The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1859-10-06
Charges Against Judge Tabor.

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Charges Against Judge Tabor.
EE- Under the above head we find in
the extra" of the Civilian recently pub
lished and profusely circulated, three or
four charges made against Judge TABOR,
relative to his official conduct. These
charges, We say, we find in the extra,
but upon an examination of the regular
issue of that paper, not q word is said
about them, and the intention doubtless
was to keep them quiet until the next is
sue of the paper, the last before election,
% that they might go to the people un-
contradicted. This is another sample of
the boasted fairness of the editor in con-
Quoting the political canvass. But to
the charges.
1t is charged, first, that Judge TABOR
gave no opportunity for competition in
letting the jobs upon the Court House.
Now we know precisely to what this
refers, for the same man who has retailed
the story to the editor. retailed it to us.
This man and another one had the Job of
lathing the Court House, and of course
were well satisfied, then, with the Judges
conduct. The Judge then told them
that he should undoubtedly throw open
the plastering to competition, and they
expressed a determination to bid upon it.
But this job of lathing gave the Judge
an insight into their method of doing
business, and he found that it was not to
the interest of the county TO give them
other employment. They were half the
time in the saloons here in town, took no
care of anything, and were necessarily
applying to him for money, upon their
contract, and it was only by constantly
urging them onward that he got the job
performed. In view of this, he deter
mined to give the plastering to a good,
responsible man, who would go forward
and do the work according to contract,
provide the material, and not be asking
for every dollar as fast as he earned it.
He consulted with HEMAN MORSE, and
other men who were building a great
deal, as to what would be fair price,
and then gave the job to Mr.. COLEMAN,
a Democrat, and man with whom he
had no particular sympathy, political or
otherwise. If the men who now find fault
with the Judge had been less fond Of
loafing about saloons, and more anxious
to fulfill the contract the Judge had made
with them, they would have had no oc-
casion to find fault with him for refusing
to let them bid upon the plastering.-
The price paid was 20 cents per yard,
and every builder will say it was none
too much for those times The whole
amount paid did not, we believe, exceed
four hundred dollars, and how the coun-
ty could have saved several hundred dol
lars, as the Ctvilian asserts, is not appar-
ent.
But as the CivHia,a thinks the charge
good political capital. what has it to say
to the following We charge Judge Ros
RELL with having refused 10 entertain an
offer made by Mr.. c. LANE, Republi-
can, to draw all the lumber for the Court
House from Dubuque, for GO cents per
hundred lbs, and afterwards giving the
job to two Democrats, and paying them
70 cents per hundred, thus unnecessarily
increasing county expenses. We also
charge that he allowed $9S for making
the CRATES for the windows of the jail
in Browns Hall, the county finding the
iron, when Mr.. PARKER, who was EN- :
ployed by the contractor to make them,
finished them completely in five days,
and earned $40 during that time upon
other work. Was there an opportunity
for competition in either of these cases,
and was there any loss to the county by
such action
lie charges also that Judge TABOR re-
duced the bail SO low, in some criminal
cases, where the guilt of the parties had
been established beyond a doubt, that
the guilty ones escaped entirely. He
says these charges are numerous. We
think he will find it hard to make the
people of Buchanan County believe that
Judge TABOR has any especial sympathy
with crime or criminals. The case to
which he refers, and we venture to say
the only case of the kind of which he
has any knowledge, was that of man by
the name Of STEEL, who was arrested on
charge Of bigamy. We are fully con-
versant with this case, as STEEL was a
resident Of Quasqueton, and we know
that so far from the evidence being con-
elusive, ho one in Quasqueton believed
that it would in any sense sustain the in
dictment. 1t was nearly six months UNI
I'll court, and STEEL would have been
compelled TO lay in Jail for that time. at
great expense 20 the county, and it
was almost absolutely certain that he
would get clear, upon trial. 1t was said
that he had wife In Canada. and the on
" witness here to prove il was the man
who / came lis b1iI. aad who ran of