The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-08-08
THE COLUMBIAN, BLOOMSBURY, PA.

sion of this Legislature to undo
and thwart and gag and bind fas
the man they elected to look aftet
this money. This was no part o
that campaign. This was no issue
before the people. The simpl,
proposition was the election OF {
man in whom they had confidence.
Mr.. Speaker, l ask you and thi.
House, regardless of politics, l ask
you as citizens of this Common.
wealth, is there shadow of a square
deal in this proposition ? By the
terms of this bill you deprive the
incoming State Treasurer of the
last shred and vestige of power III
depositing many millions. You
would transfer from him to this
Board of Commissioners the power
that is given him by virtue of his
Office to have control over these
funds. You would place the dispo-
sition Of ten or twelve million dol
lars of the peoples money in this
Board of four men, two of whom
are simply Gubernatorial creatures,
and none Of whom was ever asked
or expected by the people to have
anything to do with this business.
You would place the money in the
hands of men who are not under
bond for it. Do you think the peo-
pie of this Commonwealth ever con-
templated anything of this kind?
If there was one thing made clear
in that election, it is that you are
free men now. No longer need you
fear any whip piled over your head
in this House. No longer do you
see the gentleman from Philadel-
phia, in defiance of the rules, pass
up and down the passageways of
this House, giving orders about
certain bills and threatening that if
you disobeyed, your appropriation
would be cut. My friends, they
are all down and out, and past and
gone, and this State today enjoys a
new birth of freedom. I ask you,
my friends, to be free men. Will
you tell me that you will go back
home and confess to your constitu-
ents that you voted to tie the hands
of tie man they elected to Office as
State Treasurer Will you vote to
thwart the will of the people who
elected man who will give us an
honest deal and square admins
tration of the Office of State Treas
urer? l appeal to you, not as Re-
publicans, not as Democrats, but as
men elected to represent the people
OF this State, who placed this man
in Office, that we should and must
rise above the consideration of par
tisan politics, and not concur in
this amendment"
Yet several of the Machine
whips" continued for nours in.
venting arguments against Harman.
Even Mr.. Jackson, sponsor for the
bill, argued that it would be a great
to the incoming Treas
urer to have the distribution of the
funds done before his installation.
Harman, returning again and again
to the conflict, felt obliged to be-
come more personal than he had
been. He said that "the very is
sue upon which Mr.. Berry was cleo
ted was that the Treasurers, tor
years, had manipulated the funds
Of the Office to the shame and dis
grace of this Commonwealth, and
the people rose in their might and
smote that shame and demanded
that it be wholly abolished"
Harman expressed the belief, if
his appeal should fail, that by the |
irst Monday of May, 1906, every
lollar Of the States money will be |
'nugly slowed away in the favorite |
banks. There are twelve millions |
,ow, and every dollar of it will go. |
Mr.. Berry was elected to handle
hose twelve millions. He was not |
elected to be a member of a Board |
n which he would have no power"
Mr.. Harman added that, of course,
Mr.. Berry could not be prevented |
oy this or any other legislation |
rom "lifting the lid" He was
sure to do that, all right; but it |
would be a pity if he should be bar
red from putting out the existing |
funds.
Harman was victorious in that
light. The bill was changed in ac-
cordance with his demands, and al
though the Democrats still con-
demned certain features of the
measure, they had the satisfaction
Of seeing the operation of til e
new law deferred until Iune