Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-11-03
A ISLANDER REFUTED.
Captain Burdick's Record Vindicated

The Democracy of this Distric
are becoming reckless and desperate
as the signs of their defeat in tn
present canvass become more appar
ent. For the purpose of avertin!
this result, they are raklng up ant
concocting all sorts of slander
against the Republican candidate 70
Congress, Capt. Burdick, and setting
them afoat through such appropri
ate channels as the Dubuque Heralt
and kindred organs of scurrility ant
falsehood. The latest of these scoun
drelly charges is to the effect tina
Capt. Burdlck, while Treasurer o
Wlnneshiek county, stole sum o
money belonging to the school funt
of that county. The charge is thu
formulated by the Dubuque Herald
"The record of the proceedings O
the board of supervisors of Winnie
shick county shows that Theodore
w. Burdick-who aspires to repre-
sent this district in congress-whilt
treasurer Of that county, took from
the school fund the sum of S25S.7(
and appropriated it to his own pri-
vate use. Reader, what do you cal
a man who takes money that does
not belong to him?"
The clear inference sought to be
conveyed by the Herald is that Mr.
Burdick was defaulter, and yet
Ham knew when he penned the
above paragraph that such inference
was in effect an inscriptions false
hood. He knew that plain, square
statement of all the facts connected
with the transaction to which it had
reference, would leave no stain upon
the honor or integrity of Capt. Bur
dick, and yet those facts will never
find place in the Herald. In order
that our readers may be in posses
sion of the facts, we copy from
the Decorah Republican, of last
week, the following history of the
transaction upon which the Demo
cratic assault upon Capt. Burdick is
founded:
"Capt. Burdick recruited his com
pany in the fall of 1862 and left De
corah in October. He resigned his
Office to take effect December 18th.
The Office, meanwhile. was run by
his deputy. When he settled with
the county, instead of being lndebt-
ed to the county, the county owed
him over $500. This he asked the
settlement committees TO pay him by
a transfer from other funds, which
were, and would be, idle for months.
The committee disliked to do this,
but finally agreed to transfer from
School taxes, (not School Fund, as
the story is told for effect) of one
half of the Indebtedness and a war
rant was issued for the balance
THIS settlement the full Board refus-
ed to accept; and under adverse in
fluences hastily passed resolutions
which at subsequent meeting they
rescinded, and as far as possible.
backed out of. Upon learning that
the Board would not accept, Mr..
Burdick (who was at his post in the
army refunded the money paid him
and accepted warrant for the W hole
amount.
This was all there was to the tran
saction; nothing more can be made
out of it. Upon it he is moac made
out q defuulter, WHEN THE COUNTY
ACTUALLY OWED HIM OVER $780,
This was at time of year when
taxes were being collected; and the
collections for three days would have
balanced the overdraft. Had he re-
in Office every penny of the
would have been paid him
without the Intervention of q Coun-
ty warrant. Trcasurers' salaries were,
in those days, always carried into
the semi-annual settlements and not
paid by warrant. Two years later
the writer hereof was County Treas
urer for one term, and he never drew
a dollar on warrant rs compensa-
ton: During that period the writer
overpaid on warrants at one time al
most $4,000. Had he been called
upon to settle with an adverse Board
he might have been made ten times
rs great defaulter as they now try
to make out Capt. Burdick was. And
yet the money was paid out in de-
Tense of County warrants, and in
support of the wives and children of
soldiers.
Every County Treasurer in Iowa
will probably say that it is COM
mon thing to overdraw in payment
of warrants at certain season Of the
year. 1t is matter of record that
there has been overdrafts in eight
out of fourteen of the semi-annual set
Elements with Treasurers that have
been made since January, 1870. In
January, 1871 there were overdrafts
Of four different funds, In January,
1875, three; and only last January
the County, State and Poor Funds
were overdrawn. And yet Supervis-
ors have settled with Treasurers,
even a word Of caution,
much less charge of defalcation.
1t takes some words to show up
This last canard; but we do it in ord
er to demonstrate the depths of
smallness to which the opponents of
Capt. Burdick descend; and also to
forewarn other portions of the dis
;rict if these fllmsy stories are sprung
lpon the public just before election.
TO complete this history we ap
oend statement by Geo. N. Hol-
way, Esq, .,one of the leading mem
ocrs of the Board at the time of this
and one of the settle
ment committee
DEBORAH, Iowa, Oct. "a, 1876.
In explanation of the reported ir-
in the settlement made by
L. w. Burdick, Treasurer of Winnie
;heik Co Iowa in 1860. T make tho