The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-09-04

/ in health, until death shall part them.
I Nothing but overwhelming defeat,
/ conspicuous and crushing, will ever
educate this wing of the party up to
an appreciation of the living ques-
tions, the vital issues of the present
day.
STATE MANAGEMENT-IN
BY THE OPPOSITION.
But my friends, we are entering
upon the discussions of State cam
paign. What is then, so far as State
affairs are concerned, at issue between
the parties? If there is any one thing
at this time, more prominent than
another in the public mind, it is de-
termination on the part of the peo-
| pie that public servants shall be hon.
est and faithful; that the same de-
! gree of morality and virtue shall be
observed in official, as In private life.
/ To this end, the conduct of men in Of
I flee is very carefully scrutiniZed, their
motives are challenged, and their ac-
tions are approved or condemned, ac-
1 cording to the popular judgment.
Sometimes that judgment may be
wrong, and injustice may be done
4 OlL IL ID anu III lA1C
1 long run, may be safely trusted. Re-
cent events have made it stern and
critical, as in times like these it ought
to be; its severity will be lesson and
4 a warning to all who may be trusted
and honored hereafter, for many years
| to come, teaching public morality, and
threatening everlasting disgrace to
those who betray their trusts. But
how has it been in Ohio for the last
sixteen or seventeen years, since the
Republican party has had control OF
-affairs ? Let the testimony of our po-
litical adversaries be taken. The last
act of the Democracy of this State
was to rob the Treasury of $574, ITO As,
according to the official reports. Upon
the heels of which the Republicans
gained the ascendancy they have
since held. This enormous theft has
been supplemented by similar defal-
cations, in such Democratic counties
as Butler and Fairfield, though from
the necessities of the case these rob-
berries have been upon a more limit
ed scale.
Last winter, upon motion of Gen.
VIM. II. Ball, of Muskingum,-am man
of rare ability, the most prominent
Democratic lawyer in the House of
Representatives, and O partisan OF
such standing that he was selected as
permanent President of the 9th of
August eOnVentioB-an investigation
into the official conduct of State Off
eials was ordered by the following
resolution:
"ResOIUed, That a committee of
five members be appointed by the
Speaker, with authority to send for
persons and papers, and whose duty
! it shall be to inquire and report to
this House, whether any money has
been drawn from the State Treasury
without authority of law; whether
corrupt contracts or expenditures
have been made affecting the State
Treasury, including expenses for this
Legislature, and all contracts in that
behalf, and the construction and
maintenance of the charitable insti-
tutions of the State, and all other eX-
penses payable from the funds of the
State"
You will perceive that very wide
discretion was given to the commit
tee under this resolution. The dis
tinguished gentleman who moved the
investigation, Gen. Ball, was made
chairman of the committee. Judge
Isaiah Pillars, another leading Demo-
crat, was a member. The other three
-Burnham, Little, and Adair-were
Republicans. The Committee re-
mained in session between three and
four months, and only reported
the day before the adjourn
ment of the Legislature. Numerous
witnesses gathered from all parts
of the State, were eXRmineC-dis-
charged clerks, unsuccessful bidders,
disappointed contractors, architects,
the trustees and employees of public
institutions, State officers, and many
others. Whenever the committee
heard of any one suspected of know
ing anything to the discredit of the
State officials, he was sent for. All
persons having complaint to make
were invited to be present at the in
yestigatiOn. And now / cannot bet
ter state the result than by quoting
the exact language of the report,
| siqned 6y every member of the com
nlittee. Here it is:
sThe examination has taken q wide
range. One hundred and nine wit
nesses, residing in various parts of the
| State, have been subpnnaed and eX.
amined, touching public contracts and
expenditures, construction of public
buildings, conduct of public institu-
tfons, &c. All matters, without refer
| enee to the date of their occurrence
coming to the knowledge of the
committee, that seemed to promise any
probability of throwing any light upon
the subject of inquiry, or any OF them
have been diligently inquired into.
"Your committee takes pleasure in
reporting that, so far as elective off
GERS and their subordinates are con
cerned, very eommendable honesty
and fidelity have been observed, anC
that in the official conduct of no pub
lie officer, whether elective or appoint
i've, has corruption been disclosed"
| During the time covered by this in,
vestigation, the Republican party col
lected and disbursed ninety million:
of dollars, every dollar honestly anC
faithfully, without fraud or peculation
and no public officer unlawfully profit
ed by tampering with or betraying his
trust.
Now, ask you, my fellow citizens
if such record as this, acknowledged
and published to the world, by an IN
telligent committee acting under theil
solemn oaths, and composed in large
part cf the ablest and most bitterly
partisan among our political oppo'
nents, is not such as to commend the
Republican administration to the con
fldence and good will of all men who
desire honest and faithful conduct OF
the part of public officials? If Gen
Balls report is true, can you changl
for the better in the name of reform
Is it not fair to ask that our party b,
continued in authority, until in some
particular it proves unfaithful to thu
public trust and the interest of th'
people?
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS - CoMPARISO3
WITH OTHER STATES.
This summer, as you know, thi
! Constitutional Convention has beer
in session; a proposition was intro
duced by Col. L. D. Campbell, of But
Ter, who was suspected-unjustly NJ
doubt-of desire to make capital fo
the 9Th of August nomination as Gov
erDor of the State, to take away from
the Executive the appointment o
: Trustees for the charitable and othe
public institutions of the State, and t
vest the entire management in
: Board of three Commissioners, to b
, elected by the people, who shoul'
be paid a salary, and who should hav'
power to appoint the Superintendent
, and other officers of the asylums, re
, form schools, etc., and to control tn
: expenditure of nearly seventy-fiv
i per cent. of all the money raised b.
, State taxation. AS after two or thre
weeks discussion, this proposition
was rejected by decisive vote, d
not care to discuss the merits or de
merits, and only refer to it for tn
purpose of mentioning certain facts
which were developed by the discus
} sion in the convention. From an ex
animation of the Reports of Publ
Institutions in the five largest State
in the Union, it appeared that the an
: nual cost of maintaining the inmate
: in our public institutions average
: from $50 to Sl50, per capita, less thai
in the corresponding institutions il
} New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, o
: Indiana.
: have taken considerable pains
: since l became Governor of the Statt
: TO acquaint mVself with the manage