Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1860-07-19
yotio1al 1aepnblicail.. Newspaper.

Of "abont s5.OO0.,p' for which Mr., MerL
kle's Republicans supervisors had been
chasing him with law suits, had been paid
and settled to decentralization of the Au-
, ditor and Treasurer of State.nl that The
subsequent reports of the Auditor of State
for 1858, 1859 and 1860 show that N o
settlement had been effected with him either
for Swamp Land or State revenues?, And
why is it that if Mr.. Merkle settled and paid
this sum of about $4,000, ITO, the satis-
faction of tho Auditor and Treasurer of
State, and a payment to satisfaction.
every lawyer knows, importsla settlement,
and that a settlement legally includes all
| matters eat issue between the parties ,rela-
ting to theIsubjccto of the settlement, (the
parties 10 this.case. were the State of Indi-
ana. acting throngh her officers, md Mr..
Mcrkle, J and yet how happens it that not.
withstsndipg this, ssetllensensi BY the State
through Governor Willard and his sub
erdinates with Mr.. Merkle, and the dis
missal by his Exccllency of the suit pend
ing in the Circuit Court Of this county by
the State Us, ,Merkle and his sureties, at
the cost of the. State, (so ordered, that
Mr., Merkle, under the present immaculate
administration has become iadobted TO and
now, owes the State the sum Of ,S25, ,993 80,
as stated by his Excellency? He has. in
his great anxiety to patch up a black rec
ord against the candidates, Of, and those
who have held offices under, tine Democrat
ic party. left open an ugly gap in his mis-
statements, most glaringly apparent to
the people of this county, and those &C.
quainted with the facts. 1t well known
fact here thatone Saturday evening during
the summer of 1851 Governor Willard,
Aquilla Jones. Treasurer of State. and T.
q. Palmer, Deputy Anditor of State, to-
gethei with Mr.. Jennings, Treasurer OF
ex-Treasurer of johnson county, arrived
in this place for the purpose as they al
lodged of settling with Mr.. Merkle.-
Whether they arranged matters on Sunday
this dependent saith not. but on the next
Monday morning, tolerably early, his Ex-
cellency and Treasurer Jones came into
my office and demanded the notes of the
fisst. compromise suit Of the State with
Merkle, three of which notes were then in
my possession. upon which there was a
balance due of about $4,000, stating
that they had arranged Mr.. Merkle's in
debtedness, and wished the notes to
rendered to him. These offered to give
up il they would allow me the balance due
on my fees aud expenses, as before stated,
which was refused under the direction ol
his Excelency, but was afterwards accede,i
to by the State officers, and the notes sur
rendered to them. The Governor, on the
day he demanded the notes of me, ordered
the Clerk of our Circuit Court, verbally,
to dismiss the then pending suit by the
State VS.. Merkle and sureties, but did not
file written dismissal till the 2lst Of Sep
tember following. Now take these facts
in connection with his Excellency's state
ment in his New Albany speech. that he
''founl Mr. Mcrkle, coming from the hands
of his Republican supervisors in debt
S10l, 1856 II!
This finding by his Excellency Of Mr.
Merkle so indebted was, of course, at the
beginning of his Gubernat orial term, abou,
the beginning of 1857. In the summer OF
that year he, with his corps of officers and
accountants settled with Mr.. Mcrkle and
dismissed The pending suit against him
for defalcation. as before stated. After
ter the expiration of Merkle's term as
county and Swamp Land Treasurer. he
) Merkle) is by his Exeellency. about the
end of 1851. appointed to the office o.
Swamp Land Commissioners of Jasper
county. at which time, as we are to infer
from his Excellency's speech. Merkle wa.
still indebted to the State in the sum o
Sl01. 1856 u. lie (the Governor) glori.
6es his own wisdom and discernmeht in
making this appointment .by which
S15. 900" of the sum ''was saved to the
county Of Jasper" and leaving of SAID
found" Indebtedness only the sum O
S25. .993 SO, which is still owing by said
; Alerkle to casper county" Ii his Excel
; lency is correct in this reasoning, the people
! of Jasper county have great reason to re
; gret that he did not ,prolong his wise pol
icy of continuing Mr.. Merklc in his of
fee. instead of tuEsing- him out as he Iii,
2 some six or eight months ago; for it il
plain by the rule of proportion that if Mr.
Merkle, during the time he held the offic,
!, of Swamp Land Commissioner of thi.
E county about twenty months, saved ou
7 county 1915, 900" of his Indebtedness, h
would have saved the county the balanc,
Of his Indebtedness, S25,993 SO had h
been permitted to have held the offic,
e some nine months longer. Since the peo
pie Of Jasper county have learned that th
1915 900" had been saved to them b,
this farseeing financial policy Of his Elk
s cellency they y anxious to know Of hin
e what has become of the money! They Sc
r aud know that 800 900 woull much NOR
t than pay for all the ditching done durin,
: Mr.. Merkle's Commissionersllip, and tha
e part of the poor Irish contractors and la
: borers who did the ditching under hin
: have not yet received their pay for it,
: Then, Jasper county,, now suffering 70
a money, demands of his Excellency ii
: thunder tones. "What has become of tina
: $4,000 he so adroitly saved for herr
: AS the Swamp Land act approved Marcl
p 5. 1851, (see page ia of Acts of 1857
e allows the Swamp Land Commissioner
# warrants for estimates for work done upo
S ditching contracts to be received in pay
: ment for Swamp Lands, some here hav
the audacity to suspect that perhaps MI
Merkel may have paid off this 1915. 900
e OF his indebtedness by the issue of sue