The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1857-08-28
SO. William II, Gibson.

lH55, 6SS,574 "
1865, william II. Gibson, 35O,6is s.
| The act OF ls46 authorized the Treas
u-or OF State to call upon Couly Treas
urers to deposit in advance Of their Feb
ruary settlement. Mr.Breslin was no
backward in svaiing himself Of tn,
power conferred upon him by that law
The County treasurers we're liberal il
their deposits. In 1855 he refunded tc
them $7l,s27,49 which they had paid
, above the amount Of taxes due from
their Counties to the State. AT the an
nual settlement in 1856, Mr.. Gibson
refunded 10 them an excess OF $44,1S3,
80, which had been deposited with Mr..
Breslin previous to his retiring from OF.
fee.
WHO Is THE DEFAULTER,
The evidence against Mr.. Gibson
consists Of acknowledgements made by
him to public officers and committees OF
the Legislature, in his official charact.
ter, and under the solemnay OF his Of.
fetal oath. There is nothing in the tes.
timony Of the witnesses indicating that
he had embezzleJ the public funds.-
Though we have made diligent inxuiry
we have found no trace OF any invest
ments having been made by him, hey ond
what his private pecuniary resources
would justify.
The books OF the Office DO not show
that any portion Of the balance due the
State from Mr.. Breslin, was ever paid
to Mr.. Gibson, or that any funds were
ever placed in his hands TO redeem out.
standing certificates to county treasu.
rers.
In his settlements with county treas.
urers in 1856, Mr.. Gibson received the
certificates OF depos or receipts issued
by Mr.. Breslin, and charged himself
with them as cash in his account with
the several classes OF revenue. The
act OF ls46 required the county ,reasu.
rers TO make these deposits with the
State Treasurer, and prescribed the time
and manner OF making them. They
had been made in exact conformity
with the provisions OF the statute. 1t was
not, therefore, competent for him 10 pro.
them on the account Of the several parties
to whom they had been issued.
| in the "Settlement Book these certif-
Gates are carefully marked with the initial
letter or full name OF Mr.. BIeSlin.
| Mr.. Gibson kept his accounts and made
his reports in a manner which implied that
Mr.. Breslin had in full the balance due from
him TO the State. He has been silent about
any defalcation on the part of his predcess-
or. His silence raises the presumption of
payment. The legitimate in ference, under
ordinary circumstances, would be that the
indebtedness had been fully discharged; but
in the financial transactions of the Ohio
state Treasury, this reasoning is altogether
illogical.
Mt. Bliss transferred all the balances due
| from his predecessor to his books; yet il IS
well known that Mr.. Whtehll, without
authority OF law, retained $4,000 of those
balances. 1t is true, aud but justice to Mr..
w. to say, that upoon close scrutiny of his
accounts. this sum has been found really
due aud has been allowed to him.
By the same process OF book. keeping, Mr..
Breslin concealed a deficit of S65, ,00D for
his predecessor. He not only concealed il,
| but, IN response to a resolution of the Sen.
ate, averred that Mr.. Bliss had paid over TO
him the balances which appeared Oh the
hooks of the Department.
II has been the uniform practice of sue
cessive Treasurers to carry toward to bal
ances due from their prede cessors, without
regard to the fact ofpayment The manner
in which the books OF the Office have been
kept does not, therefore, prove that Mr..
Breslin furnished Mr. Gibson the means
with which to redeem outstanding certli-
Gates, or paid him any portion Of the public
n ba ~ NJ # T. &,
ofhc cial term.
The statements Of Mr.. Gibson, made on
numerous occasions, in his official character
and over his ofhcial signature, make q very
strong case against him.
In letter OF Merch IL, 1856, addressed to
Mr. Kelley, Chairman oil the Finance Com.
mittee oi the Senate, he says: "My predecess.
or has provided means, from time to time,
to meet these certificates. and but s | 80 900
are now outstanding. When he fails 10
place me in funds. will refuse to receive
these illegal certificates" The certificates
issued by Mr. Bresin in 1855, amounted to
S76O, O,7l5.70 The foregoing statement, there
is equivalent to an acknowledgment of the
receipt OF s630,7is,7O at that date.
In an official statement of the condition
Of the Treasury, (Which has not been pub
lished, but which is in our possession, furn-
ished by him to the same Committee, he ac
knweldges that he had received from his
predecessor in Office, up to the 10th of Feb =.
ruary, 1886, the sum OF s509, ,sO5, l9. His
letter Of the Goth Of March, 1856, is mole ex.
plicit and uneqniyocal than either of the
preceding statements. 1t is, perhaps, the
strongest item Of evidence against Mr.. Glib.
son, WEIGH has been submitted 10 our con-
srderation. 1t is so specific, minute and
circumstantial in its character, that we deem
it proper to give it in full. ltis as follows:
STATE TREAsURER's OFFIcE,
II CoLuhnus, March Goth, 1856.
Hon. Il. Kelley, Chairman, &c.
DEAR SIR:-Belov find statement Of the
gross and several sums OF money paid me by
John G. Breaslin, ESQ.,, late Treasurer, &C.
cout OF balances due from him.
January IL, 1856. .$223,77l O2