New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-22
TIE PENNSYLVANIA CAPITOL.

When the discovery was made last fall by
Treasurer Berry that the furnishing" Of the
new Pennsylvania Capitol had cost about
$4,000 O0-more than twice the sum spent on
the building ltseIf-The Tribune had no hesita-
ton in saying that the dlsproportion in outlay
indicated either gross extravaganza or will
full spoliation Of the State Treasury. When 1t
appeared further that definite appropriation
was ever made for furnishing" the building,
and that the 100000 had been spent by a
state board under a blind authorization inserted
in a routine appropriation act, the suspicion
of mismanagement deepened and cloud was
cast both on the fidelity and watchfulness Of
the supervising commission and on the integ-
rity Of the service given by the successful con-
tractors. Governor Pennypacker the moving
spirit IN the board stoutly defended the ex-
penditure as regular and legitimate. He ar
gued that the state was rich and could afford
to pay a liberal price for the luxurious adOrn-
ment of its Capitol. In his opinion the board
showed a praiseworthy moderation In spend
ing only $9,OOO.OGO when 1t might have spent
S19O00,000 He publicly assured the Pennsyl-
vanla taxpayers that they had got their
moneys worth in fixtures" and told them
that they ought to be proud OF the boards
monumental achievements in interior decora-
ton and establishment
From testimony recently given before an in
vesigatng committee at Harrisburg it turns
out that these achievements were "mOnu-
mental" chiefly In the way of assuring profits
to the contractors for furnishings" BY an
eleventh hour modification of proposals the
bulk of the work was thrown into the hands
OF one speCulatOr in interior work, who there
upon distributed it among the disqualified
single item contractors, allowing himself a per
centage Of profit on their efforts. This per-
centage ran on various items from 40 To 4 300
according to the testimony Of the sub-contrac-
tors. The most monumental" margin of I'M
earned increment so far discovered occurred
In the erection of rostrums for the caucus
rooms Of the Senate and House OF Representa-
tives. The makers of these pulplts for the can
Gus charmen say they received $1,000 for the
two. The "Overlord" contractor charged the
state S35,144 for the one and S55.GO4 so for tbe
other, netting himself a profit of SIS 6S9 80 ON
the transaction For painting and decorating
walls and ceilings the state paid S7S9473 16
and the contractor paid the sub-cOntractors
S164,473 50. These are only samples of the sys-
tenn OF Overcharge which seems to have pre-
vailed in every field of high art establishment
Ex-Governor Pennypacker and his colleagues
are probably right In their contention that the
Legislature gave them full power to draw on
the Treasury and full power 10 employ con
tractors at any prices they might see fit TO
sanction. The monumental" charges allowed
did not exceed the still more dazzling maxima
fixed by the Capitol architect, and the archi-
rect ana the contractors will probably say that
they really held themselves i'll check, consId-
ering the fact that they were working for en-
plOyers with whom cost cut SO small figure.