesses and others
with whom they had to deal as in
vestigators and to report to the legisla-
ture only the actual findings. But how
far the assembly investigating commit
| tee of this year has pursued this course
win appear from a brief examination
of its proceedings. -
A partinL report by the counsei OF
this committee, acting without the
knowledgesof the committee, was made
to tho lcg'slaterc at rs q lsssurned meet
! iMg OF TIE 10Th cs Jti,,c nsst. t
1t begins by charging extravaganza
and lack OF attention to the interests
of the state on the part OF the banking
and insurance commissioner because
of that officials failure to collect inter
est on the deposits of state funds in
his name before these funds were Off
cially turned over to the state treasury
There was no law requiring the com
missioner to collect such interest. and
the commissioner was responsible for
the safe keeping of the money until Il
was turned over to the state.
While it may be admitted that as a
general principle these funds should
have drawn interest, yet the facts are
that at the prevailing rates of interest
the state would have received less than
$50 per annum from this source.
No effort was made by the committee
to ascertain or to present to the eais-
lature the many and radical reforms
worked in this department by the
present commissioner the very hiah
standard of efficiency attained by the
department during his incumbency or
the surprising service he has render
ed to the state. The whole effort of the
counsel for the committee was direct
ed in attempting to discredit the COM
missioner because of his failure to col
Iect this small interest accumulation,
for which there was no authority of
law.
The report also deals at length with
/ the question of what it is pleased to
call ''official absenteeism' on the part
of public officials No effort is made
to show that the officials did not prop
erly perform their duties, that the
state was not receiving fair return for
their services, but only a charge that
these officials did not spend a sutfi-
cient number of hours at the state cap
ito. No information is given to the
Legislature that men of the standard of
ability desirable for these positions
could not be found or properly asked to
serve in these capacities If their whole
time were required in such service.
TheSreport then proceeds to denounce
what 1t is pleased to call "dual office
holding. 1t directs attention to the fact
that the present chief of the depart
ment OF labor is also secretary of the
jamestown exposition commission. 1t
forgets to state that the position of sec
retary of the exposition is only tempo
rary at best and will expire with the
| present year The examiner also neg
lected to bring out the fact, known to
everybody acquainted with the sub
ject, that the incumbent in these posi-
tions is man who has made great
financial sacrifices to fill even these
two POSITIONS who surrendered ii sal
airy several times greater than the one
he accepted when he became commits
sioner of labor and whose services as
secretary of the st. Louis exposition
commission were so valuable that, be-
sides giving the state finer display
than It had ever had before on any
similar occasion for similar outlay Of
money, instead Of having, as has been
customary. deficit, had actually been
successful in saving enough money
from the appropriation TO secure the