SUPT. OF PRISONS LATHROP EXONERATED

Levi Morton.

Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, October 10, 1896.

LATHROP EXONERATED.

Superintendent of State Prisons Not Guilty.

DECISION OF GOVERNOR MORTON.

Charges of Malfeasance In Office and Other Accusations Had Hung Over Him For More Than a Year.

 The Charges Dismissed.

   ALBANY, Oct. 10.—Governor Morton has rendered a decision dismissing the charges against General Austin Lathrop, Superintendent of prisons, thus disposing of a question which has been before the legislature and executive departments in one form or another for upwards of a year and a half. This is the second time a chief executive of the state has dismissed charges against Superintendent Lathrop, Governor Flower having had similar charges to deal with and dismissing them.

   The executive order dismissing the charges is accompanied by an exhaustive opinion, covering over 35 large pages in typewriting and reviewing each of the 13 specifications and the whole case in detail. The governor sets out by reciting the facts leading up to this inquiry, which began with an investigation by a sub-committee of a joint legislative committee appointed in February, 1895. The report of that sub-committee and the action taken before it was transmitted to the legislature and to the governor in May following, but no formal charges accompanied them and no action was taken in relation thereto.

   The matter lay dormant until Sept. 17, 1895, when formal charges were preferred with a petition for the removal of the superintendent from office by John M. Weber and Jubial B. White of Plattsburg. A copy of these charges was served on Superintendent Lathrop as required by the constitution a week or so later, and in due time he filed an answer denying the accusations, specifically and generally.

   Hon. Elon R. Brown of Watertown was appointed by the governor to take the testimony and to report the material facts deemed by him to be established by the evidence. A large number of sittings were had, and on June 30 last Commissioner Brown filed his report.

   The testimony and report submitted by the joint legislative committee were made and considered as a part of the charges.

   Briefly stated the charges were that the superintendent was guilty of gross malfeasance and neglect of duty through the purchase of inferior beef by the agent and warden of Auburn prison at higher than market prices for beef of better quality; that the said agent, and warden sold a large quantity of scrap iron and brass belonging to the state, worth from $700 to $l,000, for $75; that he also sold a number of horse collars manufactured in the prison for a sum much below their market value and concealed the record of the sale on the prison books; that excessive salaries and compensation were paid to Charles N. Smith and one Peterson, as employes of Auburn prison and that the account of contractors with the prison were not required to be promptly settled; that the bookkeeping at the said prison was negligent and the books unbalanced until the comptroller sent an expert accountant to examine them in the spring of 1895; that large profits from prison labor in hollow-ware manufactures were lost through the superintendent permitting a change from the "public account" system to the "piece price" system; that the superintendent permitted the labor of convicts to be let by contract at a per diem rate, contrary to law; that the principal keeper at Sing Sing prison was permitted to occupy a dwelling house on the prison grounds and belonging to the state, without paying rent therefor; that said principal keeper was permitted to sit in judgment upon the offenses of refractory prisoners and to prescribe and cause to be inflicted cruel and inhuman punishment upon such prisoners without the advice or knowledge of the agent and warden and with consent of the superintendent; that through negligence of the superintendent a $13,000 contract was let for cell locks for Sing Sing prison in 1893, upon which transaction the contractor made an excessive profit amounting to about $5,000; that the superintendent was guilty of laxity and mismanagement in permitting prisoners at the Clinton prison to enjoy unlawful liberties outside the prison walls; that he has permitted some of the wardens and other officers of the prison to use the  property of the state for their private gain and to purchase property for the state at excessive prices so as to secure for themselves some gain or advantage.

   The petitioners charged that these acts were committed by the subordinates with the knowledge, consent and approval of the superintendent, and that after his attention had been drawn to them by the legislative inquiry and the report of that committee, he retained these culpable subordinates in office, knowing that they were no longer fit to hold such responsible positions.

   Superintendent Lathrop denied each charge categorically and specifically.

   The governor reviews with painstaking detail the testimony relating to each charge, and which was fully reported in the newspapers while the investigation was in progress, and the result of his conclusions as to each specification is given in the summing up of the proof and is in almost each instance favorable to the superintendent, or if not exculpatory, at least fairly and reasonably explanatory of his action so far as his subordinates were concerned. As to the 12th count, the governor finds that Albert Thayer, a brother of the warden of Clinton prison, while employed as an officer in the prison, acted as agent of a firm who had a contract in 1893 for the manufacture of chairs by prison labor and that he received $20 a month therefor for almost two years, and he finds that the employment of Albert

Thayer in this capacity was clearly improper and says that it is "a matter which should be carefully investigated by the superintendent."

They Have Them In Cortland.

   The Scientific American says: "The nuisance of the gongs which youthful wheelmen attach to the mounts has been referred to in the New York Tribune. A device which has been suggested, if it has not already been adopted by noise-loving riders, is a chime of bells, of harmonious tones. If the thing goes much further, the board of health will have to take a hand to protect the nerves of a suffering community.

   "A noise-producing arrangement which is common in some parts of Connecticut and elsewhere, although wholly or comparatively unknown in this city [New York,] consists of strips of rubber passed around the diamond frame of a bicycle. The ordinary bands can be used if the front wheel is removed so that they can be put on, or a long strip of rubber, wound around and around, will serve. The strips must be stretched as tight as possible.

   "In a wind the rubber acts as an Aeolian harp, giving forth a sound not entirely unmusical. Sometimes it resembles the buzzing of an approaching trolley car, and is a great mystery to those unfamiliar with it, especially if there are no street railway tracks in sight."

   These rubber bands are found on a number of wheels here in Cortland.

William J. Bryan.

TOO GOOD FOR BRYAN.

That's What the Candidate Says About American Money.

   Bryan has been enunciating a really new theory on the subject of money in his recent speeches. It is that "money can be too good," and "we"—the Popocrats—"don't want money to be too good. We want it to be just good enough."

   The possibility that the money he handled could be "too good" never entered the brain of any American prior to the war, when he was wrestling with depreciated bank paper, which composed the bulk of the money in circulation. He objected often to money because it was "too bad," but he never asserted that an eagle or a double eagle was "too good."

   Between 1861 and 1878, when the currency consisted of depreciated legal tenders, there were many complaints that the money was not good enough. The fault found with it was that it was not as good as gold. Gold money was not considered "too good" in 1878, when bonds were sold in order that specie payment might be resumed.

   Nor since then has it been told of any man that when an American coin or bill was tendered him he looked at it frowningly and remarked: "Take it away! It is too good. I want something that is just good enough."

   Mr. Bryan seems to be entitled to the credit of originating this theory of the "too goodness" of American money as a reason for its banishment and the introduction of Mexican 52 cent dollars, which would be a kind of money "just good enough" for him. The "too good'' gold money must be left for English workingmen and those of continental Europe. The free trader Bryan thinks nothing is too good for them, whether it be gold value money or American markets.

   The American workingman who gets one, two or three gold value dollars a day will please understand that Bryan thinks those dollars are '"too good" for one who belongs to the "toiling masses." He does not object to the quantity of the dollars, but he does object to their quality.

   Think of a man who is a candidate for the presidency making speech after speech to the intelligent citizens of the state of New York in which he declares that money can be "too good"—too honest, too sound—and think of that same man asking his hearers to give up the money they have now and replace it with money which he describes lucidly as "just good enough!"

THAT "GRIP OF GOLD" FORGERY.

The Most Remarkable Lot of Campaign Lies on Record.

   The Bryanites are still clinging to that London Financial News forgery, but their falsehoods about it are very clumsy. As originally put forth the forgery purported to be an extract from The Financial News of March 10, 1896. When on Aug. 13th that journal published an emphatic declaration that no such article had ever been printed by it, either on March 10 or at any other time, the Bryanites asserted that they would prove the genuineness of the extract, which had come to them "certified by a London clipping agency," by producing the copy of the paper from which it was clipped. A short time later they announced that all their efforts to obtain a copy had been fruitless, that "no newsdealer has it and the publishers announce that it is out of print."

   The conclusion which they drew from this state of things was: "The Financial News claims a circulation of 1,500,000, which makes the sudden and complete disappearance of the issue of a certain date all the more mysterious and wonderful. The common mind immediately concludes the issue in question has been called in." We supposed that this settled the matter, but we are now in receipt of a broadside, sent out from the Bryan headquarters in Denver, in which it is asserted that the "Democratic headquarters has now in its possession a certified copy of the article in question, clipped from the London Financial News of April 30, 1894."

   No explanation is given of this sudden change of date, but as final "proof of the authenticity of the publication" it is added that "Senator Teller of Colorado states that more than a year ago he was shown and read a copy of the London Financial News of April 30, 1894, containing the identical editorial." It is not worth while to chase this forgery any further, for forgers who can shift their dates two or three years without offering any explanation can be trusted not to do much harm among intelligent people.—Evening Post.

VIRGIL REPUBLICANS.

Rousing Campaign Rally in Winslow's Hall Last Night.

   One of the most enthusiastic meetings yet held in the county was that at Virgil last night. Winslow's hall was packed and standing room was at a premium. The principal speaker of the evening was Hon. Thomas McVeigh of Michigan who by his clear, logical demonstrations explained the silver question so that all could easily understand it.

   The meeting was presided over by Dr. Emory. Mr. McVeigh was followed by Judge A. P. Smith and N. L. Miller of Cortland. A very pleasant result of the meeting was the announcement by several Republicans, who had been almost converted to free silver, that they were now satisfied that it was a fallacy and would vote for McKinley.

BREVITIES.

   —A dispatch from Ithaca says that Mrs. Ada F. Spencer of that city yesterday afternoon drew a revolver on John J. McGuire, an attorney of Ithaca, and threatened to shoot him. She was disarmed and committed to jail and was to be arraigned this afternoon. The trouble arose from a divorce suit being tried in that city before Judge J. E. Eggleston of Cortland as referee.

   —New advertisements to-day are—F. Daehler, the Melville hats, page 5; A. Mahan, pianos, page 6.

   —The two Pierce bicycles to be disposed of at the C. A. A. fair next week are on exhibition in the windows of F. Daehler's clothing store.

   —Prof. A. F. Newlands of Kingston, Ont., addressed a large company of teachers, including those in training at the Normal, the public school teachers of the village [of Cortland,] of Homer and of Moravia, at Normal hall to-day on the merits of the vertical system of writing.

   —The electric, lights were turned on at the C. A. A. club house last night to test them and they worked finely, making the entire house one blaze of light and showing the decorations to the best advantage, which have already been put up for the fair which is to be continued all next week.

McGRAWVILLE.

Crisp Local Happenings at the Corset City.

   The Salvation Army corps from Homer was in town Friday. It will open their meetings here in Kinney hall on Tuesday next.

   A large number of Junior Christian Endeavorers left for Cortland this morning via Pritchard's overland train.

   Mr. Fred D. Graves is receiving congratulations upon his appointment as chief engineer of the fire department. Mr. Graves is a popular member of W. J. Buchanan Hose Co. and the village fathers gave entire satisfaction in making the appointment.

   There will be a meeting at the residence of Mr. N. H. Gillette on Monday evening for the purpose of organizing a Chautauqua circle. All interested are invited to be present.

    One of the features of the parade this evening will be the new and novel transparencies which Mr. A. P. McGraw has had constructed. You must see them to appreciate them. He has also made enough neat white caps with visor for the male employees of the factories to wear. Each cap bears the emblem "Corset City Protectionist." Both transparencies and caps were made in the McGraw Co.'s factories and are a sample of the fine work done both in the corset and box departments.