Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-02-04
The ATTORNEY GeneraI's Reply
TO Tod.
ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE, |
3 COLUMBUS, Ono, Jan, 1864. !
EpIroR ONO STATESMAN

tOLuMbus, OHlV, Jan, lop4
EDIToR ONO STATESMAN: UNt .l |
.A.\ III Hoping that !
the House of Representatives would, ere
this, have taken some further action in ref I
ercnce to the matters hereinafter mention |
ed at least so far as to afford me an op-
portunity to vindicate my official position
against false charges, | have delayed the
publication of this statement; but now, up
on information that, probably, no channel
of an official character will be afforded for
this statement, submit it to the public.
Governor Tod in his late message to the |
General Assembly uses the following Ian !
guage
'The past year has been ope of severe
labor to all concerned in the administration
of the government; and | take pleasure in
bearing testimony to the faithful ond vigi-
liant manner in which the Auditor of State,
Treasurer of State, Secretary of State,
Comptroller of the Treasury, Supcrintcn-
dent of the State House, Superintendent of
Public Printing, and the Librarian, have
scverally performed their respective duties.
| regret that | cannot include the Attorney
General and the former Commissioner Of
Common Schools in this commendation.
Although the first part of the paragraph
asserts, that The past year has been one of
severe labor TO all concerned in the admin
istration of the government" yet the latter
part, excluding the Attorney General from
the Governor commeudaton, being a con-
tradiction of the former and. implying some
neglect of duty, which implication a por-
ton of the members Of the House of Rep
rcscntatiyes knew to be grossly false and
unjust, the Hon d. S. ,phl promptly Of
fered for adoption by the House resolution
| lc,.,oyt;nc, q rTol G.+n et,+,, -,
ting to this House, before his term Of office
expires, what particular official duty or du-
ties the said Attorney General has failed
faithfully and vigilantly to perform
Before this resolution was offered pol
litical opponent of the Attorney General,
and political and personal friend of Gov
ernor Tod, more anxious. to please the
, Governor than to do right, consulted him
in regard to the intended resolution of in
quiry,. and when it was in the House,
moved a substitute, in pursuance of Tod
depressed wish, coupling the late Schoo
Commissioner with the Attorney General
l in the inquiry for specifications This wa.
/ Tods invention to get the opportunity OF
;, sending forth to the public false and trifling
charges against the Attorney General, as
sociated with the prejudice which surroun
S ded a different department as to which
charges might the more readily be bcley
, ed.
This attempt Of Tod shows the anin,us o
the man, and affords to the world an illus
Il tration Of how the Chief Magistrate of ;
f great State may basely prostitute the pow
:, er of his position and the purposes of
: State paper to crafty his personal malig
C nifty
In reply to the resolution of the Hous
rns (rnNarpnr 'In
v says;
y although / certainly disclaim any inten
:, ton Of preferring charges against these oi
e ficers. Attorney General and School Com
IS missioner) in that portion of my annut
message which refers to them, | now, i
response to the request Of the House, civ
t. the reason why / could not include the Al
1t torncy General and former School Commi
f., sioner in commencing to the Legislator
and and the people, the several State off
GERS"
n After stating the specific reason for thu
Il excluding the Attorney General from con
n mendation, the Governor gives expressio
to this manifest non SeQut,ir.
81 had, therefore, either 10 omit an
~ words Of commcndation to any one else.
an to exclude those believe not entitled I
nj such praise
! The Governor gives u false reason fl
'' making false charge. lie evidently SUI
n posed that he could the more eflectual
in stab the Attorney General under cover
commencing Others. And when it is i
=, membered that Tod knew scarcely anythir
u about any of the State Departments, al
n that his pretended commiseration for ii
A. other officers in view of the association
y, the Attorney General with them in h
= commentator, indicated refinement
feeling heretofore unsuspected in his coar
1T and vulgar nature, his reason still appea
in the more false and absurd. =
,,t But in his response to the request of d
''' House, it will be observed that the Cove
nor ''disclaims any intention of preterri
m charges against the Attorney General. )"
We And yet the implication in his MESA
covered all charges which ordinarily cou
. be made against a public officer. That t
rs, Governor was influenced by the basest N
Of tives and afterwards forced into the gro
rs. est perversion Of truth, will | think,
=, manifest in this communication.
u To return TO the response 10 the resol
he ton of inquiry. The Governor pretat
the main question by saying my specj
M. reason for this omission to commend {
49, 49, Attorney GeneraD was the fact notoric
ip- to all in any way connected with the adm
included, that both these officers grea
o,v neglected the performance Of official {
ties
~ What "specyc reason general
on rather, SO far as the Attorney General
vas concerned AT no time during the p
red year had Tod sought at this Office sin
= opinion, or the performance of sin
duty.
an, During the past year, gave twenty-eil
: Of written opinons--twelve more than
SOL predecessor gave in the same length of til
Ia On the 10Th of December my report '
" placed in the Governors hands. Had
aw. consulted it, he would have known what
or does not seem TO know, the scope Of
for duties of this office, and would have lea
ed from it that during the past yearas mi
> attention had been given to my departm
ma as it required, and as much as had pre-
ay, ously been given by any of my prececesso
ar and that no interest Of State whatey
which came under my charge, had sufle
in the least That the Governor had
cky mors to the effect he speaks may be tr
led for scarcely day has passed since | assu
ON ed the duties of this office, that some vi
,rt 6cation has not been promulgated by
~, or more Of the political parasites who
OF bitualy fawned in the executive preser
ON But an honest, well-meaning man wo
re- have asked for specific cases Of neglect,
stead of being content to rely upon
mn ubl;Sb mana ru,n or N n SNcnnotHn rno ~