Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-02-24

count of the abolishment of one OF
these subordinate offices. Speaking
for myself, l wish to say frankly and
unqualitiedly that l welcome and in
vite the fullest public criticism of all
my official acts and when such criti-
cism is free of malice and prejudice
and devoid of selfish personal or po-
| litical motives it shall receive my
utmost consideration and attention,
but otherwise l shall ignore it. | know
that much of this criticism is born
of malice and prejudice and it was
accompanied by threats, both open ana
covert, but the large majority of those
who are alleged to have condemned
my course have done so either through
misinformation or from overzealous
but blined loyalty to personal friend
ship.
What Everybody Knows
Everyone who knows anything
forced upon us knows that the only
reason given by its advocates was that
it would enable the public business
to be ira 1sacted in the same economi-
cal, expeditions and efficient manner
in which a successful private business
is conducted. That was the stock
phrase used and repeated time and
again by the small minority in our city
who favored this change and who are
now leading the attack against carry
ing into effect the very purL ose for
which the change was made. 1t was
the law they advocated and supported
that abolished this office and all the
other offices and positions named, so
that the new officials selected by the
people might be unhampered in their
efforts to put the administration or
public affairs upon business basis.
Three of the five departments created
by said act already had salaried chief
executive heads, but the Legislature
said that three of the five newly con-
stituted heads should take their places
at salaries arbitrarily fixed and that
these new executive heads should eX-
erciSe paramount authority, subject
to the will of the majority of the
Council. The adjustment of two of
these heads by the Legislature, and
concurred in by the Council, thereby
saving almost $4,000 a year in fixed
charges, seems to be acceptable to
transaction, and If this is true, why
shouldn't the abolishment which the
Legislature effected in the third de-
partment, which was allotted to me,
be concurred in also and thereby save
another $4,000 in fixed charges per
annum, which can be applied to the
annual salaries arbitrarily fixed by the
Legislature for these new heads of said
departments.
'r''r Asks Questions
Isn't the curtailment of expenses
one of the primary objects of the act
as well as one of the fundamental
principles of private business OPP
erations, and didn't these critics say
the act was intended to put public
business upon a private business basis?
Their last utterances- however, seem
to indicate that instead of private
business basis they really meant a
personal friendship basis. 1t seemed
to me that this material saving of
$1,000 to the taxpayers in fixed charges
would have appealed to the large
number of prominent business men,
who are alleged to have condemned
me, as good business proposition,
and I still believe they do regard the
principle as good proposition in the
conduct of their own offices. Why,
then. should 1t not be sufficient rea-
son to Justify my course? However,
my critics, unable to attribute this
particular instance to their favorite
cry of politics, because it abolishes an
Office instead Of changing it's incum-
bent. are constrained to charge me,
openly and by innuendo. with incom-
three months, and their indispensable
favorite still drawing his salary and
presumably performing the duties for
which they pretend so much jealous
concern.
Questions Fairness
They are certa My frank, but are
they fair? That is the reason I have
stated these criticisms are inspired by
personal malice and prejudice. Let
them show fair play and give me
chance. and If can't do the work to
the satisfaction of the majority of the
unprejudiced and fair-minded people
of our city, condemnation will then be
merited. The people had enough con-
fidence in me to elect me to this office,
and / shall not agree to forfeit their
confidence and respect by submitting
to the dictation of critics who show
such manifest contempt for their judg-
ment in selecting me by attempting to
convict me of incompetency in advance
of even a trial All I ask in behalf
of my friends and myself is fair play.
but since my competency has been SO
unfairly and wantonly attacked, for
the information of those who I have