Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-05-03

Ex-Gov. Tayl0r's PeccadilIos.
The investigation ordered by the
last Legislature into the official acts ol
Ex-Gov. Taylor. which was in progress.
last week, developed some rich
illustrations of the "reform' Demo
cracy. Hon. l. C. Sloan, who was
Assistant Attorney General during the
first six months of the Governors ad-
minstration, testified as follows:
About the lst of March, 1876, TAYLOR
called on me and said: "You have bill
| for services against the state not vet paid !"
J said yes. He said: 81 have some funds
in my hands belonging to the Superior Har-
Dor fund which | have not used" and he
said he would pay the bill if l would give
him receipt. l told him / had nc obiec-
tions to giving him receipt if he desired
to pay $500, and | made bill for retainer,
and for making motion for leave to COM
mence action, for $500. My recollection is
put in two items. He paid me, end |
gave receipt. He did not make reference
to this Investigation before he paid me. lie
consulted me afterwards in regard to the
resolution introduced to investigate him.
don't think he said to me th at the pros
pect Of an investigation induced him to
pay the money. I don't know what had
operated on his own mind. can hardly
say what did occur in my mind about the
payment OF this sum at this time. There
was nothing strange about the payment,
except just what the facts ipdicate-nothing
peculiar in his manner. He did not at
tempt to account for having taken the
money out of the State Treasury, and kept
it 80 long. | mean not until after was re-
tained as counsel.
The question will naturally arise.
what business had VIM. r. TAYLOR
with this five hundred dollars of pub
l'c funds two months after his term of
office had oexpired2 If it was due Mr..
Sloan who was it not paid, by order on
the Treasurer, before Tavlor went out
OF office? Is it principle of Demo
cratic reform" administration that the
Governor may draw state funds, in
anms Of five hundred dollars, and
carry them around in his pocket for
months after retiring from office?
/. l.. Hacker, messenger to Taylor
whlle ln Office, testified, in subs tance,
as follows:
There was enough official-headed station.
cry TO last Taylor's term when he went in
iay'or drew large amount of stationery
during his last month, little of W hich was
used or even appeared in the Office, and
probably was put in the two or three large
boxes which the Governor had carried
away, by several men, lust before going
ont OF Office. The Governor said himself
be took very literally of the stationary
for keepsakes at is to be supposed.
he remarked to Secretary Bird, at the time,
that II 1t was known that so much Of the
8 a''onery used was that left by Gov. Wash
Darn, 1t would modify the good showing of
ne hrformers about expenditures in his
Office
The Governor took lot of postage
amps just before leaving Office, and told
hacker aud Private Secretary Bird that
they could have some, but they talked the
matter over between them, and concluded it
not pest 70 take either. 1t don't appear
that b'rd OF acker were IN any way i'm
pilcated 10 The crookedness of the office
hacker tod Of several interviews Taylor
nad ry'ng to have him secretly return an
atlas a. had taken, as he claims, by mis-
take ne refusing to do so unless openly.
Taylor admitted to the committee
OF Investigation that he took reams of
paper and some stamps, but not SO
many as Hacker said. But whether
the amount of goods taken he much
or little, the character of the oAense
was the same. Beyond what he need
ed tor his own use while in office, |
Taylor had no more business with these
things than a private individual, and |
his taking them was nothing more nor
less than petty thievcry In view Of
this testimony few, if any, will doubt
the truth of the statements made, last
tall, by Farr and Brereton. of Taylor's
crookedness, but which the Democracy
SO vehemently denied. The state
ments were exactly in the line of con-
duct now fastened upon the ''reform
Governor"
Such is the man that was elected
over the able and honest Governor G.
=. Washburn, on the plea that the re
form OF the state administration was
needed! Could anything better illus
trate the bogus pretensions and the
real character of the Democratic party?
- Wisconsin.