The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1855-09-26
The Public Works again--A
FalsehOOd exposed. 3

to pay much attention to charges made
over fictitious signatures. In contro-
versy of this kind the unknown writer has
a considerable advantage, where he makes
personal charges. However false his
charges may be no one is responsible, and
when he is convicted, no one knows who
the falsi6er is. 1t lis under mask of this
kind that writers, too cowardly to assume
the responsibility of their falsehoods al
ways make their attacks. The same veil
is sometimes used by writer's who are con-
scious of their inability to maintain their
assertions, in order to escape exposure.
To which of these classes the writer's
of the Journal over the signature of Tax
payer" belong, for the present we will not
state. We will allow them to plead ig-
norance or designed Misrepresentation,
whichever may best suit them.
Were it not that these writer's pervert
an authentic document. in such way as
to make some persons unacquainted with
the facts believe their charges, we would
treat their article with the contempt it
merits. a
In our last paper, under the caption
"The Public Works-Who are the best
Managers" we gave o series of tables
showing the whole amount of money col
'ected on the four principal canals of this
State during the last year. We omitted
the Walhonding canal as unimportant; the
greatest amount ever collected on it in
any year being but little over $4,000.
The Roads were omitted for the reason
that they were not in the table from which
we copied; but they would have made only
a very trihingi change either way. We
gave these tables from the year 1S45 to
the year 1850 while the Works were in
the hands of a Wing Board, and from
1850 to 1855 while under Democratic
control. We showed clearly the superb
ority of the Democratic managers. We
have re-cxamined our article since it is
1 in print, and find it entirely correct ex-
cept that the word "proft" occurs where
it should read "amount."
A pair of the Journals correspondents,
who always feel that a sore place is touch
ed when anything is said about Wing
delinqueneies, put their heads together to
concoct a. reply. They charge that the
amount which we state as the receipts of
the collectors during the Democratic term
are put down "to make the sum prove" +"
We gave the total amount received by
the collectors, whether paid into the treas
ury or not, during both the Whig and
Democratic administrations, as we found
them, and as they are correct in the Re
port of the Auditor of State. If we had
given only the amount paid into the treas
ury, it would not have been what we pur-
ported to give, namely, the whole amount
collected And as we gave this amount
1 in both administrations, it was perfectly
fair, and the only way that was fair. The
writer's do not charge that the work from
which we copied was not authentic, but
that we added to the sums given, and
thereupon proceed to give what they claim
| (whether they believe it or not, } to be the
correct figures. We gave an amount Of
receipts during the Democratic term which
they claim is too large. The difference
between our figures and theirs exists SIM
ply for this reason. We giue, as orr arti-
Gle purports to, the schole amount collected,
a.portion Of aoAich is applied aoitsout pas
sing through the treasury and they gire only
the amount paid into the treasury. They
either through o blunder or design got
thold of the wrong table. Now as the
whole amount collected is always greater
& s.
than the whole amount passing through
the treasury, of course our figures would
be greater than theirs; and as part is
less than the whole, of course their figures
would be less than ours. a4 as
Our article purported to give and die
give correctly, the amounts collected, az
any one can see by examining the last
Report of the State Auditor; yet these
writer's either ignorantly or designedb
Igive the contents of another table, anG
because it is not the same as ours, charge
tus with intending to deceive. ~ Now i
their ignorance led them into this false
hood, and they will call at our Office, VIZ
, viii show them in one minute, that oul
statements were correct. s.5S.t.. ...s. 8
i The charge is, that we over stated tht
amounts collected by the Democratic off
GERS, in order to make greater difference