Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-11-14
Republican Faithfulue ss in Iowa

| NepuD1can Ea1CnIu1ness In Iowa.
From the Dubuque Times,
The New York World takes, as
an example of Republican corrup-
ton, the detfalcation IF the county
treasurer Of Jackson county, in
this State. Unfortunately, for the
Worlds illustration, the defalcation
in question is that of a Democratic
county. If that defalcation reflects
upon any party, it is certainly upon
the Worlds own party.
One other fact should be
lost sight OF. For nearly twenty
years the Republican party has been
supreme in the State Of Iowa. 1t
has had possession of the State
Treasury during all of that time,
and its elected officers have disburs-
ed about twenty-five million Of dol
lars. Out of that twenty five mil
lion of dollars the only losses were
those of Orwig and Rank n her
of them directly from the State
Treasury, but still losses charyeable
to Republican officials. In the ag-
gregate the losses to the people will
perhaps amount to $4,000
During all of this period, too,
nine-tenths of all the counties in the
State have been under Republican
rlle. The amount disbursed by
the Republican County Treasurers
must have been enormous. The to-
tai taxes Of many counties in the
State now over-run 100000 per
annum. But putting the average at
S75, 200 per annnm it would make
S7,5O0,0oO yearly. In twenty years
this would make the enormous sum
of $l5o,oOo,oo0. But admitting
that the average is too high for the
twenty years, it is doubtless true
that the Republican County Treas
urers Of Iowa have collected and
disbursed sl00,000,000. And vet
in all this time we do not recall one
serious detalcation of a Republican
County Treasurer in this State.
Doubtless there have been some,
tut we think we are testified in say
ing that during the past twenty
years of Republican rule in Iowa
the losses by official sp cuIation of
County Treasurers has reached lit
tie more than onc.titth of one per
cent. Of the amount collected.
And yet in spite of this evidence
of the general taithfulness with
which Republican agents have dis
charged their trust, because one
weak old man in the office Of State
Treasurer, who has all his previous
life been honest, was carried away
by a fever of speculation, and used
the funds ola State institution of
i which he was the financial agent.
we have constant howl from the
Democratic press about Republican
corruption in Iowa. In the history
of all private trusts in any country,
we doubt if a smaller proportion of
loss could he found than is shown
III this statement of Republican
management in the State of Iowa.
And yet because Rankin stole from
State institution $4,000, $4,000
OF which he cannot make good, the
Democratic press are filling the ears
of lhe people with the cries of cor
rnpt rules in this State.
| For time the Democratic party
had control of the State, and Il Dem
ocratic manager Of the school fund
stole more than Orwig and Rankin
together. In Dubuque county, but
a few years ago, a Democratic
County Treasurer was iefaulter
for some 1872, 900. And now in
Jackson County, almost the only
other really Democratic county in
the Statc,we find another Democrat.
ic Treasurer charged with the theft
OF at least $4,000 Of the public
funds, and perhaps more. Here,
then, we find that either OF the two
radically Democratic counties OF
the State has suffered as much from
dctaulting officers as has the State
OF Iowa through Republican offic-
lals. And we submit, in the light
of these tac,s, that it ill-becomes the
Democratic press of this State to
be indulying in reflections upon
Republican honesty, at least so far
as Iowa is concerned.