7
“The Somerset
Gounty Star.
SALISBURY. ELK LICK POSTOFFICE. PA.. THURSDAY. MARCH 25. 1909.
NO. 11.
n
1, VOL. XV.
y
FEPAP IER t igi tig ab Apa A re hE NELF TRUS N
p. 4 3 X RT I Ce
Ce ve : 2
nd bh 3% See
ol. $I 9 2%
4 #2 LECTUS 1a £
en Ld &: :
BE A 1d #
‘Bo i ver, Anyhow.
Oi ® Lodp
dp 9 [ J<3
Ae ..2®
ok 4 % A friend from a western town writes: 5%
ny 25 “We can trace at least a thousand increase of popula- 2&
ce- $F tion the past year from the fact that the fifty-four mem- Z#
oe $F bers of our Commercial Club about a year ago all agreed ¥2
ne . 2% to have printed on the back of their business letterheads 3
% px pr! L$
(Z¢ © description of the town, its location, climate, natural ad- ez
wif 1 3 vantages, possibilities for business, etc. Thus every letter €%
/%9 they wrote was an advertisement for the town. The town £%
Ha v 0g
4 2 booming matter was artistically printed, and the catch line 34
& being visible as the 32&
3 folded sheet was tak- X4
<P or
x en from the envelope, X¢
Car- : 2% few persons failed to o4
vers hi read it. Inquiries for 5%
£3 more information 5
ne Ze came pouring in, and 3
9 \ 33 then the people came “
ts 2 pouring in. Why #2
FS: : don’t you try to have %X%
Pa, 2 your people do like- KE
3 wise ¢” £
<X€ PY
zk Now that looks +
x like a sensible propo- I
b 25 sition. Suppose fifty Z¥
3 of our citizens should *
3 have their stationery ir
= printed with such mat- #3
i ter on the back! Say #
32 they will average a TY
‘32 thousand letters a Tg
= year. That would be os
33 fifty thousand little :
IE booms for the town, I
2% ©going out to all quarters of the compass. +
3 One of these letters might strike the eye of just the 3
#% right party and bring us a new factory, an educational mw
p< . . . . . . hb
£3 institution, or even a good substantial family looking for is
$i g y ng odo
. it a desirable home place. i
2 It is worth trying. E34
3: We can get up the descriptive matter for you and do ¥3
Ltd th . . ofe
$4 the printing. Too
3% Why don’t you start the ball? 3
dx : 4
xg 3%
i LET’S TALK IT OVER, ANYHOW. : 2
>offe
Xoo fo >
0 Rr x 5
saneneneane sans EEL LLL LILEL LL Lb Lana
<
L
9
2
SF VSR PTT
Tur report that “Timmie” and
“Bobbie” Scull have been kidnapped
and a ransom of 30 cents each de-
manded for their safe return to their
. wives, eannot be verifiled at the hour
+ of going to press. .
Tae miner who held his union’s laws
to be above his country’s, and was on
that - account refused naturalization,
did not differ materially from some of
his fellows who are naturalized. The
enly difference between him and them
~. nellsville Courier.
SexaTOR WoLF, of Philadelphia, has
fritotuesd a bill to increase the esala-
;‘ries of all the Judges in Pennsylvania.
He proposes to give the Clief Justice
of the Supreme Court $15,000 instead of
$10,500, and the Associate Justices $14,-
000 instead of $10,000; President Judge
of the Superior Court $13,500 instead of
' $9,000 and the Associate Judges $13,000;
in counties of 90,000 population, the
salary of the Judges is to be $8,500 in-
stead of $6,00C ; in all other counties
the salary is to be $7,600, It has not
been more than six years since the
salaries of Pennsylvania Judges were
raised by the Legislature, and the Su-
preme Court held that they could ac-
cept the increase, although the state
eonstitution declares otherwise. This
twisting of the constitution did more to
lessen confidence in ‘the Pennsylvania
Supreme Court than anything that has
happened in the last ‘half century.—
Washington Observer.
THE LURID GLOW OF DOOM
was seen in the red face, hands and
St of body of the little son of H. M. Adams,
lizer, of Henrietta, Pa. His awful plight
won- from eczema had, for five years, defied
d by all remedies and baffled the best doc-
have tors, who said the poisoned blood had
upon ki affected his lungs and, nothing could
ough : save him. “But,” writes his mother,
“seven bottles of Electric Bitters com-
pletely cured him.”
Eczema, Salt Rheum, Sores and all
Blood Disorders and Rheumatism,
Electric Bitters is supreme. Only 50c.
|
oD
mon
oD
is that they haven’t confessed.—Con--
| night.
For Eruptions, |
| urine
| recommend Foley’s Kidney Remedy.”
Guaranteed by Elk Lick Pharmacy. 4-1 |
Our Sugar-Makers Should Invade
: Connellsville.
The people of Connellsville, in our
neighboring county of Fayette, are
raising a howl about the highway rob-
ber prices they have to pay. for maple
sugar and syrup. * Their kick is a just
one, and our farmers should send
agents there and take orders for sugar
and syrup, which they are in a position
to sell at much less than Connellsville
prices, and still make lots of money on
their famous product.
In commenting on sugar and syrup
prices in Connellsville, tke Daily Cou-
rier, has the following to say:
“Although reports from Somerset
county are to the effect that maple
sugar and syrup are so plentiful that
the farmers are unable to handle the
yield, there is. no noticeable decrease
in the price of these commodities in
Connellsville. It is said the sugar is
gelling as low as\ five and seven cents a
pound, with but few takers, while the
farmers are unable to handle the syrup
because of shortage of cans.
“In spite of this, the price of maple
sugar in Connellsville remains at 15
cents, and cannot be purchased for
less than this. Maple syrup sells from
$1 a gallon up. Numerous complaints
have been made concerning the high
price of maple sugar and syrup, but to
no avail. The price remains practical-
ly the same as has prevailed for many
seasons past.”
A RELIGIOUS AUTHOR'S STATE-
MENT.
Rev. Joseph H. Fesperman, Salisbury,
N. C., who is the author of several
books, writes: “For several years I
was afflicted with kidney trouble, and
last winter I was suddenly stricken
with a severe pain in my kidneys and
was comfined to bed eight days,'unable
to get up without: assistance. My
urine contained a thick white sediment
and I passed same frequently, day and
I commenced taking Foley's
Kidney Remedy, and the pain gradu-
ally abated and finally ceased, and my
became | normal. I cheerfully
Elk Lick Pharmacy, E. H. Miller, Pro-
prietor. 4-1
but each of them
THE COMMISSIONERS’ MUDDLE.
The County Auditors, who recently
completed theif audit of the accounts
of the board of Commissioners that
went out of office at the beginning of
the year, which board was composed of
Josiah Specht, Robert Augustine -and
Charles F. Zimmerman, have arraigned
the said board of Commissioners in a
most scatching manner, charging them
with a number of very serious and il-
legal offenses. The Auditors have pub-
lished their statement in some of the
newspapers of the connty, together
with their comments on the alleged il-
legal acts they have discovered in the
official conduct of the said Commis-
sioners.
If what the Auditors allege is true,
‘then there is indeed just ‘cause for
complaint, and the complaint should be
speedily followed by legal prosecutions.
Furthermore, if the allegations of the
Auditors are true, there is but -little
doubt that they didn’t discover half of
the fraud that was committed at the
county’s expense by the accused board
of Commissioners.
A full investigation should at once
be made, and if the accused Commis-
sioners should be proven to be a gang
of thieves, as the Auditors’ arraignment
would indicate, they should be sent to
penitentiary for long terms. If, how-
ever, the accused men are innocent, of
any intentional wrong-doing, then the
Auditors should be made suffer. It is
a serious matter to charge men with
misappropriation of money, defrauding
a county, ete., if they are innocent. If
Specht, Augustine and Zimmerman are
honest men, they will welcome a full
and complete investigation, and will
not be satisfied until such investgation
is made. If they are not honest men,
they will try to ignore the charges
made “against them, and hope that
others will do the same. But, like
Banquo’s ghost, this matter will not
down, and it is up to Specht, Augus-
tine and Zimmerman to explain their
alleged unlawful acts contained in the
Auditors’ accusation, which here fol-
lows:
WHAT THE A CDITORS ALLEGE.
The Auditors report that the follow-
ing orders and amounts were improp-
ly paid by the Commissioners, and
therefore refuse to approve the same,
and enter the same as sur-charges
against the said Josiah Specht, Charles
F. Zimmerman and Robert Augustine,
Commissioners of the County of Som-
erset for the year 1908:
Order No. 299, payable to J. R.
Botts, .. 0.4... c. cnvnini nn $ 804
rder No. 491, payable to J.
Wahriek, o.oo ass 125 60
Order No. 834, payable to Wm.
B.Doyle,.......:.......... 18 40
Order No. 641, payable to A.
Pearson, . ---:. ic coun. 10 90
Order No. 869, payable to J. Bis-
bing... cc-ne.v iv. 9 86
Order No. 288, payable to Josiah
Speeht; ..:..........c.0n 66 26
Order No. 289, payable to Josiah
Specht, ......covrieraanees 41 83
Excessive payment to R. M.
Rininger in connection
with the Primary Election
for1908, ................. 19 75
To payment 190 cu. yds. of ma-
sonry at $6.34 per cu, yd. in
excess of actual measure-
. ment of the *“Pilltown
Bridge” in Jenner Twp,,...
To payment of 110 cu. yds. of
masonry at $7.25 per cu. yd.
in excess of the actual mea-
surement of the Sipes-
ville Bridge, Lincoln Twp., 797 50
Orders Nos. 299, 491, 634, 641, and 869
were issued to the parties above named
in payment for repairs on bridges in
Quemahoning township. The Auditors
subpoenaed each of the payees in said
orders to appear before them, and from
the evidence taken it appears that in
each instance Josiah Specht, one of the
commissioners of Somerset county,
was the real contractor for the repairs
of these bridges, and that while the
orders were issued in the names of J.
R. Betts, J. Eschrick, Wm. E. Doyle, A.
Pearson and J. Bisbing respectively, in
the amounts as above set forth, each of
the said parties named in the orders
were entitled to receive but a small
sum of the amount represented in each
of the respective orders, and that
while each of the payees indorsed the
order as presented to them by Mr.
Specht, no part of the money as repre-
sented by the suid orders has been ac-
tually paid to either of the said parties,
testified that they
are to be given credit for the amount due
them, being » small part of each order,
on book accounts held against them by
Mr. Josiah Specht. That Mr. Josiah
Specht supplied material, performed
labor and hired his team for work in
and about the repair of these bridges,
1204 60
by the payees named therein.
id
and drew the money on the said orders | bridge.
after he had secured the indorsement |
The Auditors are advised that Josiah
Specht could not legally enter into a
contract for the sale or furnishing of
any supplies or materials. to be fur-
nished to or for the use of Somerset
county, or make a charge on any work
during the time that he was a member
of the Board of County: Commissioners,
and that his conduct in the above
specified cases is against the policy of
the law and not binding upon the
county.
Upon notice served upon Mr. Josiah
Specht, Mr. Charles F. Zimmerman
and Mr. Robert Augustine, each of
these parties appeared before the Audi-
tors, when an opportunity was given
them to explain the above transactions
and others, and Mr. Charles F. Zim-
merman and Robert Augustine were
each interrogated as to whether they
had any knowledge that Mr. Josiah
Specht, as a county commissioner, was
interested in these contracts for the
sale or furnishing supplies. and materi-
als for the repairs to the said bridges
in Quemahoning township or was being
paid for any services in connecton
therewith. The said Messrs. Zimmer-
man and Augustine refused to make
any answer to these questions and
made no explanation to the Auditors,
Wherefore the Auditors have refus-
ed to allow the said Josiah Specht,
Charles F. Zimmerman and Robert
Augustine credit for the amounts rep-
resented by these respective orders,
and have entered the same as a sur-
charge against them as above set forth.
Orders Nos. 288 and 289 were issued
to Josiah Specht in payment for the
traveling expenses of the Commission-
ers, Josiah Specht, Charles F. Zimmer-
man and Robert Augustine/incurred in
the visitation of sever#l State Institu-
tions for the purpose of securing in-
formation to be used in connection
with the proposed new County Hos-
pital. On the several trips Josiah
Specht acted as the treasurer for the
Board of Commissioners and made set-
tlements for them, and for this reason
the orders are in the name of Josiah
Specht, to reimburse him for the
money so paid out. The bill submitted
by Mr. Specht shows that these trips
were made about the middle of the
month of May, 1908, and an examina-
tion of the “court record shows that
neither the Grand Jury nor the Court
had taken such action as would justify
the Commissioners in expending the
money as aforesaid, until after tle
term of court held in September, 1908.
It therefore appears that this money
was expended prematurely on the part
of the Commissioners and prior to any
time that they could legally incur any
obligations on the part of the county
relative to the new county hospital.
The minute book of the Commissioners
shows that the said Josiah Specht,
Charles F. Zimmerman and Robert
Augustine, as county commissioners,
took no official action in connection
with the construction of the said coun-
ty hospital until the day preceding the
expiration of their term a8 county com-
missioners, at which time they entered
into a contract with an architect to
prepare plans and specifications for the
said building and supervise the same
during the course of erection and con-
struction. And while the Auditors
would be willing to pass these items if
the county would derive "any benefit
from these trips, they feel that inas-
much as no action was taken by the
Commissioners until the day preceeding
the expiration of their term, and that
no benefit can be derived by the county
because a new board of commissioners
will be obliged to adopt plans and
gpecifications and have charge of the
erection and construction of such build-
ing, and any information secured by
the retiring ‘Board of Commissioners
will be of , no use or benefit to the
county of Somerset under the circum-
stances ; independent of the facts above
stated, we believe the charges are il-
legal, and therefore refuse to allow
them. .
In connection with the holding of
the Primary Election in the Spring of
1908, certain amounts were paid to R.
M. Rininger, amounting to $184.27.
These payments if properly made
would have been refunded by the State,
but the State only reimbursed the
county to the amount of $164.52, and
therefore the Commissioners are sur-
charged with the difference amounting,
to $19.75.
Numerous complaints were made to
the Auditors relative to the costs of
certain bridges erected during the year
1908, and as a result of such complaint
the Auditors have taken occasion to
make an examination of two such
bridges, one erected in Jenner town-
ship and known as the Pilltown bridge,
and the other erected in Lincoln town-
ship and known as the Sipesville
The Commissioners paid for
erection of the Pilltown bridge. The
Auditors employed a competent and
skillful engineer to make a measure-
ment of these bridges and submit the
result of his calculations. Two of the
Auditors accompanied the said engin-
eer to the Pilltown bridge, and were
present at the measurement, and as a
result of the measurement the calcula-
tion submitted by the engineer shows
only 215 cu. yds. of masonry were used
in the construction of the bridge and
that the County Commissioners had
paid for 190 cu. yds. in excess of the
actual number of yards of masonry
‘used in and about the construction of
the said bridge, and by reason of this
excessive payment by the Commission-
ers to the contractor, the Auditors have
surcharged them with said 190 cu. yds.
paid in excess at the rate of $6.34 per
cu. yd., or the amount of $1204.60.
In connection with the construction
of the Sipesville bridge in Lincoln
township, we find that the Commission-
ers of Somerset county paid for 460 1-4
cu. yds. of masonry at the rate of $7.25
per cu. yd. This bridge was also mea-
sured by the said engineer and a calcu-
lation was made, which calculation
shows that there are but 350 cu. yds of
masonry used in the construction of
this bridge, and that the Commission-
ers of Somerset county paid for 110 cu.
yds. of masonry at the rate of $7.25 per
cu. yd. in excess of the amount of cu.
yds. actually contained in the bridge,
and the Auditors have accordingly sur-
charged the Commissioners for such
excessive yardage, the amount of
$797.50.
This report shows that approximate-
ly $24,000.00 of the county’s money has
been expended during the year 1908.
in the repairing and building of bridg-
es. How much of this money has been
carefully expended, the Auditors are
unable to say, but the investigation of
the two bridges above mentioned
shows that approximately $2000 of this
money has been paid contractors on
those bridges, in excess of the amount
that was justly due and coming to
them.
The Auditors have not been able to
make an examination of the numerous
other bridges that have been erected
during the year 1908, but the result of
the examination as made by the Au-
ditors leads them to believe that due
caution has not been observed on
part of the Commissioners in expend-
ing the county’s money in the erection
and repair of bridges. The superin-
tendent employed by the Commission-
ers, the viewers and the Court ought to
make special examination in each par-
ticular case, not only as to the quality
and quantity of the work, but as to the
amount contracted for and to be ex-
pended, and guard jealously the rights
of the county in every particular. in-
stance. There is a widespread belief
that large amounts of money have been
unjustly paid in connection with bridge
contracts in past years, and while there
is perhaps no remedy for the reclama-
tion of the money thus paid out, yet the
authorities can perhaps be more care-
ful in the future in the observance of
all duties imposed upon them and see
that money is not improperly expend-
ed. Respectfully submitted,
W. H. H. BAgER,
Jaco 8S. MILLER,
S. A. KRETCHMAN.
Auditors.
A SwipE AT THE PSoR BOARD.
The County Auditors have also
charged the Board of Directors of the
Poor and House of Employment with
illegal acts, and following is what they
have to say on that score:
The Auditors find that the members
of the Board of the Directors of the
Poor and House of Employment of
Somerset county, Pa., for the year 1908,
issued orders .to William Brant, J. F.
Reiman and A. F. Swank in the sum of
$135.00 each, in payment of back salary.
At the time Messrs. Brant, Reiman and
A. F. Swank were elected and qualified
as Directors of the Poor and House of
Employment, the annual salary of the
Directors of the Poor and House of
Employment fixed by the Act of As-
sembly incorporating the House of Em-
ployment for Somerset county, was $50
per year, for each of said Directors.
During the year 1907, a general Act of
Assembly was passed, increasing the
pay of Directors of the Poor in the
several counties, and if applicable to
Somerset county, would entitle the
members of the Board of Directors of
the Poor and House of Employment in
this county to receive $300.00 yer year,
Notwithstanding the passage of this
Act, the Directors continued to serve
during the year 1907 at the rate of
$50.00 per year, in accordance with the
provisions of the act of incorporation
| aforesaid, and settled with themselves
for their services during the year 1907,
| in the amount of $50.00. This sum was | Auditors and others about as. deep ix
tors’ report for 1908. Inasmuch as ne
appeal was taker by the Directors from
the said _audit, the present Auditors
think that audit is conclusive as te
them, and that no allowance can be
made for services performed by them
during the year 1907, other than the
amount settled for in the audit of 1908
The Auditors afe further advised that
the Act of Assembly above referred ta,
which increases salaries of Directors of
the Poor, cannot apply to officers whe
had been elected prior to its passage,
and whose term of office had not ex-
pired, even if it should be held to be
applicable to Somerset county, and for
these several reasons refuse to allow
the Directors credit for the same, paid
to the following parties for services as
Directors of the Poor and: House ‘df
Employment, and surcharge William
Brant, J. F. Reiman and W. W. Baker,
as Directors of the Poor and House 6
Employment, in the following accounts,
viz:
Back salary paid William Brant,
$125.00 for 1907.
Back salary paid J. F. Reiman, $125.
00 for 1907.
Back salary paid A. F. Swank, $125.00
for 1907. !
Increase salary paid William Brant,
for year 1908, $250.00.
Increase salary paid J. F. Reiman,
for year 1908. $250.00.
The said William Brant,J. F. Reiman
and W. W. Baker, Directors of the
Poor and House of Em ployment, were
advised that their accounts were being
audited, and appeared before the Au-
ditors.
W. H. H. Baxer,
JacoB 8S. MILLER,
S. A. KRETOHMAN.
Auditors.
Epitoriar COMMENT.
Having now given you the Auditors’
remarks in full, we will conclude with
the following comment: Relative te
the Commissioners’ muddle, while the
surcharges on bridges may be based on
justifiable reasons, yet we can hardly
see how the Commissioners can be held
responsible. The law provides that
after a bridge has been built, the
Court shall appoint inspectors to de-
termine whether the contract has been
complied with. Such inspection was
made of the bridges complained of, and
the report of the inspection thereof
duly confirmed by the court, if we are
correctly informed.
While we are not thoroughly famil-
iar with the law as it concerns this
kind of a case, it is our opinion, how-
ever, that the report of the viewers or
inspectors and its confirmation by the
Court, releases the Commissioners
from surcharge. And, if it be true, as
we believe it is, that the report of the
inspectors and its confirmation by the
Court fail to protect the county’s in-
terests, why should that mode of ex-
amination be allowed to exist?
The Commissioners are liable, of
course, when they make corrupt bar-
gains in letting contracts, or are found
guilty of corruptly paying for extras,
etc. It is not claimed that the work
done on a few bridges in Quemahoning
township, in which Specht had been
interested, was to defraud the county.
The bills seem to be all right, but the
matter complained of is that the Com-
missioners have been interested im
private-contracts, contrary to law.
The Auditors’ surcharges to the
County Poor Board, we ‘view as noth-
ing but mere “tommyrot.,” The Fay-
ette and Cambria -county courts hawe
both held that Directors of the Poor,
under a special act of Assembly, are
not public officers in the sense as con-
tained in the Constitution, but are of-
ficers of a private corporation, and that
their salaries may be raised during a
term of office. The whole matter of
surcharge to the Directors’of the Poor,
looks like a flimsy, demagagic dodge
on the part of the Autitors.
We have known surcharges to be
made ever since we know anything
about Auditors’ reports, but ‘we have
never heard of a dollar being collected
for the county as a result of such sue-
charges. We regard this as an’ oppos-
tune time to-call the attention of the
tax-payers of Somerset county to the
fact that audits in the past, so far as
the County Auditors’ surcharges and
arraignment of other county officers
are concerued, amounted to nothing,
except such use as scheming politiciame
could make of them. The county
never recovered a cent of the various
amounts surcharged, and the Auditore
in many cases have been merely a set
of cheap, incompetent guys acting as
pliant teols in the hands of fake re-
formers and “holier-than-thou” poli-
ticians. Half of the County Auditors
in Pennsylvania haven’t got sense
enough to-carry guts to a grizzly, and
we are not sure that the Somerset
county Auditors are an inprovemsent
over the half complained of. However,
their charges in this instance, against
Specht, Augustine and Zimmerman,
are so serious as te demand prompt
and thorough investigation. When the
investigation is made, however, if made
at all, it is just as likely to show the
405.8 cubic yards of masonry at $6.34 | allowed by the Auditors who had |the mud as Specht, Augustine ané
per cu. yd., to the contractor for the | charge of their accounts in the Audi- | Zimmerman may be in the mire