The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-10-03
Lawyer Who Was Capitol
Building Commissioner
To Try Oraiters.
PLAN OF ACCUlT'TAL
Governor stuart ir thc Scheme which
Has for Us Purpose che Reelection
So Pcnrnsc and the Rcbukc of
Hoscyclt.--How Shcat1 Won No
q. 'ne ragOT Revealed
Especial Correspoudence.)

poue time after the election the ma
chine party manage.a appear to be
highly delighted with themselves. We
are great reformers. they say infer
entally, and are willing to hire any
number OF brass bands with which
to hunt for criminals and prosecute
looters. But to the average mind
their promises are to the ear Ito be
broken TO the hope" That IS to say
they are simply good enough Nor
gaus until after the election" and
agter the election the prosecutions
win be abandoned or botchod.
This Is hardly a matter of coniect-
ure. II is so completely supported
BY clrcumstantlal evidence as to
have assumed the form OF fact. If
thcro had been an intention TO pro-
seeule 5. J, NJ. McCarrcll never
would have been appointed Judge Of
the ruplin county court by tho
Governor or nominated for thct Off
co by the Dauphiu county H.auSE-
can machine. II man wanted 90
break up a gang Of burglars he
would hardly put the matter In
charge of other burglars, If he was
Wise man. There is a code OF
honor among thieves which makes
them help each ether.
When the fire of suspicious origin
destroyed the capitol building in
1897 MIR McCarrell was a State
Senator. With the help of his own
vote a law was enacted appropriat-
ing S550,O0O for the construction OF
q new capitol building. That law
created a Commission of which Mr..
McCarrell became a member which
was bound ito complete and deliver"
a capitol building, ready for occu-
pancy and furnishing not later than
Nov. 18th 1898, when the Lesis-
lature assembled for the session of
1899 1t found an unfinished building
resembling & tobacco warehouse.
Not q Fit Judge of Graftcrs.
The law not only required the
mpletion of Il building within the
a,fied amount but actually for
.c the Commissioners from con-
ci ing for the expenditure of any
.ney in excess of that figure. Yet
7ator, now Judge McCarrell, GER
ged that the building vas com
.ete. It was so absurd a statement
that everybody was astounded. The
rough brick walls on the outside and
the burlap walls on the inside stood
as palpable protests against the
fraud. No charge of grating was
publicly made but the gossip of the
corridors freely charged not only
that the contractors had looted the
State but that the Building Com
missioners had participated In the
division of the spois.
OF course a man so closely asso-
ciated with the construction of the
capitol would not be safe in the
position of determining the guilt Of
the grafters. Naturally he would pre-
Ter that the agitation of the Ques-
ton be discontinued as speedily as
possible and the surest and safest
way to stop the agitation Of ques-
tion is to forget it. Four years ago
Mr.. McCarrell aspired to a seat on
the bench and was defeated. Again
year ago he became a candidate
and was forced out of the fight by
public sentiment. A man of his
reputation and environment wasn't I
needed on the Dauphin county bench
at those times. But no other kind
will serve the purpose now and Nc
Carroll has been both nominated and
appointed.
The plain inference is that there
will be no trial of the grafters. They
will be indicted, of course, and the
pretense will be kept up that there
is an intention to prosecute, But II
Is a false and fraudulent pretense.
McCarrell has too much interest in
the suppression of the facts to per-
NIT a judicial investigation If he Is
able to prevent II and II he Is a
Judge on the bench In the court in
which the cases are scheduled for
trial he can prevent it. Governor
Stuart must have known this when
he appointed McCarrell to the bench
and the suspicion is justified that he
made the appointment for the pur-
pose of preventing the trial
Insurance Grafters Immune.
There are other grounds, more.
over, for the belief that It Is not the
intention to prosecute these grafters
During the special session of the
Legislature of 1905 the Insurance
Department Of the State was investi
gated. The first witness examined
during that inquiry was Samuel W
McCulloch, Deputy Insurance Com
missioner. Mr.. McCulloch testified
positively that Clayton w. Erb. Ed
ward J. Davis. r. J. Reed and Is
rael G. Stone we're on the payroll o
the Department, received check
regularly for many months though
they were never at the Department
and never performed any work 70
the State and notwithstanding ther
was no authority of law for payin
them.
Mr. McCulloch also testified +
other misfeasances In the Depart
ment for which the Insurance Com
missioner was responsible. Anon
other things he declared that hi
own salary was augmented frequent
Iy by adding expense accounts an
inferentially stated that wheneve
Captain Erb needed money he woul
make requisition on the Departmer
and get whatever sums he wanted
HIS testimony was corroborated b
Davis, Reed and Stone and II VIC