The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1849-09-21
HOME MATTERS,


As might have been expected, The usual
term Of "whig lie" has been the argument
in reply TO our last article. THIS is useless.
There are but two specific chargesi one OF
which is based upon the Auditors Report.
published by your order, the other has al
fordcd theme for popular conversation and
poi Pular amusement for some time past.
You will find it impossible, then, TO con
vince the people that they have men ofpru'
denee, capacity aud experience, at the head
Of their county affairs, unless hereafter you
should be able 10 redeem your characters by
pursu ng a system OF strict economy, and
acting under the advice Of more cautious,
skillful aud experienced men than your
selves.
| The title Ofour article, as We promised
ourselves, obtained Tor II speedy perusal,
and its contents were highly interesting to our
numerous readers of both political parties,
For this We claim no honor. The matter,
and not the manner of treating it, was Of
deep interest to the tax. payers; and the in
dividuals, who have the control of over S20,-
600 OF county funds, are, at the present time,
you may be assured, held in no slight regard
by the people, whatever might be your
standing and influence, were you not coun-
| ty Commissioners.
When we intmated that we intended to
address you another note, through The col
umns ofthe GdztHe, il was our original in.
tenlon TO give you breathing spelI;" but
the taxpayers are clamorous for further de-
Velopements and we, as a matter of course,
must consult their wishes.
We are well aware that difficulty exists
among yourselves, in relation to the Hook
ing bridge. Ifyou continue to abuse each
other, as you did prior to the primary elec.
ton, tho people may be induced to place
some confidence in the charges; you had
better, at once then, close the controversy
by calling upon the testimony, aud have the
case tried before jury of the people, that
The guilty one may be punished and the in
nocent protected, We will do you justice.
Let it but be explained TO our satisfaction
that either Of you were unwilling to allow
full pay for a piece of work, not performed
according TO contract, and we will not only
acknowledge the fact, but publish 1t to the
world. Wo! be there, then, to the guilty,
Convinced as the tax payers will be that
you sinned "wh light and knowledge"
their severest Indignation will follow.
But our present object is not to recall to
your minds the $500 paid for printing; nor
to the 500 paid for mending bad job nor
10 the $3.50 paid to yourselves; nor to
the immense amount Of pens, ink and paper,
required for the county scribblers, which
will no doubt be lassened the next year, as it
is certainly reported that one, or more, of
your candidates canscarceIy write his name;
but your attention is called to the buying
and selling of property, and the little adj
wee, that wo may bo led to bestow upon
you, without money and without price.
Your former Auditor can tell you that we
acknowledged your wisdom, foresight and
prudence, in some late purchases Of Real
Estate for the county. Subsequent events,
however, have led us TO believe that we
praised you wrongfully, and that all the mer.
il, attaching to you in these transactions,
arises from the fact that once you followed
the counsel of wiser men. II it be so, we
take back our acknowledge of merit, as
we would not knowingly do you injustice.
When you received the Greed Farm"
in exchange for portion Of the county stock
in the Lancaster Bank, many prudent men
considered it, and we considered it, prof.
table operation. II is needless now to give
the reasons, as we do not intend to arraign
you for purchasing the farm. But you sold
/; again, We fear without consulting the men,
who advised you to make the exchange,
and it Is this part of your management, with
which the people find fault and for It many
c.arge you with hvoriIiSm, very many with
u want OF prudence and business capacity.
Had either ofyou, as individuals, purchas-
ed a farm at bargain, you had the right
10 dispose of it as you pleased You could
have offered it at public sale, at private sale,
or you could have given it.awHy to relatives,
acQuaintances or political friends. II was
private matter, under your own control
and You could manage it as you pleased
But when, as public agents, you have been
fortunate enough to "drve good bargain
for the county, your duty is plain and well
defined. You should make as much out Of
it as you can. lfyou purchase Real Estate
aud do not think it profitable or proper tha t
the county should hold it, your obvious duty
would be to follow the course to some ex.
tent, marked out for Executors, Admins.
traitors and Guardians. Should one these
agents dispose Of a tract of land under their
control, or even personal property, without
an advertisement in some public newspaper
that they wished to sell it, they would not
only violate the law, but would render them
selves obnoxious to the charge of lavoritsm.
You, as county Co nmlssioncrs, possessed a
valuable farm, which, ii appears, you thought
advisable to SELL What was your duty in
the premises!
Was it to ask this individual o. that in