The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-06-24

interests and his new alliances.
In their first Annual Report to the Gov
ernor, in the summer of 1852, the Com
m%issioners of the Sinking Fund, COM
posed of Auditor MORGAN, Sec. of State
TREvIrr, and Atty Gen;l PuGH, AM
madvcrted upon the conduct of the
Treasurer in severe language. They
repeated their remonstrarces and warn
ings in each of their seven subsequent
reports-the last of which was made on
the 18th Of January, 1856. From these
reports, which so thoroughly vindicate
the views and conduct of those able and
ipfexibly honest officers of State, we
shall extract fully when we have space.
It required a high degree of moral
courage at the time, to raise the issue
they did with a personal and political
fIiend ; but they relied upon the recti-
.ude of their intentions, and the .ttruth
of history" has signal'y vindicated
them.
Auditor MORGAN, in his first Annual
Report of the 18th February, 1852,
thus called attention to the subject:
can examination of the laws orgaBi-
ziDg the local treasures of the various
lconnties OF Ohio, and those having re-
ference to the Treasury of the State,
will awaken surprise that the system of
accountability prescribed for the for
mer is SO explicit and complete, whilst the
laws applying to the latter are loose,
meagre aud inadequate. The impress
sion is a general one, that all moneys
paid into the State Treasury become an
immediate charge against the Treasurer
on the books of the Auditors Office, and
that the daily receipts at the one are
a matter of daily record in the other
The extent to which this impression is
erroneous, may be judged by the fact,
that the late Treasurer of State "a.
A. Bliss, Esp at the date of his retire
ment, was credited on the books of this
office with disbursements to a larger
amount than the liabilities with which
he was charged. This fact unexplained
would seem to prove that the State was
in his debt yet it will be seen by refer
cnce to the special report of the pre-
sent Treasurer, dated Dec. %, 1882
that Mr.. Bliss transferred to him the
sum of $~I,I15,242 81, being q balance
which appeared by his (the late Treas
urer's) own books to be due to the State
This single example will serve to Illus
trate the utter absence of accountability,
which exists between the Treasury and
the coordinate department charged with
the duty of adjusting accounts, pertain
ing to the receipts and disbursement of
the public revenue. As a necessary con
sequence of a system that's SO inherent
ly defective, the accounts of the Treas
urer of State are mainly adjusted by
himself alone, and on retiring from Office,
he settles not with the proper auditing
officer, but with his successor.
1.-The abuses which a laxness in the
laws regulating the Treasury of State
permits to be practiced, have been a cause
of serious and frequent complaint by the
people. Pending the selection of pub
lie officers in the fall of 1851, the exist
ence and practice of these abuses, and
the necessity of a change to secure their
discontinuance, were prominent themes
of public discussion. What particular
legislation may be necessary to accom-
plish so desirable an object, the wisdom
of tho General Assembly will properly
determine.
1:In Pennsylvania, and other States,
the accounts ofthe Treasurer are brought
to a settlement at the close of every
month in the year, and the condition of
the public funds, and the exact amount
of receipts and disbursements in each of
said months, is fully exhibited in the
Auditors Annual Report to the Legis-
%lature."
In each of his succeeding Reports,
Mr.. MORGAN, was equally earnest in his
demand for tho necessary legislation to
protect the safety of the Treasury.
Gov. MEDILL, in his first Annual Mes.
sage asked the attention of the General
Assembly to the subject in the following
paragraph:
A practice is eaid to have grown up
In many of the large towns, of Banks and
Brokers paying interest on deposits. The
State surely has no objection to this when
confined to the transactions of private
individuals. But it is also charged that
these establishments sometimes become
the repositories of public officers, aud
that large sums are thus realized by
specializing upon the money of the peo-
pie. These representations may have
their origin in mere suspicion, but they
have called forth q feeling of dissatis-
faction and alarm, that can only be
allayed by the adoption of such meas
ures as will p~retent,the possibility of so
dangerous a practice. The present stat
utes are defective in this particular and
require revision. The public money
should be guarded with the utmost care,
and all application of it, except for the
purposes for which it was raised, should
be strictly prohibited by law"
In his last Annual Message he again
refers to the subject in yet more en-
rhatic language. This we shall also
copy on another occasion.
The Convention which re-nominated
Mr.. BREst1N on the 9Th of January,
1858, placed him upon the following
platform
"1O. ResozUcd, That the separation
of the moneys of the State from Bank
ing Institutions as indispensable for the
safety0f the HnGs and the rights Of tie
People, and ace are therefore IN fauor of
an ENTIRE DIVORCE OF THE
STATE FROM ALL CONNECTION
WITH THE BANDING INSTITU-
TIONS, AS REPOSITORIES OF
THE PURTTG MONEYS