Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1859-03-16
WARREN, WEDNESDAY. MARCB16.
Report of The Treasury Investigating
Committee.

10 investigate the defalca,ion in the Safe
Tseasury is ainos, interminablc. With
the detailed evidence ia the matter, il
occupies three en;iIe sheets Of the Ohio
Stale Journal, 10 the exclusion Of all 9th.
,r mauer- IL is therefore impossible &c
lay il b, fire cur reader 10 detail, and
wfre We 10 DO SO, il is 70; likely thai
many Of them would have Ike patience ,o
wade through ii. We shall from time &c
time. refer 10 such portions as will give
all he important facts.
Accompany ing tho report when trans
suited to the Legislature. was q messag:
fIom CIV. Chase, protesting against the
action OF the General Assembly in ap'
pointing a commission of citizens who
were not members O. he Legislature, anC
appointing The Commissioners.
That The Governor has a clear con
s,ituliOnal right 10 enter this protest, there
is no shadow Of question; and yet tht
Democratic majority 10 the Legislature
l.fused 10 print this Message with The
Report, and it now lies on The table il
both houses. The Senate however ha.
so far stretched lis roiiteness as 10 ordeI
ii TO be printed with the executive dOcu-
inenis. When it is reccollccted that the
Investigating Committee appointed by
the Legislature, was a partisan Com
miitee, and Il Of The members of tina
Committee; 4 very bad selection 10 say
the least, il will a; once be seen why
the Democratic majority in The Legisla
lure are sensitive in relation 10 The actor
of that Committee, and any questioning
respecting the cons,iiuiionaliiy OF IaeiI
own power 10 apr ONT it.
The Committee have gathered togetheI
. vast number of details of the fraud, bu'
ty far the largest part are incomplete, and
few if any important facts mot before
made public, have been disclosed. la
that most imp 'rtaut point, viz, the recOv-
cry OF the money, no progress whatever
seems to Lave been made. NumeroI i,
instances where Brssl;n paid out, loaned.
to political friends, spent andlost money,
have been found, but where the assets.
stated by his friends to be three or four
hundred thousand dollars, which he says
are in the hands Of his friends, are 10 be
found, is a dark point upon which the re-
port of the Committee throws no light.
That bath Breslin and Gibson were
f4lse TO their trusts, is certain. That
Breslin was renom mated TO the Office
Of Treasurer, and sustained by his party
when its leaders must have known he
was unfaiiifLl, seems also cert in.
From 1852 10 1886; while the govern
ment Of The State was entirely in the
hands of the democracy, the doctrine,
s'ihat 10 the yicior belongs the spoil" was
tho guiding principle of that party, an
thoroughly did they carry out their Prin-
ciple in all the financial matters ef the
stale. Although Auditor Morgan-to his
credit be it said, had in his reports, on
more Than one occasion called the attcn-
lion of the Legislature 10 the fact that
large sums Of money were constantly
passing through The haa3s of the Treas
urer, of which he gave no account 10 the
Auditor, that there was no efficient sys-
TEN of accounts, of receipts and expen-
diturrs kept in the Treasury department,
and no checks upon the Treasurer save
his ON n honesty, the remcnstances Of the
Auditor were unhscded. 1t was not un.
til 1876, when The Republicans had
come iuto power, that any action W s
taken by Legislature 10 inauguraie- such
sysrsm Of accounts as would compel
the Treaurers to keep an ceura' account
ia connection will the Auditor, Of all
monies received and paid.
Speaking of the name in which The
public funds were disposed of, and the
temptations offered to dishonest officer;
during the reign of democracy, the
State Journal says:
Tins we see that the treasury wa,
ken, in a condition 10 furnish unlimited
facilities Tor embezzlement, because i
suited the parry. 1t was only a part oi
the $, stem that regards the State as a pig
con, the plueking of which is the legili
mate reward OF political success. Il! 1
unnecessary 10 look any farther than tc
this dannins fact that The legislature wa,
repeatedly warned that the treasury han
40 SAT guard, and refused 10 provide any
10 show conclusiveiy the corruption that,
iu.ec ed the entire STATE government; bu
sben 10 this is added The notorious tsct
thai although ii was well Known 10 the
parly Managers that BreSiin was engig,
ed in gene'a oil barking ami outside Specu
lariuus siih the money Of the treasury,
and was actually a dgfaulier for a large
amount, vet he was renom-n'ted for a
secnud term, the ,beari sickens at the
picture OF great commonwealth, with a
revenue of millions, Bound hand and fool
and delivered into the hands Of a party
of p~lundsrers, who pursued their opera
hons as remorselessly as The band OF for
~ thieves.
County Auditor.