Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1846-08-28
f'ram ne Ohis Siaie Journal.
THE STATE DEBT,
Hoe Il eas created and by loioml- The frauds
aRd pccHia,ioHS derelopedl

every intelligent man. that a change IN our State
affairs had become necessary. The debt Of the
State had been annually increased from 1886 to
1874. In 1886 the whole amount Of our State
debtsforeign and domestic, was only So, ,456,6b4.
I'm 1899 il had been increased about tceiUe nal
lions aud half being more than screen millions
in three years. In l8I2 il was sl6,947 $40.
In 1874 the permanent debt Of the State appears,
upon the books of the Fund Commissioners and
Auditor of State, 10 have swelled TO the enormous
sum of NINETEEN MILLIONS TWO HUNDRED AND
EIGHrY-NINE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND TWELVE
poLLARsl with large temporary debt for money
borrowed to pay Interest," the whole amounting
20 nearly TWENTY MILLIONS.
There had been an nualde6citin the erevenue
of the State from 1886 to 1914. The Auditor
informs us in his annual report of the State liza
bilities-Dec. 1842, Doc. l3-that the sum due
10 the sinking fund was ''rising two millions of
dollars" for the payment of which the faith Of
the State was solemnly pledged to its creditors.
In addition to this, the deficit in the interest fund
for the last seven years Is more than one million
eight hundred thousand dollars!
Ii is not difficult TO ascertain the cause which
produced this unfortunate condition of our State
finances and debt. The public voice has decla
red IN tones MOTTO be mistaken, hatthe engineers,
control of the money borrowed for the purpose
Of completing our public works and of paying.
the debts due to the contractors and laborers of
the State had been squandercd and misapplied.
Ii had been corrupty layished upon parizan IA
vortes, while the officers whose duty it was to
raise the means necessary 10 pay the annual in
terest upon the State debit for the sake of retain.
ing popular favor, neglected to levy sufficient
taxes 10 meet the demands Of the treasury, while
they applied large sums of the principal borrow
ed from year to year 10 pay the accrulng interest.
These are facts which the records of the State
prove beyond contradiction.
For the purpose Of silcncing the pu0lic clamor,
which was becoming too loud to be longer disre-
garded, partizan committee or board was APP
pointed in March, l8l2, ''with full power and au-
thority to investigate the accounts and vouchers
of the several members of the Board of Public
Works." This resolution did not reach the main
sources of frauds and pccuIation which existed.
Ii was not only the accounts but the acts and do.
iags of the board and their agents that required
investigation.
This committee, composed of Jacob Mcdary,
VIM. Travit aud II. A. Moore, made but Il par
Iial examination of the accounts of the board;
but even this examination disclosed the fact thai
the membarsof the Board and their late colleague
had, in November, 1884, more than Hirty,GCe
hoHsaW doiiars Of the public money in their
hands entirely unaccounud for. How much
they had taken from the treasury, for their
own private purposes, in 1912, they did not re-
port. The whole of the year I812 passed, and
until ,cembcr, l8l3, during which time nearly
four millions were added to the State debt, and
still these men were retained in office, with un-
limited control over the millions borrowed by lhoI
State. II is to pay the interest upon these mil
lions hat the people of the State have now toI
submit to heavy taxation.
In December, 1913, Mr.. Brough, Auditor of
State, brought the subject before the Legislature
in his annual report, in which he pretty distinctly
charged the board with squanderng the public
filnds-countonancng pcculatlons and frauds
keeping horlcs of pIacemon and Iecchcs iasen-
cd upon the public works-with gross neglect of
duty, and Ignorance, if not corruption, in the
management of the public works; and as the
charge was und rslood by the Board themselves,
soiaras one of thcmcmbors was concerned, "wlth
IroRigdcg, dishonesty dlm mcOmPeteacy."
Instead Of boldly meeting these grave charges
and demanding an immediate and thorough in
vcstigalion, as honorable and innocent men would
have done, this notable board, in their animal re-
port, dated more than a month after the public
charges had been preferred against them, made
poor, lame, pIlilul excuses and attempted To cover
their doIinqucncics without even demanding an
investigation. The "party" resisted all efforts to
reform the board, and in despite the Wings who
had majority in one branch of the Legislature
sill continued them in office.
1t was not until the Wings hada majority in both
branches of the Legislature, at the session COM
mcncing in December, 1914, that provision was
made to bring these faithlcss and corrupt agents
of the State 10 the bar of public justice for trial
and condemnation.
On the 22d of January, 18l5, Mr. Archbold, a.
democratic member from Monroe, offered res
luton charging upon the Board of Public Works
misdcmcanors and crimes of the most fragrant
character, and nslructing the committee of f.
nance TO enquire into the eXpedency of bringing
in bill to secure n thorough investigation of
these abuses. This resolution was passed by n
unanimous vote. The bill was afterwards rcpor.
ted and passed by vote Of 45ayes to 23 noes
of the noes every one being democrat. During
the progress Of this bill an amendment was Of.
iered by Mr.. Reemelin, the democratic member
from Hamilton county, which led to the passage
of another act, providing for an examination of
the proceedings of the Board of Canal Fund
Commissioners. The act for the examination
Of the accounts, books and proceedings of the
Board of Public Works provided for the organi.
zaton of board with full power to make the
necessary investigation.
To the abors of these commissioners we are
indebted for full and conclusive proof of the
facts establishing the charges which had been
made against the Board of Public Works and
their subordinales.
II is now known how part at least of the
h,y Ia, Gtut h,s ka, 4
ed andlavishedupon lavorites by illegal contracts,
extra allowance, and other modes of peeulation-
the members Of the board taking care to secure
10 their friends, if not to themselves, full share
of the money plundered from the people.
In IL