The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1876-03-02
From Cleveland Leader.l
DeEalcatIons Under Democratic Admin.
iStFatIOnS.
ArTIcA, o., 1876.

ATTIcA, o., 1876.
To the Editor Of the Leader:
The assertion IS made by strong sud
influential Democrats of this place,
that there never was q case OF defalca-
tiOn under any Democratic admins
tratiOn, from 17T6 to 1850. Is this COR
rect Was there not a defaulting
collector in New York under Jack
son By answering this in your
paper you will Obligs
W. HARMAN.
From the time Of the formation of
our government down to the close of
the administration of John Qllney
Adams, the JScksonian doctrine, Ito
the vietOrs belong the spoiIs," was
unknown, and no change in Office was
even made for opinions sake among
any of the Whig, Federal or Demo-
cratic administrations previous to the
Jackson era. The cost of maintain
ing the government ranged from SI2,-
900, 900 a year during the Wing ad-
ministration Of John Quincy Adams
to $I4, ,000,OO0 and SIG, ,000,O 900 under
previous administrations. Men were
then appointed to office on account OF
their worth, and not en- account OF be-
ing partiZans, and were kept in under
all administration. The result was
there were very few dsfaleAtiOns. But
when the Democrats succeeded in
electiDg General Jackson then
for the first time in the history
OF our government the doctrine
was enunciated that to the ''victors
belong the spoils.n Forthwith jack
90, Il. 49,. q
proceeding OF turning out the old and
tried Office holders for not being
Democrats in politics, an appointing
men merely because they hat worked
to elect Jackson President. Under
his administration the expenses of
the government ran up from Sl2, ,0O0,-
900 to S24, ,000, 900 year, aud defalcs-
tions became frequent. OF course
there were at that time not more than
One-sixta the Office holders that there
now are, and only one-tenth as much
money was collected and disbursed
by the government as there Is az pres
ent, and consequently there could not
have been as many cases OF defslca-
tions as we may have now. Under
the Democratic administration OF
Martin Van Buren, occurred the
heaviest case of defalcatiOn known in
the history. Of our Government.
Samuel Swartwout, Democratic col
lecter OF New York, ran off with
about s., 900, 900 Of the public funds.
The Wings in 1910 made = most efiee-
tual use of that .defalcation in over
turning the Democracy. From that
originated the term "Swartwoutlng,n %
when applied 10 case of defalcatiOn.
A Democratic receiver of public
money by the name OF Hoyt, under
anBuren's administration, was a
defaulter to the amount of nearly a
million Of dollars.
Under Polk's and BuchanAn's AL.
miuistration there were many dsfal-
cations, which wsre published at the
time. In 1875 the collector of New
Orleans or Mobile, we do not remem-
Der which, WAS g defaulter To the
amount Of over 100000.
Coming down to modern times, the
most extraordinary stealing Sver per-
petrated under this government, was
when the celebrated ring of Demo-
cratic thIeves-rweed, Connolly,
Sweeny, Oakley Hall and others
robbed the city treasury OF New York
of from ten to twenty millions OF dol
lars. That Is considered the most gI-
gantic stealing on record.
In Ohio it has been proved that q
large majority Of the county defalca-
tions have been been by Democratic
officials.
We have now given sufficient num-
Der of cases to show that that very
innocent and Influential Democrat"
of Attica, who stated that no cases OF
defalcatiOns ever occurred under DEM
ocratic administration previous to
1860, was most decidedly mistaken.