Mower County transcript., 1871-07-27

general and long continued miscondu'
Of the officers of the county was frec]
discussed. Resolutions were adoptc
urging i thorough investigation Of tn
: conn ) records and vigorous proscc,
ton Of all public offenders in office.
committee Of ways and means consistin
, Of members from every town was AZ
pointed and also central, cxccutiv
committee Of three persons whose c.
peeial duty was to carry plans into cS
ccution and manage prosecutions. I'll
men composing the latter committee wcr
o. ". Shaw, L. =. Vanyalkenbursl
and Herman Warner. The first worI
was to raise funds to carry forward th
prosecutions and investigations. Thi
was done by private subscription in eacl
town, whose committee reported tn
amount raised TO the central Treasure
Mr.. Andrew Knox, who was required
to keep and did keep an accurate &C
count Of all monies received, and dis
burscd the same only on tho order o
the executive committee. While fund
we're coming in an appeal was made t
the county commissioners to aid in th'
work Of investigation as being a matter
Of public Importance. This was rcfus
ed. Beach, Bishop, and Mckee voting
against and Tanner and Fclch in favor
The next step was to prefer charger
against II. NJ. Allen, County Auditor
and Goo w R;shnp County Commits
sioncr for malfcasancc in office. The
investigation of the charges under com.
mission from the Governor occupied
somc two or three months. Nearly one
hundred witnesses were examined, and
resulted in complete and full proof o1
the guilt Of the accused and their fna
resignation before their cases were pass
cd upon by the Governor. The remov:
al Of Bishop and the appointment Of Mr.
Howe gave majority in the Board
favorable to a thorough investigation Of
the county records. This the people
all except q few who were welded to
the corruption Of the old officers, impcr.
ativcly demanded. They would be salts
fed with nothing less. Tho accounts
with towns and school districts were in
confused condition and all were anx-
ious to know how they stood. Thus
far all tho expenses had been paid by
private subscription. A few individu-
ais had been taxed for the public good,
20 remove corrupt and inefficient officers,
in which proceedings every man, woman
and child in the county had a pccuniary
as we'll as moral interest. Tho work
of investigation was yet to be done.
The commissioners, after careful cx-
animation and satisfying themselves
that tho interests cf the county demand
cd a thorough overhauling ofthe records
and fair and square start from new
stand point aud upon correct and hon.
est basis, determined that such invcsti-
cations come within the legitimate
scope Of their authority as the general
managers of county business and hnan-
ccs They further determine that the
investigation should be beyond the
reach Of personal or political bias on
either side and should be made by some
competent person who know nothing OF
the history of the county and had no.
sympathy with any political faction.
Believing furthermore that while such
a course would incur somewhat greater
expense than to employ man at home,
it would prevent ccusatious Of fpartisan-
ship aud be in all respects more sat's-
factory to the tax payers Of the county.
After writing to several places without
success, on the recommendation Of sev-
eral gentlemen Of high standing ia the
State, the services Of Mr.. Hayden fist.
Peter were secured. His especial rccou-
mendation was that he was strictly
honest, an accomplished and expcrien-
ced accountant and thoroughly conver-
SAINT with the law relating to county
officers aud the proper management OF
county records. Another point OF it,
ness in the estimation Of tho board was
that he had not an acquaintance in the
county. To secure the services ofsuch
a man and induce him to leave his own
business and undertake work not de-
sirable in any particular it was nsces-
sary to hold ont some pccuniary induce
ment. Mr.. Hayden has thus far per-
formed his work in q faithful manner
and VIC believe satisfactorily to his en-
ployers. What he has already done: it
he goes no further, is worth five times
its cost, by showing in a tabular form
the precise standing Of every town and
school district aud just what is due each
Of them. This is a work which the
Auditor Mr.. Allen never did and never
could do accurately nor any one ne has
had with him, and which in the pres
cnt confused condition Of the books
could not be done without vast amount
Of labor. If ouch district or town hac
hired the work done, Gas many wcr'
attempting to dog it would have cost il
the aggregate probably ten times wha
it has now cost. Besides this CRANE
result, it already appears from Mr.. Hay
dcns investigation that from thirty t.
forty thousand dollars Of money whlc'
the tax payers have put into the treas
ury has not been accounted for. 1t re
mains to be seen what has become OF il
I Believing that it was not just that
fcw individuals and none others shou)
be taxed for the public good, the lcsl'