Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-01-07

payable on demand, and it is the duty
of thesState, REPRESENTING the commu-
nifty, to see that these debts are per-
secured Snch securities are in
Indispensable; midi respectfully submit
to your better mdgment whether he
e~xperience of thela fen years does not
suggest the ex pedieney5 of requiring
similaE SECURITIES, or atleast Of provid1l
ing efficient guards of some kind, insu-
ring punctual payment of deposits for
safe keeping.
THE PLUNDERED TREAsURY-BREsLIN
AND GIBSON. .T 5iI4G1
The condition of the State Treasury
requires prompt attention.
On the 10th of June last, William II.
Gibson, the then Treasurer of State,
disclosed to the State Auditor the exis-
tence of a deficit in the State Treasury
to the amount, as he stated, of about
$551 900, occasidned as he alledged, by
the defalcation of John G.. Breslin, his
immediate predecessoA AT the earliest.
practicable moment this information
was communicated to me. hrH 4 h@e-
p Up to this time l had not entertained
the least suspicion that Mr.. Breslin. had
failed to pay over to his successor the
whole amount of public money which
had come to his handseexeept the sums
reported by him as deposited with fail
ed Banks and Bankers, or retained by
him under claims for exchange. The
repeated declarations of Mr.. Gibson to
this effect, in varied forms and on fire.
quent occasions, confirmed by the re-
ports of the several Legislative conn
mfrtces chaHSed-Hih the examination
of the Treasury, and by the report Of
the Auditor, after performance of the
same duty, seemed to leave no question
on this point.
Tie allegation of the Treasurer, now
made to the contrary, though support
ed by strongly corroborating circum-
stances, did not appear to me to be en-
titled to much consideration, unless con-
firmed by a thorough and i'm partial ex-
animation. .'
l therefore availed myself the ear
lest opportunity of conference with
him to urge his resignation, expressing
to him my conviction that he had placed
himself, by his own statements, in the
position of a'defaulter. and that he was
consequently liable to an arrest, which
would in my Judgment work a vacancy
by disability, to be filled immediately
by the appointment of u new Trcasu-
rGr.
Mr.. Gibson resigned, and I forthwith
appointed Alfred P. Stone of Franklin
County, to the vacant Office, who gave
bonds, was qualified, and entered upon
his duties without delay.
1t seems to be. the opinion of some
persons that the Governor has some su-
pervision or control over the other Elk
ecutive Offices, and is therefore in some
measure responsible for their action
Such persons do not reflect that each OF
these officers is elected by the people.
and is made by the Constitution wholly
Independent of the Governor, in the
administration of his own department
except so far as the Intervention of the
latter may be sanctioned by express en-
actment. The only act providing fol
any intervention of the Governor with
the action of the Treasurer, previous
to Mr.. Gibson's resignation, was that OF
April 8, 1856. That act authorized the
Governor, upon request of the Auditor
of State, to appoint a suitable person
to aid that officer in examining the Urea
sury, and required him to direct the
Auditor to make such an examination
under certain circumstances. At the
proper time [ directed the attention OF
the Auditor to this law, and he made
the examination required by it, and re
ported hat the funds of the State wer2
safe in the Treasury. He made no re-
quest for the appointment, of any assis-
tant, and in the absence of that request
there was no authority to appoint one.
His report, and those of the Legislative
Committees, furnished no ground for
any furtl. er direction to him, and none
was otherwise made known to me.
4 further duty was imposed upon the
Governor by the act of March 80, 1857,
which required him to appoint, once in
three months. an Examiner of the Treas
ury. The first three months had not
expired when Mr.. Gibson resigned but
believing myself warranted in making
the appointment at any timein the course
of that period, and regarding the disclo-
sures that had been made as demanding
an Immediate and thorough investiga
ton, 1 appointed Thomas Sparrow, OF
Franklin county, to that Office. The re
suits of the examination made by Mr..
Sparrow are set forth in his report, which
is herewith transmitted. The nature
and extent of the defalc:.t on; the devi-
ces by which it was concealed from the
Legislative committees, and the Auditor
of State, at the time Of their several ex-
aminations, and the respective parts in
the criminal transaction, of the two State
Treasures Implicated in it, are clearly
stated in this document. No candid
person, l think, can withhold his assent
from the conclusion to which he arrives,
"that John G. Breslin distracted the
money from the Treasury, and that VIM.
H. Gibson, by concealing the defalcation
aud denying its existence, disregardcd
truth AMI his sworn official duty"
AS soon as this official Investigation
had been provided for: the facts whic'i
had been made known to me were CON
mumicatcd to the Prosecuting Attorney
of Franklin county, who is charged by
law with the prosecution of all offenses
! committed within its limits and to the