The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-09-11
Governor Noyes as salary arabber.

The Cincinnati Enquirer has for
some weeks past been making very
serious charges against Gov. Noyes'
transactions while lie was Probate
Judge of Hamilton county, aud while
these charges are reiterated and appa-
rentlY backed up by the most substan-
tial proof, the only response they re-
ceiye at the hands of the Governor
and his friends is a TRADE of black
guardism and abuse. The following
are the charges preferred;
The examination of the records of
the Probate Court of this county du-
ring the administration of Governor
Z. f. Moves discloses the most as
founding charges against the estates
of deceased persons, and frauds upon
the county treasury that were ever
perpetrated upon an unsuspecting
public. He appears to have been al
lowed to draw from the county treas
ury, with the consent of the three Re-
publican County commissioners and
the Republican G 1nty Auditor, for
indexing books tina it was his duty as
Probate Judge to ldex without ex-
pense to the county, between Novem-
Der %, 1868, and February 9, 1870, the
nice little sum of $13,526 &c.
A gentleman who has examined
this work, and is familiar with Court
charges, says it was worth about $1,000
to do it. Another person not so well
yersed, probably, In court charges, has
fixed the total value at 81 900; and it
seems that If charge was made at
ten cents per hundred words, it would
fall far short of this latter sum. The
law has provided for indexing each
book relating to executors, admins
traitors, &C., (S. g c., 1,I24 and 1,2I9,1
without cost to the county. 1t has
provided we'll for the fees for the Pro-
bate Judge in all matters relating to
marriage licenses, Is. & c., 627l. 1t
was therefore, mere job in provid-
ing by the County Commissioners,
and paving for these extra indexes
In almost all instances they are mere
copy of names from other lists. done
by copying clerk, who usually gets
for his labor i've or six cents per hun
dred words.
In no aspect was the Probate Judge
entitled to draw a dollar for the max
ing of these books. If it was proper
to make them, and If it was proper to
have them made under his superVis-
ion, the county ought to have paid the
charges of the copying clerk, which
wonld have amounted to less than
$1,000. The simple, plain statement
of the case, is that it was robbery of
the county treasury, and so well un-
derstood aud known to be by persons
connected with it. It was q fraud,
cooIIy and deliberately designed and
carried into execution, with no other
motive than to grab the money. The
recipient, as is well known, mysteri-
ously grew rich and influential from a
three years term in that office, and we
are just now waking up to q. realiza-
tloh of the. fact that his wealth has |
been drawn from the county treasury
under the pretext for paying for pri- |
vate work that it was his public duty
to perform, and has been grabbed |
from the estates of deceased persons
that belonged to the widows and en- |
phans of Hamilton county. In a few
days many of these frauds win see the |
light of day, and beside them the |
Congressional salary grab will be
made to seem respectable.
If these charges are false, Governor
Noyes and his friends have it within
their power to disprove them If /
they are true, he is not the man upon
whom the people should bestoW their
sufrages. ea5'a