Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1910-11-03
Berry'S False Pretense.

enough in all conscience, but far worse
in his false pretense with relation to his
services in unearthing and furnishing
the State capitol grafters says Pitts
burg Gazett-Times. The use to which
Mr.. Berry put this deplorable episode
in his campaignings for Office tended
to impress the public with the belief
that he was instrumental in discover
ing the crookedness and was devoting
all his energies to overhauling the of
tenders. The fact is that he was re-
peatedly appealed to by the newspa-
per men to take notice of the affair be-
fore he would touch it, and that all he
did was to employ the information
conveyed to him for his own particu-
lar ambitious purposes. Nevertheless
it is upon his supposed intimate asso-
citation with the exposure of these
frauds that Mr.. Berry has lived, moved
and had his political being ever since.
1t will be recalled by the readers of
The Gazette. Times that the only off,
cial investigation Of the capital frauds
was conducted by special committee
of the Legislature under instructions
from Governor Stuart, and out of the
inquiry grew the prosecutions which
afterward resulted in the conviction,
imprisonment and death of the guilty
mer. The chairman of this committee
was former Senator John S. Fisher of
Indiana county. Mr.. Fisher has just
addressed a statement to voters in
which he says, among other things:
''No citizen of the commonwealth of
Pennsylvania gave less aid 20 that in
vestigation than did Mr.. Berry, be-
cause he did absolutely nothing. AT
ter the investigation commission was
organized, it's first official request for
information and assistance was made
upon Mr.. Berry. In his reply Mr..
Berry stated in substance that he knew
nothing that would aid the commits.
sion and that he could not refer to any
witnesses or give it any document
which would throw any light on the
alleged capitol frauds. l am now par
ticularly surprised at this confession of
ignorance on the part of Mr.. Berry in
view of his recent declarations that he
had spent large sums of money in hir-
ing experts to assist him in making in
vestigations. Within one week after
Mr. Berry's confession that he could
not aid the commission by the produc-
ton of facts, the commission itself
laid bare the whole fraudulent trans
action.
The truth is that Mr.. Berry had the
evidence of the fraud stacked up all
around him and was oblivious of its
existence. Even large number of the
vouchers given for the outrageous pur-
chases for furniture and furnishings
bore the official stamp of Mr.. Berry's
own approval, given after he had en-
tered the office of State Treasurer"
There can be no legitimate criticism
of Mr. Berry for any actual part he
may have had in uncovering corrup-
tion in connection with the capitol
building. Nobody wants to rob him
of any credit which is his proper due.
At the same time it is the height of
DEM gogism, not to say impudence
and false pretense for him to claim un-
usual distinction for what he certainly
did not do. The moment that he real
lied that the Republican party and a
Republican administration were de-
termined to bring to account all who
had been guilty Of grating, and all
who had been unfaithful to their trusts
MIR. Berry lost active interest in the
proceedings. In other words, it suited
his game To pursue the wrong-doers
as long as he could wiring partizan adj
vantage from such a course, but as
soon as he discovered that only the
public welfare was to be served, that
crime was to be rebuked regardless of
the political predictions of the pros
secuted or prosecutors, Mr.. Berry's
zeal cooled off, Senator Fisher, there
fore, has done timely service in laying
bare Mr. Berry's recaleitrancy at a most
critical stage in the States history,
when the assistance of every cou.
rageous official was needed in order
that justice might have its way.
Mr. Berry may be money honest.
His organs say he is, as if that were a
rare virtue and the sole requirement
of man seeking high office. The
Philadelphia Record, q Democratic
newspaper, referring To an incident
some years ago, touching certain per
sons now dead, when state treasury
funds were placed in a depository, so
that a third man might borrow there
from, says "if that was a crime IL was
morally a crime for State Treasurer
Berry to give note for Sl6, 900 To- Jas.
NJ. Gutfey, Democratic boss, and
have that apparently worthless piece
Of paper discounted in bank carrying
over $500. 900 OF state money. so far
as We are abe To discover, the bank
that advanced Si5. O00 out of the state
funds on "A Berry note while Berry was
State Treasurer is yet out the $4,000.
The Record never has supported
and never will support men Of the
Berry type for governor Of Pennsyl-
vanlau
The Record supported Mr., Berry