The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1875-08-27
OFFICIAL CORRUPTION IN OHIO.
L refaIcations and RaseaIities of State
and County Officials for the last
Twenty Years.
How the 4rrouRt Stands aS Between the Demo-
srztie aHd Republican Parties.

Sl"ci - COrrespondence Cincinnati Gazette.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. Il.
It has been shown sufficiently well in
the columns of the Gazette, that Demo
cratic preteuses Of economy and reform
il the management of Ohio affairs are
impudent as they are baselesS. But they
have still another string to their bow.
They charge the Republican party with
malfeasance, defalcatiOn, and cOrrup-
tion, and tell the people that in the in
terests of honesty, and to prevent steal
ing, the Democracy should everywhere
be restored to power. We need not go
outside of Ohio to prove that this pre-
tense is even more impudent and baseless
than the other. For the twenty years
that the Republicans have held power in
Ohio, not one single cent of public mon
ey was ever diverted from its legitimate
purposes through the raseality or cor
ruption of "A Republican State official.
This has been repeatedly admitted by
Democratic investigating committees,
and was loudly proclaimed to the world
by VIM. Allen himself in his noted speech
to the soldiers at Washington Court
House.
A STATE STEAL.
But how stands the account upOn the
other side? In 1856 it was discovered
that John q. Breslin, the last Democrat
ic Treasurer of State, was n defaulter to
the tune of 37I4, OBS 81, or nearly three
quarters of million dollars.
Since then the Democracy have had
but little opportunity to steal as State
officers, for they have not had control in
the interval of eitIIer the Treasury, the
Auditors or the Controllers Depart
ment. We must turn, therefore, to the
counties about half of which are nearly
always Democratic.
BUTLER COUNTY.
In 1870 Chas. Reemelin, under author
ity of the Auditor of State, unearthed the
frauds of j. G. Lindsey, Treasurer of
Butler County, that old stronghold of
Democracy, frauds amounting to Sl15,-
1l5.44
In 1873 Gen Goldman, under the same
authority, took up other Democratic Off
cials of Butler County, found Adolph
Schmitt defaulter in S19, 1927 and
William Russell in S5,412.S1. r. n.
Andrews, Sheriff, panned out in rascali-
ties to the amount OF s., ,4G1. 3; and run
ming back through series of years, all
included, however, within the time since
the Republican party came into power in
Ohio, it was discovered that the defalca-
tions of other officials of Butler, previous
to the ones have named, amounted in
the aggregate to S13J, G5S. 81. These
last were revealed in April, 1874. Gen.
Goldman, in his report to the Auditor OF
State, declares that every officer of But
Ter County whose accounts he examined
was shown TO be Il defaulter. So much
have the honest and hard working peo
pie of Butler County gained by clinging
to the sweets of Democratic government
The defalcations and rascalities of off
cials in that county have not stopped
with county officers. The resolutions
made in regard to the Hamilton CITY
School Board show that it has prrvaded
all Democratic officials who We're able in
any way To swindle and rob the people.
FAIRFIELD.
Fairfield County is another region
where the Democracy have held for
years an undsputed sway. Gen. God
man tried his hand on the county Off
cials in 1879, and found that Jacob
Baker and J. W. Towsen were defaul-
ters to the amount of $S5, Bile.
Another pretty good price to pay for the
sweet boon of being govern ed by Dem
ocratic ofiicehoIderS.
DARKE