The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-10-26


openly fulfill this important public
pledge, but Chester has yet to learn
the beneficiary of it.
Further. during his campaign as
a Mayoralty candidate, Mr.. Berry
declared with great gusto that any
official who accepted and used rail-
road passes, was equally guilty with
the man who received the bribe Of
barrel of -four. Yet Mr.. Berry,
as Mayor. used passes!
Berry Had to BE Driven to Exploit
Capitol Frauds.
Luck again aided William II.
Berry, when he was elevated to the
State Treasurer's office. Backed by
the united support of several par
ties. including Democrats and inde-
pendent Republicans, II was not dlt-
ficult to overcome the then Repub-
lican nominee, Mr.. Plummer. In the
official responsibility as State Treas
urer, it is due again to record that
Mr.. Berry accomplished one notable
public good-the exploiting of the
State Capitol frauds. But what else
could he have done under the de-
mandatory conditions confront
ing him? Even an itinerant on a
railway, who discovers brok-
en- rail. would naturally give warn
ing to trainmen and save lives. But,
verify, the act neither prove the
itinerant's general attributes, nor
evidence his fitness to be manager
of the road. Mr. Berry rendered a
public service, granted; but 1t is not
one act of a man that calls for en-
1t off r.
gued by Berryites), but the general
character and equipment of the as
pirants.
In truth. however. William II.
Berry not only did not discover the
CAPITOL graft, but it is a fact that he
had to be driven into making expos
ure of it. Soon after MIR. Berry's
induction into the State Treasurer
shin, there entered the Office of
big daily newspaper in Philadelphia
one night a well-known Columbia
Assemblyman. He inquired wheth-
er the editors had observed one pc
culiar line in a recently-lSsued
SmuIIs Handbook. which record re-
ferred to nine million dollars eX-
pended for furnishings to the new
state capitol The sum stated was
new and startling one, above the
four millions announced as the cost
of the building. and the editor-in-
chief of the daily forthwith sent MS
star" man to Harrisburg to ferret
out reasons and methods in this
newly-recorded enormous eXpendl-
ture. The press representative went
so far in his Investigations as to
find. for instance, that plaster OF
Paris limitations for marble had been
used as one scheme in fraudulent
tricks, and he at once urged upon
Treasurer Berry to take up gen
eral exposure. Mr.. Berry held aloot
The following Sunday the newspa-
per representative visited Mr.. Berry
at his home in Chester and, sus-
tained by the personal request OF MS
editor-in-chief and the latter's as
surance of his papers support OF an
exposure, the reporter again Valnly
Mead for Berry's consent to de-
nounce the frauds. Finally, on the
following week, being still further
pressed, State Treasurer Berry at
last permitted one of his clerks to
especially 90 over his predecessors s
books, and sufficient clues to the
big steals were found. Then only
did Berry begin shouting from the
house-toDs his own glory as graft
eXposer.
Now, for further frailties of Mr..
Berry. the "refOrmer," whilst he
was state Treasurer. First, bank
ing institution that he later favor
ed with State deposits of more than
63S million dollars, significantly be-
came his bondsman for nominal
sum. Subsequently, the same bank
extraordinarily granted some sort OF
$4,000 loan to a business enter
prise of Chester, in which concern
the patronizing State Treasurer, Mr..
Berry. held stock interest In 9TH
er words. did not Treasurer Berry
exercise the Commonwealth money
to attain banking favor for his pri-
Vate business interests,
Berry's Questionable Deals Whilst
q S,ate Official.
And there was still another inter
esting transaction in finance during
Mr.. Berry's incumbency as State
Treasurer, that was but recently
forced TO light. This was an odd
borrowing of $4,000, attained
through the Endorsement of note
by Democratic Boss James NJ. Cuff
fey, and the Boss additional favor
to Mr.. Berry of S4500. When con-
fronted with the deals, Mr.. Berry
claimed that he wanted the money
to prosecute the Capitol grafters;
later he said that he needed it for
his business ventures; more recent
ly that money was necessary TO save
him from assassins! Meantime,
however, Mr.. Berry begged to assure
a confding public that he had given
adequate collateral. security to COW
er Mr.. Guffey's Endorsements. But,
10! there followed a sale of this al
legged adequate security, some 200
shares of BerTy's engineering com
pany, and the stock sold for $7O0-
a surprising collateral for Mr.. Cuff
fey's Endorsement for $4,000
loan. And, be it added, since the
loan was negotiated, in 1908, neith-
er principal in part nor any interest
has been paid, as alleged, of the
banks claim.
When it is considered that James
NJ. Guffey had, in addition to the
afDrauamal loans praVionglV pOp-