Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1857-02-06
fremont gournal,
FREMONT: OHIO.
ISAAC M. KHnhHR, Editor.
Friday, February 6, 1857.
asuEI,IING COMMITTEE. ON THE
PUBLIC WORKS.

Until VIC "smelled the filth which the
above committee has turned up, we did not
fully understand the reasons for that deter
mined, opposition to all investigation, which
the leaders Of the black democracy have
shown. Now, we fully comprehend it.
Never before was our editorial proboscis ap-
piled to such reeking mass of abomina-
tions rs tho doings of this Board Of Public
Works. Had they been denominated
Board for Stealing and Squandering Public
Money, they would have been rightly
named. But why is it that there is not an
honest democratic paper in the States We
do not remember to have seen one that has
come out honestly and said,-if there has
been cheating let it be exposed,-if our
/ State officers have been dishonest, out with
the proof Sure we are that this isl
the spirit of the republican press. We ask
no white-washing for the public officers we
elect. If any of them prove thieves we
earnestly hope to see them exposed. We
wish there were law on our statute books
that would send such scamps as majority
of this Board of Public Works to the Peni-
tentiary for twenty years apiece. For our
own part we would go fifty miles on foot to
see them working at convict labor with
shaved heads We dno't know precisely how
the law is on this point; but if there is no
law for the punishment of fraud in the
use of public funds, such as major
j. ity of the Board of Public Works have been
guilty of, we hope the Legislature will not
suffer this session to pass till one is provided.
n And if any officer elected by the republicans
is found guilty, we hope God will let us live
long enough to see him reaping his just re-
s ward.
g We had intended to touch on some oi
= the strong points of the revelations of iniqui
l. ty which this smelling committee have
$ made; but to do tho report justice we should
3 have to publish it entire. Sufficient to say
" that it is ascertained that the repairs wer'
10 let for five years at about $65,000 per yea
higher than the terms offered by the loves
a responsible bidders. This would rob tn
H. people, in five years, of over S300,0Oo.-
- Each case has its own story Of fraud ant
.. collusion. In some instances contractor
G. would buy one another off with the know
nc edge of the Board. The whole miserabl
IN scheme was an attempt to put money in tn
bmo m pockets of democrats, by stealing it off th
ho public, for five years after the people ha
n turned democracy out to grass.
ed AS we run our eye over the expenditure
- ~ on the "Western Reserve and Maume
he Road" some things strike our attention 6
i'll, worthy of note We notice that ]. G. Vale
he Superintendent of Repairs, begins with SO
III per month, and runs up like the the not'
~ of the gamut till he reaches S65 per mont
mo- We notice over s35 charged for postag
To- stamps in II months-an average Of
as letters per month. We shouldn't think Of
Lta ., head greatly in danger if we should bet
1lv on the fact that the Superintendent did n
nal write 10 letters in month on public bu
to ness This may seem a small matter, b
VIII it will serve as specimen of tho way t
ole money goes and has gone.
ith In what we have said above of the Boa
Pc ofPublic Works, we mean the majority
zen The minority, Mr.. Blickensderfer, oppos
"a the corrupt scheme of Steedman and CIR
void, but of course without success.