The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-10-10
All OfficiaIdom in Harris
burg is putr;d in Vice
and Crime.
RASCALlTY SANCTIONED
ijjs and Little Abuses Go ON Under
che Eyes of High Oilicials.-Prom-
i4es Of Reform without Perform
unccs Admonish People, Only Rom
ey il Election of John G. Harman.
(sreclal Corresro ondence.) }


Especial CorresponIence)
Harrisburg, Pa, oct. g..
There are plenty Of opportunities
fur reform on "Thc Hill" without
waiting for the court proceedings in
the graft cases. In fact Mr.. Berry
has Just tnaugurated n new line of
Improvement in the public service
II isn't matter of vast importance
but ii Is a straw" which indicates
the course and measures the velocity
Of the reform wind In official life,
In fact YOU can sometimes get more
Information from small things than
can be obtained from larger affairs.
The smaller a crime the meaner II
IL at least some times.
Public patronage is The currency
Used by professional politicians to
f-ibe men TO perform political crimes.
Ii was the mysterious influence
which changed a minority into ma
ilyity over night in the convention
which nominated Pennypacker for
Governor in 1902. II was on ac-
count OF the potentialiJy OF this force
iu that way that Offices have been
multiplied so rapidly in recent years.
The currupt State Highway Depart
ment is the spawn of that evil. The
Bureau of Vital Statistics was Great
cd on that account ana new and
needless clerkships were authorized
in all of the Departments in order
tu supply places for dependent poliu-
clans.
This thirst for place" developed
the evil which Mr. Berry has Just
attacked 1t is an expedient to make
one Office satisfy two men. The plan
Is as simple as the practice Is con-
temptible. For example there is an
Office which pays IS day. A man
In Pittsburg or Philadelphia or else
where is appointed to the place. He
remains at home attending to his
own affairs and employs q resident
of Harrisburg to perform the work
for say SO a day. The appointee has
pudding" The substitute enjoys a
SNAP"
Fow Official Grafters Help the Party.
Both these agents of the system"
rork their relatives and friends for
ne party. The 81 day man In
harrisburg who does the work has
large family, as rule, and not
90 easy a time making ends meet.
and the grocer and butcher and bak-
or who serve him are interested. The
50 a day man elsewhere tolls not,
neither does he spin." but he chews
the string of the pudding and en-
Joys the luxury Of "easy money"
OF course he works every possible
means to continue the source OF
9raft.
The law forbids this farming" OF
public patronage and Mr.. Berry has
given notice that he will pay no
employees who perform no work. He
IL entirely willing to pay the substi-
tutes the full salary Of the Office be-
cause the law provides for It, But
he is not willing to furnish the shy
sters with money coined from the
sweat of the faces of others. The
decision has created consternat'on
among the beneiciaries of the "sys-
tenn" Every last man Of them is
ready to denounce Mr.. Berry as
meddler. They are a unit against
John G. Harman who would pursue
the same wholesome policy.
The ONCE holders are having other
troubles at present, moreover. The
collector of voluntary contribu-
ions" is working the employees Just
now with a rigor never before wit
messed. Within the last ten days
every official on The Hill" has been
notified to pay percentage OF his
salary into the campaign corruption
fund. This IL good deal of q bur-
den every year but this year It is
worse than usual. Living is expen-
sfve and In addition to the contribu-
ton the clerk has to pay the ex-
penses Of trip home to register and
another to vote.
The Public Printing Conspiracy.
/ have referred on two or three
occasions to the State Printing job
but thus far have been able to dis
cover no signs that the reform i'm
pulses of the Governor have turned
his energies toward the correction of
this abuse. The present State Print
er was the highest bidder for that
juicy party plum instead of the low
sst, as the law requires The way It
happened was this. Four or five men
or nrms bid for the contract and
each deposited a bond for the per-
formance Of the work in the event
the award was to him. The lowest
bidder got the contract and the
bonds Of the others were returned to
them.
Thus far the law had been scrupu-
ously complied with. But the scheme
ing set In at once. The lowest bid
der made some absurd excuse for re-
fusing to accept the award and 1t
was offered to the next lowest bidde
who also declined and the process
was continued until the highest bid
der was reached who got the con-
tract at an exorbitant figure, One
would have thought that the forfeit
ed bond would in some measure re-
compense the State for the difference
In the rate between the highest and
iowst bid But no such result fol-
lowed, The System" never con-
templates recompense TO the State
for anything.
Here Is what actually occurred.
The forfeited bond was promptly re.
turned to the delinquent bidder not
withstanding the legal obligation To
hnld II, and the highest bidder WAS