The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-01-13


responsible for their action. Such per-
sons do not reflect that each of these Off
GERS 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 sane.
toned by express enactment. The only
act providing for any Intervention of the
Governor with the action of the Treasur-
er, prior to Mr. Gibson,s resignation, was
that of April 8, 1856. That act author
lied the Governor, upon request of the
Auditor Of State, to appoint suitable
| person to aid that officer in examining the
Treasury, and required him to direct the
Auditor to make such an examination un-
der certain circumstances. At the proper
time | directed the attention of the Au-
ditto to this law, and he made the exam
inatiour required by it, and reported that
the funds OF the State were safe in the
Treasury. He made no request for the
appointment of any assistant, and in the
abseIce of that request, there was no au-
thority to appoint one. His report, and
those of the legislative committees, fur.
nished no ground for any further direc-
ton to him, and none was otherwise made
known TO me.
A 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 ex.
pired when Mr.. Gibson resigned; but be-
lieving myself warranted in making the
appointment at any time in the course of
that poriod, and regarding the disclosures
which had been made as demanding an
immediate and thorough investigation,
appointed Thomas Sparrow, of Franklin
county, to that office. The results of the
examination made by Mr. Sparrow, are set
forth in his report, which is herewith
transmitted. The nature and extent of
the defaleation the devices by which it
was concealed from the Legislative com
mittees, aud the Auditor of State. at the
time of their several exami ations, and
.he respective parts in tho criminal trans
action, of the two State Treasurers i'm
plicated in it, are clearly stated in this
document. No candid person, I think,
can withhold his assent from the conclu-
sion to which he arrives, ssthat John G.
Breslin distracted the money from the
Treasury, and that William ii Gibson,
by concealipg the defaleation and denying
its existence, disrcgardcd truth and his
sworn official duty y
As soon as this ofici il investigation bad
been provided for, the facts which had
+ + been nTutifr known 10 TIIu Herc coTnmuui-
Gated TO tho Prosecuting Attorney OF
Franklin county. who is charged by Law
with the prosecution of all otfenses COM
mitted within its limits; and to the Judge
of this judicial subdivision, whose duty ii
is to charge the Grand Jury in regard to
such offepscs The Prosecuting Attorney
! WIS assured of whatever aid the Execu-
tiye could afford to him in the discharge
of his functions and he, accordingly, re.
ceiyed the assistance of the, Attorney
General, in the Investigations which took
place before The Grand Jury. These in
vestigations resulted in indictments gainst
both the ex Treasurers. Mr.. Gibson gave
bail, but Mr.. Breslin fed to Canada =
Every effort, deemed fit and expedieut by
the Prosecuting Attorney and Attorney
General, was made for his apprehension,
and the charges were betrayed from my
contingent fund. A correspondence was
also instituted with the Federal Govern
Inent at " ashington, in the hopes of en-
gaging its Intervention with the British
Government, by which means alone the
surrender of the fugitive defaulter could
be obtained. The Federal authorities
/ however, declined to interfere on the
ground that the surrender of fugitive
charged with cmbezzlcment, was not stipu
/ lated in the treaty between the United
States and Great Britain, and therefort
could not with propriety be asked for.
+ Civil suits have been instituted by th'
/ Attorney General, against the two ex
Treaaurers and their sureties, upon theil
official bonds In the course of the in
vestigations required by these actions, al
/ by the criminal prosecutions upon the in
dictments found by the grand jury, it ii
hoped that some further light may hs
thrown upon the uses made of the money
distracted flom the treasury, atd that Q
considerable portion of it, at least, may
be recovered - -.
Up to the time of the disclosure Of the
1 deficit, Mr.. Gibson had obtained mean,
for meeting the current demands against
Legislative committees and the Auditor
when examining its condition, by temper
ary loans from banks and bankers, and
other devices described in the report o.
the Special Examiner. Whether the
and represented to belong to the State
constitutes dedication and renders hin
liable as defaulter, notwithstanding he
may not have participated in the original
abstraction, is a question for the courts
The practical effect of that withdrawa
was to leave the State upprovided with
Sufficient funds for the payment of the IN
terest on the State debt, becoming due OF
the lst Of July, or for the ordinary cxpen
ses of the government.
To obtain these funds was Indispensable
and there were but two meaEs of accom-
plishing the object. One was, to call tn.
Legislature together, in extra session, ant
await its action !; the other to make al
immediate arrangement, and invoke for i
the action of the General Assembly a
its next regular meeting. Only eighteer
days would olapse after the resignation o
5 Mr.. Gibson before the interest was pay
able, and the time would hardly sufic.
for the assembling of the Legislature anc
the provision of the necessary fund,
.