The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1869-02-11
THE GREAT VINDICATIos

up IN the course OF cOnVerSatlOn Sever
al gentlemen were present, and among
them very well known citizen whose
word on the street is just as good as bis
bond. This gentleman took occasion to
say: Il am democrat, but don't care
who hears me, say that all the money
expended by the Poor Commissioners
over $4,000, IS a stealP' Shortly after
In conversation with several other gents,
some of whom were democrats, the ques-
ton was asked of us, why don't you
expose this Poor Commissioner fraud. -
So much being said we finally consented
to stir up the disagreeable mess, and we
must say the deeper we go the more
offensive to honest men is the ef1uyia
emitted. But we have this consolation,
the people are aroused. On every hand
we have received communications, COM
mendations, encouragement and assist.
ance from men of all parties. In fact
those letters which have asked the most
pertinent questions, and made the most
direct charges. are from democrats. 1t
has been our sole aim, and that of others,
to get an explanation from some one of
the Poor Commissioners or the County
Board for the extraordinary expenditure
OF the peoples money, but until last
week they have refused to make any
such explanations, in effect claiming that
| taxpayers had no right to know where
their money had gone to. But so much
noise has been made that finally we haye
reply. 1t is two column and half
article IN our contemporary headed GA
Rebuke to Party Malice and the Vindi-
cation of Good Citizen" signed CIV
many think it should have been 60
and was probably the production of a
lawyer who received payment in full for
his arduous services. As a paid-for de-
tense it is all Mr.. Mahoney could ask, but
as 'vindication' it is a complete failure.
We will reply to SO much of it as can be
considered argument, the slang and bill
llngsgate, the lofty soarings after the in
finite and unfathomable, we shall ignore.
First, it is assumed that we have will
fully and maliciously sought to injure an
honest man for partisan purposes.
We deny the charge. At the request
Of many citizens weeks ago, we called on
the Poor Commissioners to explain why
they had expended so muchmoney, but all
were silent. Later, several heavy tax
payers echoed the call through our
columns, but still no reply. How should
this silence be construed? In view of
the extravaganza of the Board, it aoas
construed as conscious guilt, for an honest
official is quite likely to demand an inves-
tigation, when his official acts are called
In question. Why our correspondents
not ourselves-have singled out Mr..
Mahoney to fire at is more than we can
tell, unless they think him more to blame
than others. All we have said or done
n the matter has been for the public
good. We have not mentioned demo
crat or republican in connection with the
matter; hence it cannot be called par
tlSan warfare.
We are blamed for opening our columns
to the public; We wish to say that our
columns are aluaps open to any one, who,
on well founded charges, wishes to crit
icise any public officer.
1t is claimed Mr.. Mahoney has been
here Is years and has always been known
as an honest man. This we will not I'm
dertake to refute, in fact we hope it is
strictly true, but Mr.. NJ, or his next
friend, will have winters job to con-
vince the people of Manitowoc County
that Mr.. Mahoney has not been instru-
mental in squandering their means in
the capacity Of Poor Commissioner.
The question is asked, Surprising he
(Mr. NJ. did sell $1,000 worth of goods,
is that an ofense % The law which ''T''
claims to expound SO learnedly, says it is!
And further, ST, " It's not the best wav
to defend man to charge that some one
else Is just as guilty as he is, style you
have adopted.
We quote:
''But it is charged that Mr.. Mahoney
charged more for the goods that he sold
to the poor than they were worth, more
than he did for goods sold to Others
That's it to T. We hear of poor
woman who has three children to sup
port. She says friend of hers went to
Mahoney's and bought some cloth at so
cents per yard. She went for some like
it and was charged Is cents and her order
was discounted Is per cent because orders
were not at par. AS others were willing
to take orders at par and sell goods at
cash prices let US see how much this poor
woman was wronged, to call it by no
harder namo. Suppose she has an order
for $500; this ought to purchase 10 yards
CT the cloth she wants, but the over charge
and the discount have to be considered
and she can only get sac and one halt
yards! Now if Mr.. Mahoney is the bus
mess man it is claimed he is, he ought to
i;ao,o better than that True, the woman
may have been mistaken, or may have
told falsehood, but there are so many
who tell stories of black -four and out
rageous prices that the people are suspic-
ious, and where there are such clouds of
smoke you will generally find some fire.
This same woman owed few dollars at a
store in town and wanted an order on that