Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-08-31


public interests are togo for nothing, and that
tho interests Of political parties are to be su-
preme.
Drscni niNkrtoNs.
Look at another instance, This Democratic
Legislature appeared to be very chary Of your
funds, and where there Is a claim presented il
is TO be presented 10 the Comptroller then 80
the Auditor, who is TO pass upon il and give his
warrant and then Il is 10 be paid. How is il
with the Public Worksl IL that Department
the member in eharge certifes the amount Of
work done under any eontruot which he may
make with anybody, upon the statement of his
engineer, 20 the Auditor; and the Auditor is
thefeupon required to draw HE check upon the
! Treasurer, and payment is forthwith made
What responsibility ~ check Is there Oh
serve there is no control now by the Board Of
Public Works at ell; no report TO bu made TO
them, but each member in charge appoints his
a@nengineer, makes lis own contract; the en-
! gineer which he appoints eertifies the amount
| Of work done the appointer draws his check TO
the Auditor, and the Auditor certfes il to the
Treasurer, and the money is drawn without ex
animation at ALL
say that the party which legislates in this
loose way, has lot done its duty in legislation to
the State
PARTISAN LEGISLATION
Let me call your attention to one other mat
ter, showing the partisan character Of all this.
There was the Hooking canal,--that canal runs
through an important coal region. II is impor-
tant 10 all persons Of the State who use that
coai il is important TO the people Of that part
of the State because IL SO happens that tley
have no other canal OF railroad, and cannot else
get to market and because il has not any com
! petition; the practical result is, that it pays 4
larger revenue, in proportion TO its cost, than
! a, oth gf rlo ha ,F Ia
spring came near destroying thatcanal What
was TO be donel The member of the Board of
Public Works has so much appropriated to rer
| pair It, aud that would fall short some sixteen
| thousand dollars. What was TO he done in this
easel Why these were three courses that might
be taken One was to call the Legislature to-
| gether and pay them four dollars per day and
other expenses, for sanctonng this expenditure
OF sixteen Thousand dollars Ii would cost some
| twenty or thirty thousand dollars to get their
sanction, and although would like very much
to see your respected member down there again,
and although would like to sec your Senator
both good Republicans, as they ought, to be f,
coming from this county-yet confess l was
not so anxious to see them that thought it
worth while to expend twenty to thirty thou
sand dollars for that purpose.
There was another mode. To let the member
in charge 90 on aud repair the canal, and give
certificates of the amount of work done, and let
the contractors get their money upon them as
they could OF course, the next Legislature
would provide for the payment Of the cortii
Gates, but in the meantime, where were the ia,
borers 20 getinopey to live on, from day To day,
! did not think this a Creditable mode for the
State of Ohio.
What mode remained Why to take the
money in the Treasury, just as the Legislature
would sAnctionit, if they were there, and apply
it honestly and in good faith to the repair OF
this canal, Never doubling that the Legislature,
ii they found the thing all correct would uppro,
PIRATE the money, the Treasurer paid the money
upon the order of Mr., Wadde, who happened
to be Republican, and this money was, all
agreed, honestly, faithfully, and economically
applied. Then when the Legislature met this
was reported 90 them, in the report of the Board
of Public Works, by the Treasurer and hg my
self as Governor. Everything was laid befor,
the Legislature. What did they dol Pay il
Not at all They made the excuse that there hat
been no appropriation of this money, and thai
the State Treasurer, in thus securing the interest
of the State, had been guilty of great dericior
of duty Why, but two or three years before
thatthe Democratic Legislature had adjourned
inadverianty, as l. may suppose without making
any Appropriation for the payment of the in
terest on the public debt You had to pay it,
Did Coy. Medill s3nd for the Legislature Not
at all But MIR Morgan drew his check upon
the Treasurer and that money was applied, -
Now this Democratic Legislature cavils about
paying sixteen thousand dollars that have been
honesty applied to the public service.
BY the course adopted, some twenty or thirty
thousand dollars were saved and then, again,
there was saved the business of the cana, which
as appeared by the report made, was some thirty
OF forty thousand dollars between fifty and six
ty thousand dollars actually saved by thit
r coursc and yet these gentlemen would not ap
propriate the sum Of sixteen Thousand dollars
ANOTHER PICTURE PAINTED.
How did they do with Mr. Baokusl Mr.
Backus had not enough to make the repairs or
his division, as he thought lie made his re
I pairs issuing certificates, in the mode hav,
pointed out, to contractors, in payment Of tn,
wo k done, and these certificates were actually
as ] have been eredibly informed, sold at a dis
count of from twenty 10 twenty-five per cent
and thus the contractors and laborers wer
? Aeeced and nobody enriched except those whl
D bought the certifCates--sOme of whom, i hay,
c been informed aud believe, were actually col
!, lectors upon the canal themselves
e But the Legislature did not hesitate mo
e ment about paying these things, There wa
e no appropriation there you will observe, an,
d yet they did not hesitate one mcmCnt TO appro
pfihle lnc llVuc1 W pay lhtheI ny Wuiou hh
9 laborer had been deprived OF his earnings, bu
. they refused to pay the money expended, b
: the member in charge Of the Hooking canal, il
d the most beneficial as well as economical man
ner possible. OF that leave you o Judge
! 1t seems TO me IL il not proper care OF the put
+ lie intercsts-it is not right
> | SUB TREASURY.
q Again. We Rie tod and pointed TO the sui
! treasury, as it is called, as the great achieve
j ment of the Democratic Legislature curing tn
Z lasttwo years, Let US look at it for me
9 mont .I
y start by saying that believe whatever pla
a Is necessary for the security of the puolic fund
g ould be adopted. believe that the Irrasl
= Ter ought TO be held responsible, beyond u
e peradventure for everything that he receiyo
. It you add to that the simple provision Of la
p that all your re enue shall be collected either
Il specie or in the notes q the specie payin
o binbs of your State, you have g the sub trea
u ury system of tie IT, s., with this slmp di
70 ference, that under the sub.treasury Of the
e s., nothing is loaned-every thing is kept M
. iii it Is wanted for the puolic usei at least th
q is the theory Of the sub-treasufy syst M wei
4 under this theory themon y remains IN circul
p ton until l. is wanted for public purposes.
p know there uTe differences OF opiaion as
d these two plans, as 20 which is the safer.
/ say that which is the safer ought to be adOpte
y whichever it be. II the first is the safe plan,
q is the most corveniert, but the point Of saiot
O. should supersede every other consideration.
ie want TO call your attention TO this system
q out before the people Ia the fret place VI
le sub treasury system Of the u. S. is dlatlngual
j. I'd by one or two principal features. The FIR
% feature is that all the revenues are collected
y specie, either in gold or silver, or in notes al
/, thorized by the government OF the U. 3
III tho. s.coudT r,lara eyary deuoeitufv of the nt