Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-05-24
COMMISSION TO
HANDLE THE FUND
State Defense Body Informs
Chairman Pepper That 1t Is
Responsible For Money

Commission of Public SAFETY ana
Defense. The creation of this board
has been welcomed by the executive
committee as an additional assur-
ance to the peope that the commit
tees trust will be fulfilled"
1t was this concluding paragraph
in the statement recently made to
the State Commission of Defense by
George Wharton Pepper, prominent
Philadelphia attorney and church.
man. who is chairman of the Penn
sylvania Public Safety Committee,
that evoked the letter the Governor
sent to Mr.. Pepper in which the lat
ter was informed that the $2,00O,OO0
war fund provided for by the Legis-
lature was not for the direct use of
the committee.
This was ascertained from MEM
bers of the commission who frankly
stated that any State money the
committee might expect to expend, 1t
could secure only through the COM
mission which was authorized TO dis
burse the S2,000,000 appropriation
by the same act by which 1t was
created.
These same members took excep-
1ion to Mr.. Peppers concluding
paragraph and pointed to the para
graph in the Governors letter, which
he wrote as chairman OF the COM
mission, which read: I'VE cannot
agree with your statement that the
appropriation of S2,OOO,OOO made by
the General Assembly was for the
use OF your committee. The act
Com mission of PnhlC
Safety and Defense speaks for itself
and a perusal of it will, L am sure,
convince you OF the fact that the
S2,OOO,O0O appropriation is to be
expended at the discretion OF the
Governor, the Lieutenant Governor
and the military board OF the Com
monwealth."
The statement referred to in the
Governors letter was the paragraph
with which Mr.. Pepper wound up
his presentation of the activities OF
the committee to the commission.
In this same presentation Mr.. Pep
per embodied statement of eXpen-
ditures incurred by the committee
and of the loan of $3.50 made to 1t.
by E. I. Stotesbury, member of
its executive committee, which the
commission has since authorized the
committee to make up from the So0,-
600 with which it is to provide the
. committee.
At least ten days will probably
elapse before the committee will re-
Ceive this $4,000 as Lieutenant Gov
ernor McClain, who was last night
chosen treasurer of the commission
at meeting of that body in the
Governors office, must file bond for
100000, or 100000, before he can
hand over a penny to the commit
tee.
Time will be required not only for
the Lieutenant Governor to file the
{ necessary bond with the State Board
. of Public Buildings and Grounds, but
Il bonding company, as well as
depository for ALL or, any part of
Fthe s2,000,000 appropriation, must
first be found by him.
The depository must be q State
or national bank with q capital and
surplus of at least four times the
amount of the deposit made with it
by the Lieutenant Governor, as
E treasurer of the commission, while
it furnishes itself bond worth twice
the amount of the deposit.
Besides electing the Lieutenant
he having been previously chosen
decreed that representative
of Auditor General Snyder, who as
q member of the State Military
Board, is identified with the commits
sion, should be detailed to the head
quarters of the committee in Phil
adelphia to supervise every expen-
} diture made by Mr.. Pepper and his
: associates of State funds.
Members of the commission ex-
. planned that this would be done in
order that the Auditor General, as
well as the Lieutenant Governor
and State Treasurer, might he kept
advised as to what was being done
with any part of the $2,000,000 war
fund the commission might place
at the committees disposal. No re-
Election was intended upon the abil-
ity of Mr.. Pepper and his associates
to look after the committees
! finances, but merely in accordance
with the usual procedure of the Au-
ditor Generals office in checking up
J on appropriations disbursed by the
; State.
Another move made by the COM
/ mission was to agree upon certain
/ amendments to the bill sponsored
! by Senator Ware which provides for
, the issuance of S20,000,000 worth of
/ State bonds by the State Revenue
Commission for war purpose. These
/ amendments are intended to per-
I feet the Ware measure, which, fol-
! lowing its introduction in the Sem
/ ate on April IL, was referred to the
+, Senate appropriations committee, of
which Senator Buckman, author of
! the bill which created the commits
sion, is chairman.
The commission will advocate,
! among other amendments, the in
/ sertion in the body of the Ware bill
I of q section embodying also certain
/ provisions contained in its title
which reads: IAN act authorizing
| the borrowing of money by the State
/ for the purpose of repellig invasions,
/ suppressing instructions and de-
/ Tending the State in war, designating
! the persons authorized to expend
the money so borrowed, prescribing
! the manner in which such money
/ may be drawn from the State Treas
Z ury and making certain appropria-
tions."
The Legislature will also be urged
by the commission to pass the bill
in its amended form as speedily as
. possible so that the issuance of the
+ bonds may be authorized as soon as
deemed necessary and the money
raised by them used for State war
I purposes when that becomes impera-
! tive.
1t is believed that the Legislature
will do so, especially as the Cover
nor has pointed out that with s3,-
100000 in the State Treasury and
the state finances likely to remain at
! a low ebb from now on until the fall
because of the drain upon them by
, appropriations for other than war
! purposes, additional revenues are
/ required and will he rauYlirad