The Richmond palladium., 1860-07-19
Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana,

as stated by his Excellencys He has, IN
his great anxiety 10 patch up . black record
against the candidates of, and those who
have held offices under the Democratic par
ty, left open an ugly gap IN MS misstate-
ments. most glaringly apparent to the peo-
pie of this county, and those acquainted
with the facts. 1t is we'll known fact here
that one Saturday evening during the sum
mer Of 1857 Governor Willard, Aquilis
Jones, Treasurer of State, and /. &. Palm
er, Deputy Auditor of State, together with
Mr.. Jennings, Treasurer or ex-Ireasurer
Of Johnson county. arrived in this place for
the purpose, as they alleged of settling with
Mr.. Merkle. Whether they arranged mat
ters on Sunday this deponent saith not; but
on the next Monday morning. tolerably
early. his Exceilency and Treasurer Jones
came into my office and demanded the notes
of the first compromised suit of the State
with Merkle. three of which notes were then
In my possession. upon which t.ere was
balance due of about SIS. 900. stating that
they had arranged Mr.. Merkle's indebted
ness, and wished the notes to surrender to
him. These l offered to give up if they
would allow me the balance due on my fee
and expenses. as before stated, which was
refused under the direction of his Excel
lency. but was afterwards acceded TO by
the State officers. and the notes surrendered
to them. The Governor, on the dav he de-
manded the notes of me. ordered the Clerk
OF our Circuit Court. verbally. TO dismiss
the then pending suit by the State VS.. Mer
kle and sureties, but did not file q written
dismissal till the 2lst of September follow
ing. Now take these facts i'll connection
with his Exccliency's statement in his New
Albany speech, that he "found Mr. Merkls
coming from The hands Of his Republican
supervisors" in debt Slo1,3S6 III!
This finding by his ExceIlency of Mr..
Merkle SO indebted was. Of course. at the
beginning of his Gabernatorial term. about
the beginning of 1857. In th~ Summer OF
that year he. with his corps OF officers and
settled with Mr. Merkle and
the pending suit against him for
defalcatiou, As before stated. After he ex
piration of Mrrkle's term as county aud
Swamp Land Treasurer. he (Merkle) is by
his Excellency, about the end of 1857, ap-
pointed to the office of Swamp Land Com
missioner Of Jasper county, at which time
rs We are TO infer from his Excellency's
speech Merkle was sill Indebted to the
State in the sum Of SlOl 1896 II. He the
glorifies his own wisdom and dis
cernment in maxim. this appointment, "by
which S75, 700" OF the sum "was saved to
the county OF Jasper" and leaving off said
"fouDd" Indebtedness only the sum Of $25..
993 50, which is still owing by said MerAls
to Jasper county," Ii his Excellency is
correct in this reasoning. the people of JAS
per county have great reason TO regret that
he did not prolong his wise policy by con-
tinuny Mr.. Merkle in his Office. instead of
turning him out as h, did some six or Ell ght
months ago. for it is plain by the rule of
proportion that if Mr.. Merkle. during the
time he held the office Of Swamp Land
Commissioner of this county. about twenty
months. saved our county - 900" of his
Indebtedness. he would have saved the coun
ty the balance Of his indeb edness. 1898
SO had he been permitted to have held the
Office some nine months longer. Since the
people of Jasper county have learned that
his 1915. 900" has been saved to them by
this far-seeing financial policy of his Ex
cellency. they are very anxious to know OF
him what has become of the money! They
see and know that $50, 900 would much
more than paw for all the dltching done du-
ring Mr.. Merkle's Commissionership. and
that part of the poor contractors and labor.
ers who did the ditching under him have not
yet received their pay for it. Then. Jasper
county, now suffering for money. demands
Of his Excellency in thunder tones. "What
has become of that $4,000 ne so adroit!y
saved for herr" As the Swamp Land &C,
approved March s. 1857. (see page III of
Acts OF 1857 allows the Swamp Land
Commissioners warrants for estimates for
work done upon ditching contracts to be
received in payment for Swamp Lands.
some here have the Adacity to suspect that
perhaps air. Merkle nay have paid off this
1915. .O0O' of his Indebtedness by the issue
of such warrants. This suspicion gathers
some probability OF truth about 1t from the
fact that sec %, page 475 OF lst K. s. only
allows swamp Land Commissioners c ON
pensation Of 1.-TWO dollars for each day they
may be necessarily employed in the duties
of their Office so the 1915, 900" could
not have been paid and saved to the coun-
ty of Jasper out OF the legal eno'unents
OF the office Perhaps the evidence before
the Swamp Land Committee (ses the re-
port D. 40. 50 aud SD may throw some
Ii yht on how this $1,000 was saved To
the county Of Jasper And perhaps the
third page Of the Swamp Land Report, be-
fore referred TO, which shows that his Excel
ieucv. after receiving out OF tive Swamp
Land Fund the sum OF S1.979 IS IN the
way OF fees, cooliy pocke'ed $1,000 more
OF said fund, without authority OF Law. as
shown by the evidence of Aquilla Jones,
(s-e page rs of said reporr). may throw
some light upon the fact Of why the people
of Jasper county have not seen any of thai
1878. .0oo' which his Excellency saved to
the county" by "a wise appointment" Bat
the ugliest gap between his Excellency'.
statement tina, he .found Mr. Nerkle com.
ing from the hands of his Republican su
pervisors in debt S10l. 1856 a." and tbs
truth. is shown and proven by the record o
Swamp Land sales here in our Treasurer
office, made aud kept by Mr.. Merkle him
self.
These records show the fact that up to
March 1857, Mr.. Merkis was not indebted
, TO the State more than the amount ascer
tanned by Major Pruets and others, as befor,
stated. which included the amount due
upon the notes given upon compromise o
the first suit, and that outside Of these note.