Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-10-03
an Open Letter to. J. H. Heaton.

mismanagement of the financial affairs
of our County, you charge me with be-
ing the author of an article in the
Chronicle under the caption belmont
County Treasury Robbed" Permit
me to say that, since took charge of
this office November 18th, 1871, have
not written line for the Chronicle, ex-
cept official advertisements which I
was required to have printed. Possibly
am too sensitive in this particular,
but I have thought that occupying a
responsible Office, conferred upon me
by the people of the County, it was no
part of my duty to my party to use my
position for partisan purposes. l am
still of that opinion, but your wantOn
and unprovoked attack upon me{unless
the fact that have to some extent put
a stop 10 your filching of money from
the County Treasury which you never
earned and which you had no legal
right to draw has provoked you) COM
pels me to notice it in this way and to
refute some ofthe assertions contained
in it.
l will notice the allegations made by
you against me in the order in which
they occur.
1t is said that on certain occasion I,
with another" was appointed COM
mission to examine into the condition
of the Treasury, that l certified to hav-
ing been occupied twenty-five days,
that the statute allows two dollars per
day for such service, and that | drew
from the Treasury lone hundred dol
lars for three days work" You are
assured it could have been done in
that time" and you have "no evidence
that he lLongIeyl divided this hundred
dollars with the other gentleman"
On the 5th of February, 1869, Mr..
Ross j. Alexander and myself were
appointed q committee to examine into
the condition Of the County Treasury.
This was at the close of Mr.. Irwin's first
collection, and the Auditor (Mr. r. NJ.
Clark appeared to have some anxiety
as to tie probable condition of affairs.
We Were urged to make the most thor
Fough and searching scrutiny. The
books of this Office and the books. pa
pers and funds Of the Treasurer were in
such condition that a great deal Of hard
work and considerable time had to be
devoted TO the work in hand in order
to mako d satisfactory Investigation
That commission did twenty-five days
work, and made, too. the most thor
lough investigation ever attempted
since the passage of the law under
which it was acting. / was paid $50 for
that work. 1 never demanded one
| hundred dollars more from the Conf
missioners for the same work. When
1 got the order for my pay from Audi
tor Clark (sS50), 1 did say to him that,
considering The amount ard character
of the work we had done, we were not
more than half paid. That's all there
| is of that. ..s'l s..t.
You then undertake to account fol
the large sums paid fol. printing and
advertising between Sept. /, 1869, and
Sept. !, 1871, by alleging that these ex.
traordiDafy expenditures were caused
by the. building of pixies. Mr.. Heaton,
no advertisement OF pike assessments
was printed in either Of those years. :
s.Fabular Statements of live stock" will
account for part of it. ,.f.....
sYeu say, 'sthe statute ixes the price
| for printing the delinquent land list"
1t does no such thing, Brother Heaton.
1t, fixes a price beyond which Auditors
shall not go in paying for that work.
| 'sThere shall hereafter be allowed tC
the publishers of newspapers for adrer.
\ tising the delinquent and forfeited lists
of the several counties a sum not e.c-
ceedaag the following rates." ETC., Is. &
/ s., page o. You say. l procured the
1 publication ofthe delinquent land list
! last winter, for 500 less than it cost
the previous. year. True, L did pro
cure the publication Of a larger lis
at u cost of Si02 98. less than was paid
! you for similar publication the preYi
Gus year. You think this very seri.
Gus offence. You charge me with hav
j ing "robbed" the Chronicle of one hun
dred dollars. Mr.. Wilkinson, publishci
! of the Chronicle in his issue of Jan. Il
1872, speaking of that very advertise
Iment said: 'tIf Mr.. Heaton and hi:
excellent family must starve because
we are willing to take a fair price fol
advertising, then let the hand of chari
j ty be extended; but we protest agains
his slandering US because the key of tht
County Treasury has been put up ou
/ of his reach. Last year he charged S24l
for publishing the delinquent tax list
This year we get about one-half oftha
sum, and will take any amount of sim
liar printing at the same rates."
"And nov, for another attempt K
defraud the printer by a violation O
i duty ON his part,p say you. You the1
relate how You printed tabular state
Iment of live stock, how tive presented
our BILL" and how epayment was re
sisted hy the Auditor.n In 1869 tht
/ lLegisIature passed an act requiring TIT
Auditor of State to transmit to the sew
eral County Auditors a tabular state
ment ofthe number of horses. cattle
4 sheen. hogs. mules and asses, %swhici
statements the several County Audi
tors shall furnish for, publication il
Their several counties. u lObio Laws
tvoli f6. d. 27.l I gave a COPY Of thi
!. Statement to Mr.. Wilkinson. of ith,
Chronicle, at the same time telling hin