The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-02-10

alo AC11dAh W 10 HaAa O9ls XII II pISoSat /
I remand in New York until the eve
ming of the 9th day. When I left, over three
hundred and forty thousand dollars had been
paid.
: While transacting this business, the Mem
bers of the Board usually relieve each other
for short periods. In July, o. Cole, the
President Of tho Board, apd from whom the
Governor receives his statement, left the city
of New York early in the month, to visit his
family in some adjoining State, and during his
absence, 1 ofic:ated with the Secretary of
State in the payment of the interest. And
in the present mnnth owing to. the fact that
the Secretary of State was compelled to re-
main at Columbus, 70 organize the House OF
Representatives,, the Auditor of State and my
self o~fsciated in the performance of the duties
at New York. Since the establishment OF the
Office in New York, the mode of-transactlng
the business, the character of vouchers and
receipts requisite. etc., has been reduced to a
system, so that but few difficulties arise IN
paying the interest. But that question might
arise, that Members of the Board from sick
ness or other cause might not be able to act,
it has been thought necessary for the Attor-
ney General to be there, so that, il possible,
a major'ty O. the Board could always b, pres
emf.
1t has been the desire and care of all the
members of the Board that the business should
be transacted promptly and safely, and the
Attorney General has not failed to make such
inquiry and examination Of matters connected
with the duty as he thought proper and nee
e3sary. In July, after the bulk of the money
had been paid, with the appreciation of the
other members of the Board, and when 1 was
informed by them, and knew myself that it
was unnecessary for me to remain, I returned
to Columbus, although I offered, as a matter
of courtesy, to remain, if either of them de-
sired to be relieved. Some additional reasons
operated to hasten my return. The Office of
the Attorney General was closed, owing to the
fact that a mistaken idea of retrenchment had
deprived the Office of a clerk. Also, in5trav-
cling to New York, the heat and dust had
produced an indisposition which lasted for
several days and [ was ,apprehensivo of be-
ing unable to return when I should wish to,
unless L did so at the time.
These are the facts submitted in connection
with the first charge of the Governor against
the Attorney General.
If Tod was still in the full flush of his in
huence xnd corruption, he could not parry
the conviction that he and his servants had
deliberately reported a falsehood to the Gen
eral Assembly of the State.
The second charge is based upon the writ
ten statement of Wright and Dorsey, two of
Board of Military Claims, and is as follows I:
= Ou0 VI III Sdltl c6lIdSS VI IL DOd1Q,
on the investigation of the claim of Stevens,
for damages TO the CINCINNATI Trotting. Park.
the Attorney General was present and gave.
some verbal counsel. aud afterwards, after
much delay, and at the written request of the
Board, he ga e a written opinion on this case,
but never again met with the Board, nor gave
any counsel on any Of the other cases exam
ined, amour ing to more than eighty thousand
dol ars and, although frequently urged to
attend, and sent for by the Board, he declined
to attend at any other meetings"
A brief statement of the doings of the
Board may be satisfactory in answering this
charge. This might be expected to be shown
from q journal record of their meetings but
as none was kept except q private and some
what imperfect one of the Clerk of the Board,
[ give the following from the best
information from recollection, and from the
records of the claims disposed of:
On the 22d of April 1863, the Board met
and adopted a rule that their meetings should
be held on Tuesday and Friday evenings of
each week. On the 9th, the Board met but
no business was transacted. Wright was alb
sent. On the 28th, which was the first reg
ular meeting, no business was transaeted.-
On May LIST, the business was commenced,
although Dorsey was absent, and certain clai-
mants were heard, some four or five in num-
Der. On May 18th and 18th, Wright W S
absent. On May 18th, Cole was absent
On May 10Th. Cole and Wright were absent.
On June I'd, Wright was absent. On June
5th, Wright and Cole were absent. On June
23d, Wright@was absent. On June Goth,
Cole vas absent; and on the 10th, 18th, and
22d of July, Cole vas absent. On the 4th of
August Dorsey was absent. On May 10th,
on june 9th, 18th and 10Th, and Both. on
August 11th, 18th, 18th, 21st, 25th, and 18th,
during the whole CT the month of September,
including nine regularly appointed meetings,
at seven appointed meetings in October, four
in November, and seven in December, all of
the members of the Board were absent. In
April, two irregular meetings were held two
in May one in July two in October, and
three in November.
Out Of seventy one meetings, appointed by
the rule, only thirty were held-one in April,
seven in May, four in June, six in July, three
in August, three in October, four in Novem-
Der, and two in December ; and ten irregular
meetings, making in all forty meetings, out of
eignty-one and besides the absences which
are enumerated, it is not specified who were
present at some of the meetings (; none speci-
fed at the irregular meetings, and none at any
of the meetings after October. OF the whole
number of m meetings, Wright was absent from
forty of them ; Dorsey from forty three, and
Cole from forty-eight, Wright was absent
from eight of the meetings which passed upon
claims, Dorsey at two and Cole at seven
Only eighteen regular meetings were held at
which at any business was disposed of, and
six irregular ones. In addition to the gross
neglect of duty of the whole Board, in not
meeting at the appointed times, and of some
Of them being absent when the others were
present, Wright, who is said to be a military
man, is the most ~culpable, as the claims to
be passed upon originated out of military af-
fairs, for subsistence, recruiting, use of camps,
etc.; and were certifedsto in q military way,
all of which were more particularly within
the range of Wright's ability, than Of Coles,
or Dorsey's, who seemed to suspend their
Judgment in every matter of that kind to the
tact of Wright.
The Dorsey and WRIGHT named in the fore
going statement of the doings of the Board
are the same who charge, in the quotation