The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-05-11


King George inherits a throne that
is set upon a powder mine, yet his
tory may repeat itself and the King
of to-day and tomorrow may pleas
antly surprise his millions of loyal
subjects as did the King of yester-
day.
The Independent, in a previous
issue, advanced the idea that the
newspapers should call attention to
the uncovering of the graft which
is now in progress all over the
country. AS the metropolitan news
papers with their large circulation
are using Scare" headlines to call
attention to the graft exposures in
the larger cities, it devolves upon
the smaller country papers to do a
little digging and uncovering of
graft in their own localities. We
want to call attention to some graft
that has been practiced upon the
people of Wayne county, and which
the editor of the Independent has
some knowledge of. This gentle
man, who has always been shouting
stop thief" to call attention away
from some of his own grating, has
shown his ability, whenever he has
had a chance, to outgraft some of
the big grafters. Just one instance
of a steal can be best understood by
the following example of his capac-
ity to graft when he has opportunity.
When the Uniform Primary law was
passed, it became necessary for the
county commissioners to pay for
printing the primary ballots, this
money being refunded by the state
to the counties. The size and num-
ber of these ballots, and the labor
necessary to print them, has not
changed materially since the first
primary was held. Reformer Haines
charged the county $500 for the bal
lots used at the first primary, and
was paid that amount. At the next
primary, emboldened by his success,
he charged $3.50, and was paid by
the county commissioners, but the
Auditor General at Harrisburg re-
fused to pay the bill, but cut it in
half, and only paid the commits
sioners $l75, and in so doing gave
vent to his Indignation at the at
tempted steal by stating that
Haines had charged more for Wayne
county ballots than had been charg-
ed by any other county in the state
in proportion to its population. AS
Haines had received this $3.50 from
the county, in order to get back the
$175 overcharge, the commissioners
had to wait until the following fall,
and then deduct it from a bill which
he then rendered.; and by this means
the taxpayers recovered the $l75 of
graft which Haines had use of with
out interest from May until Noyem-
ber. About this time the Citizen
Publishing Co. was formed, and they
requested the privilege of bidding
on the next ballots. After carefully
estimating the cost of paper, ink
and labor necessary to print the
same sized ballot, but much larger
number, the Citizen gave an esti-
mate of sos, which was accepted
and after completion and delivery
of the ballots, was paid, and care
full cost account proved that the
amount was all that any honest con-
Germ could fairly expect or demand.
Now, in corroboration of our charge
that the Independent deliberately
oYercharged, which is another name
for grating, the Independent agrees
TO do this year the same work for
$77.OO, which is an open confession
that when he charged $500 he rob-
bed the county of 1928 by charging
nearly 400 per cent. more Tor the
work than 1t was worth. When he
charged $3.50 for practically the
same Job year latter he endeayored