Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-11-17
SAMMY TrJ nEv tbn now Tamman'

SAMMY THDEN, the new Tammany
reformcr, of New York, is in tighl
place. II seems that he signed bill
allowing the payment of certain canal
contracts, and among the rest. one fo
Willard johnson for $4,000, which
he had but short time before, in his
message. denounced as fraud. His
defense is that he had the assurance OF
the Auditor of State that he would
not pay any claims allowed by the
bill which should be found wrong
This Is the kind of defense the Al
bany 1rg,ts is authorized TO put in for
Tildcn:
''Thc main urgency on The Govern
or to sanction this bill was from ca
nal Auditor Thaycr. He on several
occasions went to tile Executive
Chamber. He insisted that the pub
lie service required the passage OF the
bill. He said that ii would make no
difference in respect to the payment
of any improper claim. He told Mr..
Van Bnren that if the bin did not be-
come a law, we would have no ca
nails On one occasion, when so urged.
the Governor said to him, in the pres
ence Of Mr.. Stebbins and Mr.. Van
Buren, 'Well, if this bill becomes a
law. will you see to it that no inn
proper claims are paid?' He answer
ed emphatically that he would"
OF this defense, Hdpor's Heekly
! E0v6Tnor Tilden would certainly
not accept this as satisfactory ex-
planation even from a subordinate
agent in similar transaction. For
what is the whole story? The Coy
ernor had exposed a vast and intri-
cate system OF canal frauds. A bill is
presented TO him authorizing tax to
pay certain canal awards and certifi-
Gates. Notwithstanding his knowl-
edge of the system Of frauds. he does
not inquire into the details of any of
those TO whom the bill relates. If he
had done so, he would have instantly
discovered one which he had already
published as a fraud. But saving that
Iic icdpploNCS tHC ~ tcItul uIuef
which such bills are passed, he per-
mits il to become a law, adding that
if any certificate or award should
prove to be dishonest. the Auditor
should protect the State. This does
not seem to us "a mastery exhibition
of the mental resources and moral
qualities which Governor Tilden
brings to the discharge of the least or
the greatest Of the duties of his office
which is the grand style in which it
is described by the paper that sneered
at him as "a railroad lawyer up town
when he began to move in the Tweed
reform. On the contrary, it seems to
us a mistaken view of the duties of
his Office.
A simple inquiry would have
showed him that the bill covered
what he knew to be a fraudulent pay
ment, and he had no right under the
circumstances to omitall inquiry, and
to throw upon the Auditor the duty
of protecting the State. The people
elect the Governor to do that duty.
first of all. Governor Tilden may
have believed the Auditor to be hon
ESt, ditIioHpu IL TIE NgdIldI 1UilllnlSSlOn-
ers have since publicly denounced
him as knave; but honest or dishon-
est. the Governor should have reflect
ed that the Auditors duty did not
begin until his had ended. and his
duty was to prevent any possibility
of the payment Of n fraudulent claim
by vetoing the bill He had no right
to evade the responsibility OF stop
ping the payment under the plea that
honest claims might not be paid.
Honest claims could wait il the con-
lition of paying $3S0000 honestly
was q risk Of paying $4,000 dishon-
estly. When President Grant signed
the bin containing the back pay
clause, Governor Tilden and his
friends did not admit as an excuse
That. il he had not signed il, the APP
preparations would have failed and
an extra session of Congress would
become necessary. But ii il was tho
duty of the President not TO sign that
bin, il was still more the duty of Gov
crnor I'ilden not to permit this bill.
which covered fraud that he had
himself exposed 10 become law.