The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-07-01
Explanations of Mr. Dennison--
Speech from Gen. Geiger, &c.


Explanations of MIR. Dennison---
Speech from Gen. Geiger, &c.
At the meeting last night, DR.. r. N
Barr, was called to the chair and Jas.
4. Day appointed Secretary tbfack re.
publicans) Messrs. Bascom Stauring
Henry Miller, w. T. Day, Martin, W
Miller, aud y. Breyfogle were appointed
committee on resolutions no democrat
present on the committee.) After Mr.
Darlington had addressed the meeting
Mr.. Cox was.called for, aud in substance
responded as follows:
GENTLEMEN:-I was not consulted as
to this meeting. 1 was not advised oi
its object, except by the handbills: who
has got the peoples money! Like 9th.
er questions, it is easier asked than an
swereds Rumor sounds with her thousand
tongues where it has gone to. Now it is
in Minnesota, in land speculations
it is in Kansas to help tho bleeding sons
of Freedom there-now it is in the form
of State stocks pledged for Seneca coun-
ty Bank and located. in part, in New
York-now it is gambled away by Cones
& Co., in the faro banks of Baker street,
Cincinnati-and now it is in Seneca coun-
ty, building up the town and banking in
stitutioDs of the city of Tifin. Thus ru-
NOR localizes or rather de-loealizes, these
funds. And, as usual, ,rumor lies one half,
and with the other half hints the truth
But one thing is certain, over S547 900
exclusive of the deficit of $2I2, 900; long
since known, is absent from its proper
place. The State credit and honor suf-
fersl The Auditor is, drawn off by the
stress to Cincinnati to borrow m oney by
the hundred thousand, to pay the inter
est of July. General CONSERVATION sits
on every feature at the bold, bad, reck-
less rascality which attaches to some one
or more for this unexampled and stu
pendous swindle!
Although it is not apparent to me how
this deficit is to be supplied, or how the
wrong is to be remedied, and especially
by this meeting; yet can we'll believe
that the impulses of honesty which be-
long to men of every shade of politics
would eaA fer some such demonstration
as this to night. The people have the inn
right in all free govern
ments to meet together to discuss about
their own business. The American
people are ever jealous when their mo-
ney matters are improperly interfered
with, by men in power. If tbere'is one
trait which should actuate freemen and
illuuine Democratic Republic, it is
that of trust coortziness in public of
icers; ready, prompt, honest, open, fair,
accurate accountability of public mo-
aeys
"a stand before you tonight, not to
indicate one man or set of men; not
to defame one party or another: but in
he fear of honest men only, and with
ny own notions of trustworthiness to
examine the records of the State, and
'ndeavor to fix on the proper persons,
he burden of the responsibility. I have
40 information on these subjects from
-umori none from persons. 1 have seen
neither of these Treasurers for months;
but have the privilege in common with
you all, of reading the documents We
pay for and crediting the record of our
public servants.
/ therefore crave of you, fellow citi-
zens, such hearing as the truth COM
oels me to speak, not in partizan sense,
put an enquirer for the truth from the
1t is well known that ever since the
time of Whitehill, and during the term
IF Bliss, there were defalcations in our
Treasury. It is well known here that
the Bliss defalcation was occasioned by
sraficking in the moneys of the State
loaning out moneys to insurance Com
panies and the like iDhammable con-
,erns-institutions which come up in
night and pass away with a celebrity of
unexampled in chemistry
Here is to be found the source of these
icancial troubles. The system of ao-
was "loose, meagre and in
adequate " to begin with but the radi-
cal wrong was the practice Of dickeriDg
with banks and brokers, and farming out
the State funds for private aggrandize-
ment.
Aud here let me say, that while the
legislature of winter before last passed
some excellent restrictive laws to reme-
cy the first defect. they sanctioned by
resolution of April 9th, 1856, the pro-
ceedings by which the last defect was
cured for the benefit of Bliss and to the
loss of the State. I refer to the reso-
luton "relative to confirming the con-
tract of the Canal Fund Commissic ners
with the Columbus Insurance Company"
the effect of which was to sanction this
very dickering with outsiders-out of
which these troubles have flowed. The
reprehensible policy thus endorsed by
this resolution shuts the mouth of all
who voted for it, from ever complaining
Of either Breslin or Gibson for the IL
legal use of State funds by deposites in
private or corporate banking concerns.
Let me then frankly discuss these two
of our financial troubles. With
out knowledge of them, you can have
no adequate idea of the persons to whom
the odium should attach.
Ftrst, as to this loose system of ac-
couutability:
When the new constitution was made,
and the officers elected under it took
their seats, the State Auditor, Mr.. Nor
gan, in his report of December, 1852,
page 81 called attention to this matter
IF loose accountability, in the following
HAp examination of the laws orpani.