The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-02-27
To Dcct. Holt Editor Of the .uiners' Express

To DCct. Holt Editor Of the .HlnerS Express:
Our respective positions in the community in
which we live, seems to impose the re-
luctant necessity Of noticing some editorial re-
marks in your paper of February 20, 1880. In
the discharge of your duties editor Of pub
lie journal, you certainly could never forget that
| there can be no higher aim or wish on the part
Of a person entrusted by the public choice with
the duties of responsible office, for the faithful
performance Of which he is required to give sat
istactory- security, than that those duties should
be found on proper cstigaton to have been
faithfully performed, the confidence of a gcncr-
GUS public met and private character left unin-
iurcd. | am aware of the advantage OF your
position, a mere insnuation from whatever mo-
tive originating, mere conjecture upon what
ever basis founded, q mere insinuatng inquiry
put forth under the form of the article alluded
to--and all this concocted in the privacy Of your
own chamber, commands a circle of public at
tention, for good Or evil, which no private infu-
ence can equal, and not untrequently wakes up
an unjust and ungencTous prejudice, which no
opposition can counteract or dispel Your arti-
Gle anticipates the appearance OF a Forthcoming
public report and con lectures deficiencies in that
paper which you have no right in this manner
to anticipate. You speak of your confidence in
Mr.. 0 Brcn to meet every wish in the fullness
Of tina. report Why this announcement in adj
vance? Has anv suspicion been intlmated a.
gainst Mr. O'Bricn? T. there any want of con-
tidence anywhere in his ability, integrity or vii
lnGness. He has or should have the arguments
at his command to make such report SILL
be full and satisfactory, and where is the ncces-
sity of an insinuaton IN advance, notwithstand
ing this confidence and ability, that this report
. will be unsatisfactory This remark implies 4
want of like confidence elsewhere. You more
than imply, nay, you directly charge me with q
dcrecton in my official duty treasurer of this
county. You say cit is Il notorious tact thai
numbers of town lots have been sold for taxes
during many years past, but what has become
of the proceeds Of these sales is left to wide anC
vague conjecture What do you call noto
rous fact? Upon what justifiable basis do yor
found this antici paton? How can 20 assert that
what is become of these proceeds is left to wide
wide and vague conjecture The proceeds must
have come into my hands as treasurer, and from
what cause do you wish to charge me with sc
gross dcrilcction of duty as the malversion OF
these proceeds' Have you examined records
and vouchers so as to become aware of this n0t0
rious fuct9 Again, you say if we are Brightly
informed &c. What do you mean by Brightly
informed"? Where could you get right inter-
nation on such matter, except by examining
records, vouchers &c. Have you thus examin.
ed them' If not, do you consider "notorious
fact right information, founded perhaps on ru-
NOR, perhaps upon isolated conjecture, without
a thorough investigation, justfiable ground to
make the assertion ethat there is nothing on the
record to show that either the State or County
taxes have ever been paid over by the treasurer
to the State or County, neither does the record
show that the gross proceeds of the sales have
been accounted for" You say ga vust amount
of culpability rests somewhere &c. Now
where from your ''vague conjecture, "notorious
f,ctur and dark insinuations does il rest except
upon my shoulders? Upon what investigation
of facts do you make this assertion? You anti
cipate report of which you profess to be igno-
rant as TO its intended contents, and yet you
charge culpabilty, &C., with us much confidence
as though you had the report and proofs fully