The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-06-24
tFrom the Newark AdvOcate.l
~Stupendous Defalcation
TIE BLACK REPUBLICAN
PERFORMERS" AT WORK!
The state Treasury Collapsed,

defalcation exceeding HALF A MILL
ION OF DOLLARS has been dis.
covered in the accounts of w. III. Glib
son, the Republican State. Treasurer
elected in the fall of 1855 under the al.
luiiug banner of"RETRENCuMENT
and REFORM"
The public announcement of this enor.
nous defalcation has fallen like a thun-
der clap on the ears of a wonder. struck
community, and honest Republicans, as
well as Democrats, are filed with in
tense indignation at this startling evil
dence of dishonesty in those who, cry
ing "Stop IHigf7'I sought and succeed
cd in gaining possession of places where
they might piIlage and plunder to their
hearts content.
This man Gibson is a man Of abb ity,
a lawyer, a former Babk President, a
Railroad President. a s~peculator in stocks
and a political declaimer of tact, power
and eloqueuce. In the last Presidential
contest, it was the boast of his special
admires, that he had stumped ortrco6n-
ties of Ohio previous to the first of Sep
TENDER. During the disastrous contest
of 1855, which resulted ia the election
of Chase & Co, his speeches all over
the State, were distinguished for their
intense bitterness and heir foul assaults
CD the motives, capacity and integrity
Of the Democratic State Administration
then in power. He appealed to the
people to drive the THIEVES" and
"IMBECILES" from power, and to
elect Chase and other men who had the
intellect and integrity essential to the
proper supervision of the States best in-
%terests. Under the excitement and de-
fusion which then unhappily pervaded the
length and breadth of the country, these
impassioned appeals fell on willing ears.
The Democrats were driven from power,
and the people, m;sled by false issues,
and. confding in the sincerity of the
pledges of the Republican leaders, sur
rendered the State into the keeping Of
Messrs. Chase, Ford, Gibson s. CO. And
now, at the end of bare seventeen
months-BEHOLD THE RESULT
A pretence has been set up, that this
enormous defalcatioD of $547, 900, is in
fact the default of Mr.. John G.. Breslir,
who was the former State Treasurer
and the brother-in-law of Mr.. Gibson.
"DrolDntng me catch at StT01cS," aud
desperate politicians may seek to save
themselves by clinging to this imposture.
But it ~woniido-it is faliaciors. Itmay
answer for awhile still further to deceive
and mislead the coIfdiDg, but it wont
bear the test of intelligent examination
Its utter improbability, il not trans
parent fqlsity established not simply by
the last annual report of Mr.. Breslin in
which he mnutely particularizsd his
losses, but by the annual reports of the
present Republican State officers, by Che
message of Gov. Chase, and by the
special report of the Finances Investiga-
ting Committee (Messrs. Taylor, Sin
nett and Smiib,) who devoted months
during the summer and fall OF 1856, to
a thorough and searching examination
of the past and present condition of the
State Treasury. All of these authori-
ties establish the fact that t e outside
amount due from and not yet spaid by
MIR. Breslin, was some $2l2,C00 or
thereabouts. If an additional sum of
over half a million of dollars, was then
missing, how came it to escape the de-
lection of a committee of Investigation
who it is not to be presumed worked
blindfolded, or suppressed the truth!
But in addition to. the contradiction
which is given to this pretence by Gov.
Chasc's message, by the Annual Report
of Auditor Wright, and by the special
report of the Investigating Committee,
we have still another authority that is
conclusive aud overwhelming. It's the
report of Nj. ALFRED KELLEY, April
7, 1856, accompanied by the written ac-
acknowledgement of Mr.. Gibson that Bres
lin had, at stated times, within six weeks
after leaving the Treasury, paid him
(Gibson,) the entire amount, lacking
S212, 600, due at the expiration of his
Rreslin's) term of Office. That all our
readers may see this report, and The dis
tinct official acknowledgment of Mr..
Gibson, we spread them out in ,our col
umns. If any one desires to examine
them in the original Legislative docu-
ments, they may be found in the Appen-
dix to the Senate journal of 1856, pages
SO to 81. The reader will particularly
observe by Mr.. Kelley's report, that
the amount he alleges to be the sum due
to the State from Mr.. Breslin at the
expiration os his term of office, was as
certalned by an experienced
selected by Mr.. Kelley to assist in his
examinations-a gentleman, too, of
whig politics, who for fourteen years
preceding 1852, was the chief clerk of
the Treasury Office. As already remark
ed, the amount thus ascertained to be
due from Mr.. Breslin, except the sum
of 1912, 600, had, according to Mr.. Glib
sons W written statement, furnishing
dates and amounts in detail, been paid
owe to him as long ago as the 5th March,
1856. The unpaid balance of S2l2,-
600, is fully referred to by Mr Kelley
in his report. By reference to it, the
reader will see that $4,000 of that sum
was amply secured by a deed of trust
on valuabie.real estate; and that an ad-
d~itional $25, 900 was q deposit debt due
from a crippled branch of the State
Bank of Ohio, which Mr.. Kelley re-
garded as safe. Deducting these sums,
the actual net loss through Mr.. Breslin's
mismanagement, is reduced to a total
of $4,000. The man and the admins
tration who were elected to succeed him,
and who were pledged to introduce
thorough reform and accountability into
the financial affairs of the State, have
already, before the second year of their
administrator has half expired, given
the public a fulfllment of their pledges
in the form of a defalcation 50 enormous
that 1t erceeds any that has sver before
occurred an the history Of any State IN
the UniOnl
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49, ~