New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-22
IAN END OF BARNES"
Fear Lest the Wish Be Father to
the Thought.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: | think your editorial, "An End of
Barnes" shows your wish is father to the
Thought Barnes is still the Republican Ma
tional Committeeman from New York State,
and he will be until after the next Republ-
can National Convention. "Three years ago"
said Mr.. Wickersham, speaking in the Consti-
tutional Convention from Democratic view
rointN Mr.. Barnes "laid the American people
under everlasting obligation to him." 1t may
be so! This morning "The Times" says edl-
torially: "Mr. Barnes is an able, an honest,
and a courageous man." The report of the
special committee of the Senate appointed to
Investigate the city and county of Albany
ithe Bayne committee, James W. Osborne,
counsel) says on Page 66:
almost all the printing and advertising for
the City of Albany is done by the Journal
Company and the Argus Company, and the
major portion of the printing and advertising
for the County of Albany is done by the Jour
nal Company, the Argus Company and the
J b. Lyon Company.
"Mr. William Barnes, jr., the Republican
! leader in the city and county of Albany, owns
/ the majority of the stock of the Journal Com
pany, and he also owns one-fourth OF the
capital stock of the J. b. Lyon Company
The printing in this city and county has
developed into a form of private secret trust
! in which Mr. Barnes is a beneficiary with
large interests. He not only profits by the
public contracts which the Journal Company
and the j. b. Lyon Company have, but ne also
receives a commission for public work done
by the Argus Company public contracts
which neither of his companies has.
And so Mr.. Barnes profits, coming and
gcing.'
Thus it appears that of three printing
establishments in Albany Mr.. Barnes prac-
tically owns one, has one-fourth interest
/ in another and receives tribute from the
earnings of the third.
This. as will be shown, has not caused
public printing in Albany to be done econom-
/ ically. On the contrary, the gross extrava-
gance in expenditure of public money in
Albany for public printing is simply scan
dalous"
On pages 1l8 and 1l9 of the same report:
"Mr. William Barnes, jr., described the
leader as one whose advice is taken quite
largely, pretty largely. by the men of the
political party with whom he is associated.
Under this definition he admitted he was
the leader of the Republican party in the
]
state committee of the Republican party, rep
resenting the counties of Albany and Sche-
nectady, and was also a member of the exec
utve committee of the Republican organiza-
ton He is at present 1911 chairman of
the Republican State Committee. He testi-
fed before us that ne had taken active
part in politics from early life, and that he
had entered upon this career for the purpose
OF obtaining honest elections in Albany and
clevating politics.
I'VE regret TO say that the evidence before
US showed that Mr.. Barnes's efforts in these
particulars had resulted in dismal failure.
/ Elections are not honest in Albany and poll
| tics are not elevated.
The most conspicuous beneficiary of graft,
public extravaganza and rsiding of the munic-
ipal treasury we find from the evidence to
be Mr. William Barnes, jr., himself, the
owner of the majority of the stock of the
Journal Company. Payments were
made to Mr.. Barnes's company because, to use
the language of witness manager of the
Argus Company who knew the facts, MIR.
Barnes dictated where the printing goes and
the Argus gives up to the Journal in order
70 obtain the printing How much money the
Journal Company received from these sources
did not appear, but il did appear before US
/ that Mr.. Bames's company had obtained I'M
lawfully from the state the sum Of $l3504.50
and from the County Of Albany the sum Of
/ Sl559.50, on the pretext Of furnishing work
which his concern had not done.
When Intercepted as to the payments