The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-10-03
2ulttical.
REPUBLICAN RECORD,
IN TAKING CARE OF THE PEo =
PLIES MONEY.
Public Plunderers Crying "StOp Thief, " in Or
der to Get Chance to steal MOre.-A Par
tlal Record Of Republican Ohlcal Thieves
and Defauters In Ohio.
Cincinnati Er qulrerl,


There is scarcely Republican paper
in the State that has not published in
some form or other, the substance of an
editorial from the GaseHe, charging that
in the Democratic counties of Ohio the
defaIcation Of public officers was much
larger than in the Republican ones, while
they were allowed to escape punishment,
their prosecution being neglected almost
entirely. The editor Of the Gasette, when
he wrote the article originally, named
the counties in which 1t claimed the de-
facations had taken place, and in some
cases named the amount that was taken,
but the misrepresentation was so appa,
rent, while in others the stealing was
done by Republican Office holders, that
they have formulated the assertion, and
it generally appears about after this
style:
=" There are forty>six Democratic
counties in Ohio. In twenty one of these
defalcations on the part of county officers
have occurred. The loss to the people
is $647,5o5. Oftwenty three defauters,
only five have been punished How
does this consist with Democratic state>
ment that all the thieves are Republicans
and all the honest men Democrats p
Now the Democratic party does not
pretend that every man belonging to it
is honest-mores the pity-but it does
claim that Its rank and file can show
quite as clear a record as its neighbors
and, moreover, when it finds dishonesty
among its own men, tits prompt to make
an example Of them by correction and
punishment for their crimes. The per,
sons who commit crimes underline Dem.
ocratic order Of things are not, as a rule,
rewarded for them by the bestowal of
other and more responsible Offices 1t is
true that there have been some Demo-
cratic county officials in Ohio who stole
the public money intrusted to their care,
The PeRitentiary furnishes employment
to several Of them at this time, and there
are others who are on the road there.
There is not a case on record in Ohio,
and we defy any Republican organ to
show, where a Democrat official was
known to be guilty of defalration in
which he has not been prosecuted.
How is it with the Republican counties
and their defaultng officers? Can the
same thing be said Of them ? Let us look
over a small batch Of them, just as a
sample lot, remembering that the list
can be heightened out almost to the mum
Der Of counties they control in the State,
and may be referred to again by way Of
illustration, al some future day:
Since the adoption of the present Con-
stitution there have been Just two State
Treasurers in default, one being for
nearly 81. ooo, coo the other for some
thing less than $4,000. Neither one
was ever prosecuted in any Court Both |
were Republicans then, and still are
one was a member of the Convention
that dominated Hayes, and the other
stumped Ohio for him,
Hamilton county has had some expe,
rence in this business. A county officer,
about six or seven years ago, was dis
covered to have drawn about Sex 900 for
services for which he was not entitled to
pay. A criminal suit was entered against |
him, but afterward it was withdrawn.
That same officer afterward helped to
nominate Hayes in the National Con.
vention, and now enjoys the second bes
diplomatic position in the gift Of the Ad
mini5tration.
Lucas county was made to suffer five
or six years ego. The county Treasurer,
a strong Republican, stole some $50. .ooU
from the Treasury and skipped off to
Canada and spent year or two there.
Then he returned home, nolc was en-
tered in the Courts and that was the end
of it.
Clark county had a little experience
also. The county Treasurer loaned out
SAC, 900 to some wild cat bankers in
Tennessee, and when the time came to
look for the money to pass over to his
successor, he couldn't raise it. He was
prosecuted. though, and convicted and
took his medicine like man, serving
year in the Penitentiary.
Miami county also presents an illus
tration. About 1854, or perhaps earlier,
a county Treasurer was behind in his
accounts some $1,000 when the time
came to settle, and his bondsmen had to
put up the money for him. He was
never prosecuted.
Logan county has had two or three
such experiences. Some five years ago
the Clerk of the Court was discovered to
be $4,000 behind in his accountable
had collected money in the shape Of fines
and costs due the county and never paid
it over Then about the same time their
County Treasurer was caught robbing
the taxpayers by means of forged dupli.
Gates, and further violating the law by
leaving the county's money in bank.
1t was believed that be got out of the
county with about SIS, 900 of the peoples
money in his pockets. He is now high.
Wayman somewhere in the Black Hills
region. Still another and an earlier ex-
ample in this county was that of coun.
ty Recorder who skipped off with about
5000 Of money not his own. After
drifting around the country for a mum,
Der Of years there was an attempt made
to arrest him for his crime, but he blew
out his brains rather than be taken back .
Neither Of the others were ever prosecu.
ted.
Muskingum county presents an illus ?
tration as we'll. Some fifteen or twenty
years back her county Treasurer hand |
ed over package of money to the legal
Examiner, which was found to be short
some $4,000. There was big quarrel /
over it, and talk of a SANDER suit, but
there was no attempt to prosecute the
man who stole the money.-All parties
were Republicans.
Scioto county had little experience
in the same line not many years since.
When their county Treasurer came to
turn over his office to a successor, it was
found that he was behind $4,000. He
was never prosecuted.
Athens county had aSheriff who was
sent to the Penitentiary few years ago