Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1857-02-21
ssoh OF Edward III. Jansen
na.e state Treasurer, Asking for

Relief. Ao1
Inc following petition was presented
and read in the Assembly on SATURDAY.:
1o ne Honorable, the Legislature Of
The State Of Wisconsin. :"
The Petition of Edward Fl. Janssan
late State Treasurer of the State resnae,'
fuliy showeth, that he is still indebted q
the state IN the sum mentioned in the re-
port OF the State Treasurer, and that he i
unable to satisfy the same. Your petition
further showeth that he entered upon the
discharge Of his duties as State Treasure
IN the month of January, 1852. that he
was re- elected in the fall of 1858. and that
he went out of office in the fore part Of
January, 1856. Your petitioner is unable
to state the cause of the deficit in the
Treasury, but believes them to be careless
IN book keeping and dishonesty or Grimm
al negligence Of those who had access 10
the vaults, besides himself. Your petition.
err further states, that while not only the
law made it Incumbent upon him to ap-
point assistants, he was still more compelled
so to do, by necessity, in order to discharge
the complicated duties ofthe Office, through
whose hands the funds pass in and out of
the Treasury
Perhaps no plea can be devised to make
these assistants responsible for any deficit,
nuless they were caught in the very act of
purloining the funds or allowing Others so
to do, and therefore the State Treasurer
has to trust, in a great measure, to the
honesty of his assistants, especially when
he is unable tc attend to the duties of the
office for any length of time himself.
Your petitioner further showeth, that BY
the will Of an inscrutable Providence, death
in the most horrible form, visited the fam
lily during the prevalence Of the cholera,
when he lost his brother father-in- law,
and three Of his dearly beloved children,
while his wife lay at the poinr of death,
and has confined in poor health ever since
Some time preceding this, one of his chill
dren was burned 10 death in the conflaga-
ton Of his dwelling house. These success
sive calamitles have worked upon the mind
of your petitioner in such a manner, hat be
was for some time, unable to attend to any
business Or even TO care about it, and that
he was consequently frequently absent from
Madison, during the two last years of his
term Of office, and when ia Madison bodi-
~, was with mind and thought, at home,
among the few loved ones that were vet
spared to him.
Your petitioner believes that the causes
of the defalcation occurred during the last
two years of his term, and that he verify
believes that during his absence as afore-
said. the Statute making it the duty Of the
Secretary of State and Governor to inYcs-
tigate the vouchers OF the Treasury at the
en! Of each quarter, has seldom, if ever
been complied with, otherwise the deficit
must have been sooner discovered, and
could not have so largely accumulated !;
but your petitioner, relying not only upon
the honesty and capability Of his assistants,
was certainly of the opinion that the duties
of the other officers, as aforesaid, would be
strictly executed, otherwise your petitioner
would sooner have resigned his office when
he found that be but partially MAS able to
attend to the duties himself for any length
Of time.
Your petitioner begs leave TO assure the
Honorable the Legislature that not one
cent of the missing funds rave been APP
propriated to his own use, Or through him
to the use Of any other person or persons;
that ne has not squandered any money,
nor has he been guilty Of gambling or spec
ulating, and that at the close Of his term
of office he was not worth more than at
the beginning, except by sum Of money
received by him and his deceased brother
from their father in Germany.
Your petitioner respectfully states that
he has nc more property than is necessary
to keep his family above want and to edu-
cate his remaining children; and that if
this Legislature should not interfere the
ruin of himself and family will be the
consequence. Your petitioner therefore
respectfully prays that your Honorable
body will pass a law for his relief, and will
ever pray, &c
EDWARD H. JANSEN.
February 6, 1857.