Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-01-27
The Attorney Generals Reply 10
Tod.
ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE,
COLUMBUS, o., january, 1854.

this have taken some further action In rel
erence to the matters hereinafter mentioned
at least so far as to afford me an opportunit
: to vindicate my official position agains
/. false charges, have delayed the publication
of this statement; but now, upon infor
nation that, probably, nochannel of an of
flcial character will be afforded for thi
communication, 1 submit ii ito the public.
! Gov. Tod In his late message to the Gen
eral Assembly uses the following language
The past year has been one of seye-e labor to al
CONCERNED in the administration Of the government
and take pleasure in bearing testimony 10 the faith
ful and vigilant manner in which the Auditor o.
State, Treasurer Of State Secretary Of State Comp
tEoller Of the Treasury Superintendent Of the Stat
Librarian, have seyeraly performed their respectiv,
duties. regret that cannot include the Attorney
Genera! and the former Commissioner Of Common
4 Scools in this c0mmendation.
graph asserts, shat the past year has been
one of severe labor to all concerned in the
administration Of the government" yet the
latter part, excluding the Attorney General
from the Governors commendation, being
contradiction of the former and implying
some neglect of duty, which implication q
portion of the members of the House knew
to be grossly false and unjust, the Hon.
Daniel s. Uhl promptly offered for adoption
by the House a resolution requesting Gov.
Tod ITO state, In writing to this House, be-
fore his term of Office expires, what partic-
ular official duty or duties the said Attorney
General has failed faithfully and vigilantly
to operform."
Before this resolution was offered polit-
ical opponent of the Attorney General, and
a political and personal friend of Govern or
Tod, more anxious to please the Governor
than to do right, consulted him in regard to
the intended resolution of inquiry, and,
when it was offered in the House, moved a
substitute, in pursuance of Tod's expressed
wish, coupling the late School Commits
sioner with the Attorney General in the in
quiry for specifications. This was Tod's in
venti0n to get the opportunity of sending
forth to the public false and trifling charges
against the Attorney General, associated
with the prejudice which surrounded diff
ferent department, as to which charges
might more readily be believed.
This attempt of Tod shows the animls of
the man, and affords to the world an Illus
tration of how the Chief Magistrate of a
great State may basely prostitute the pow
er OF his position and the purposes of "a State
paper to crafty his personal malignity.
In reply to the resolution of the House
requesting specifications, Governor Tod
says: although / certainly disclaim any
intention of preferring charges against
these officers (the Attorney General and
School COMMISSIONER in that portion of my
annual message which refers to them, /
now, in response to the request of the
House, give the reason why could not in
clude the Attorney General and former
School Commissioner in commencing to
the Legislature and the people, the several
State officers"
After stating the specific reason for thus
excluding the Attorney General from COM
mendatiOn, the Governor gives expression
to this manifest non sequitr: ~ had, there
fore, either to omit any words of commend
alton 10 any one else, or to exclude those /
believe not entitled to such praise" The
Governor gives false ret.s' for making a
false charge. He evidently supposed that
he could the more effectually stab the At
torney-General under cover of commend
ing others. And when it is remembered
that Tod knew scarcely anything about any
of the State Departments, and that his pre-
tended commiseration for the other officers
In view of the association of the Attorney
General with them in his commentator,
indicated a refinement Of feeling heretofore
unsuspected in his coarse, vulgar nature,
his reason still appears the more false and
absurd.
But in his response to the request of the
House, it will be observed that the Cover
nor 'disclaims any intention of preferring
charges against the Attorney General."-
And yet the implication in his message
covered all charges which ordinarily could
be made against public officer. That the
Governor was influenced by the basest mo-
tives and afterwards forced into the gross
| - 80 AL, h.
manifest in this communication.
To return to the response to the resolu-
ton of inquiry. The Governor prefaces the
main question by saying ''ny specific rea-
son for this omission Ito commend the At
torney GeneraD was the fact notorious to
all in any way connected with the admins
tration Of the affairs of the State, myself
included, that both these officers greatly
neglected the performance of official duties
Whata specific reason" a generallie, rather,
so far as the Attorney General is concerned
At no time during the past year had Tod
sought at this office a single opinion, or the
performance of a single duty.
During the year, 1 gave twenty eight
written opinions-twelve more than my
predecessor gave In the same length of time,
On the 26th of December, my official report
was placed in the Governors hands. Had
he consulted it, he would have known, what
he does not seem to know, the scope of the
duties of this Office, and would have learned
from it that during the past year as much
attention had been given to my department
as it required, and as much as had previous.
| ly been given by any of my predecessors
and that no interest Of tie State whatever
which came under my charge, had suffered
in the least. That the Governor had rumor,
to the effect he speaks of may be true; fol
scarcely day has passed since l assumed
the duties of this office, that some villifica
ton has not been promulgated by one o
more of the political parasites who lfabitu
ally fawned in the executive presence
But an honest, well-meaning man woul,
have asked for specific cases of neglect, in
stead of being content to rely upon and re
publish mere rum0r as specific reason
for q grave charge in State paper.
4 Governor Tod had given as much atten
Il ton to the affairs Of my office, as he di
to me personally and politically, he woul
mot have resorted to rumor and falsehoo
to bolster up the slanderous accusatio
in his message. 1t Is not only bad tast'
but bad policy, for Governor to under
take, In his messages, to commend or cor
denim executive State officers. II is /
bad taste, for they derive their positio
and authority from as high source {
he does his. 1t Is bad policy also, for col
lrupt Governor who gives way to person,
or political ill-will toward another officer
disqualified to pass an opinion on such
1.s.o g. T. -,