The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1859-03-02
ArroRrrr GrrrnAL,s orrror.

Columbus, O., 2lst Jan'y., SO.
GENTLEMEN I'll have carefully considered
the question stated in your note of this date, and
in reply, have TO say that if Mr.. Breslin shall
return to this State, and fully comply with the
preceding provisions, / shall not deem it my
duty, on behalf Of the State, to insist that he
shall give bail in an amount exceeding fifty
Thousand dollars, to answer the indictment now
pending against him in the Court of Common
Pleas of this county and while / have, Of
course, power to bind the court in this behalf,
l think may, nevertheless, safely assure you
that bail TO larger amount will not be exacted
from him.
Very respectfully, yours,
Attorney General
To Messrs. Morgan and Edgerton, Treasury
Investigating ComDittee.
With these papers, on the 22d of January last,
one Of our Comm, ssion preceded to Canada, in
the expectation that Mr.. Breslin would immedi.
ately return to Ohio; but on the presentation of
the papers to him, he peremp orily declined to
return. After much solicitation, he made the
statement which is given to the public with our
report II is in corroboration of much of the
testimony we have taken, but the facts disclosed
by it, were to very great extent already in pos
session of the Commission. While Mr.. Breslin
admits himself to be, TO o certain extent, respon
sihile for large portion d the defalcation, he
declines to disclose the most important fact nee
essary to fully substantate and give entire rela-
bility TO his statement -
He cannot expect the people of Ohio to be
content with partial disclosure. He was their
agent--the man of their choice for place of the
highest responsibility and trust. To his keep
| ing they had confided the means for the support
of their schools their benevolent Institutions
the payment of their debts--and the discharge
| of eyary obligation which their constitution and
law had imposed upon them. But, Disregard
ing his sworn official duty, and that high sense
| of personal honor which he now seems to hold
superior to it, he betrayed the confidence repo ed
in him; and now asks forgiveness, and Graves
can extenuation of q harsh public Judgment
| against him, from noble and generous people,
whose feelings and wishes he persistently con
| tennis. We cannot but view this last, as the
most unfortunate act of a misguided man. he
had personal friends who would have made
| every effort consistent with personal houor in
| his behalf; and they, with the whole people,
demanded to know whether bis losses could be
ascribed to misfortunes and errors of judgment,
and not TO criminal design" But with blind
infatuation as to what is honor and integrity, he
withholds the truth, and leaves the innocent to
be suspected, and the guilty to go unpunished.
Mr. Breslin asserts that he is entirely unable
to account for about $3.50 600 of the alleged de.
talCQtlOD, he S1bnST ucVtE ESCSlfSo bulS
or that it has been Improperly charged to him
without corresponding credit. This, as it in.
wolves the integrity of the books of his own and
the Auditors Office if it were q new idea In the
4 brain Of Mr. Breslin would not receive the at
tention we have given to it, but that he had zap
prehenson of some unde6nable and undiseover
ed errors in his accounts holding him to 8
greater liability than he believed justly devolv
ing upon him is evidenced by hIs efforts at the
rto Mic tiff
On the S2d of December, 1853, he addressed I
letter to John Woods, former Auditor OF State
enaniring whether he was properly chargeabl
with ($255, I0) moneys received on the Railroad
:, bonds transferred to him BY Mr.. Sill, acting Ca
nal Fund Commissioner, and which had beel
charged 10 him by Auditor Morgan. Mr. Wood
replied, that the Railroad bonds, Canal Fund
DC. which were in the hands of Mr. Sill, formed
no part of the Sinking Fund with which thu
Treasurer MIR. Bliss, OF the close of his term, wa
charged on the books of the Auditor, having beer
n once drawn from the Treasury; and that MI
Bliss should have paid over all the balance witt
which he stood charged. He further stated tha
there might be an error in the account as mad
, out against him by the Auditor, as on looklnj
over the accounts reported the last year, lIoo2
he did not fully understand how they had bee
, arranged. gras OH eagsa .. .a.ct
The letters of Mr.. Breslin and Mr.. Wood
will be found in the documentary part of our re
) port What action was taken by Mr.. Bresli
: subsequent to this, to ascertain if any error ex
listed, is not known, except that in his own offc
he caused his books to be rewritten for the frs
year of his term, but not disclosing the object
: It was no more than = simple transcFibing OF tn
accounts as they stood, and of itself determine
nothing. Mr. Breslin has furnished US no clu
by which to trace such errors, If any shall exis
The books, and even the papers, have been care
: fully examined by US, and we have given ou
: conclusion in the Fecedng pages.
: In this connection, and at this time, it may b
u proper for us to remark, that the whole systeI
Of accounting, to which we have heretofore ca
!. ually referred, in all the Offices of the Cover
J ment, is radically wrong. This defect has bee
9 pointed out again and again to the General
4 sembly, by the respective examiners, and by tn
!, officers themselves; and the law w-making pow
. has been invoked TO correct the evil directly
J law, or 10 give the proper power
e some one to do soy--but in vain. III
y business of the State has been, al
is constantly growing in amount and extent; al
vet the old system, with only slight mod hcatioI
~ has been continued The difficulty never Il
Gu alone with the officers, for as stated, they ha'
e themselves presented their difficulties; and wh
A. is more, cachin his department has attempt
u reforms, but they have amounted to little, b
O. cause in our government each respective depar
ment claims and exercises independence OF u
10 rest: and the reform attempted in one quart
was generally resisted, or at least, rendered M
ht atory, by the acts of the others; and tits pos
n BILE that the very efforts ut reform have added
rs the contradictions and incongruities OF which
st, books are full, A well directed attempt on
N, part of the Auditor would be counteracted BY
On iii disposed Treasurer, aud both OF these Office
ire would be directly thwarted by disagreel
ne Fund Commissioner.
nd The highest order of evidence as to the con
Iat tion of the finances of the State, and the !
as counts with oil its public officers of every gra
'nt should be found upon regular bo KS kept
~, that purpose by the officers designated by
INT laws, and into which every transaction should
Ys, entered day by day. Butthe books and pub
records kept so far are defective, and in fact
OF evidence Of nothing but the total inefieiencl
no, the system. So fruitful OF difficulty has
i've system become that our public officers have b
Up compelled to make their annual reports Il
, 1T evidence outside of their books, and thus perl
,ro- their accounts so as to present the truth to
the public, which could not have been done by
ted abstract from the books alone. Instead OF
published reports and statements OF the IT.
ure urer and Auditor being made up from the box
y 4 as they are posted at the end OF the hscai y
-. or at any other period, as the law contempla
~. and the public believes them TO be- they are
III. unfreouently in direct conflict with them.
~, precise condition of particular fund is not,
-. s cannot be- determined entirely by the Docks,
~. | nv abstracts and statements made up from
az, az dences outside of them, which are there
made to become the test OF accuracy and
In. the record itself. & y q tls : s. 3 sF.se sf'
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