The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1878-07-25

Charley Atkinson did not discharge his
sworn duty to the tax payers in the mat
ter of the Auditors illegal fees, as we
understand the law After the Examin
ing Committee had made their report it
was his duty to bring suit for the money
illegally received, and let the courts de-
eide the compensation of the Auditor.
Instead of doing that. he went about try
ing to excuse the Auditor, and published
Card saying that the illegal fees re-
ceived did not amount to much, and
then the Commissioners, instead of COM
pelling the Auditor to pay over the
amount, and Atkinson is their legal ad-
wiser, went to work and paid a lawyer
one hundred dollars, we understand, to
Ohitea0aSh the fee business, and construe
the law to Justify Patterson, all Of which
was in violation of their duties as guar
dians of the peoples interests, according
to our way of thinking, and we opine,
from the remarks very often hear in
regard to this Fee business, the tax
payers will speak out upon it at the
October election and Mackley cannot
deceive them either, since Patterson
gave Mackley's statements the lie, by
paying into the County Treasury several
hundred dollars when Mackley said he
udu uOb
The above is the answer the Herald
makes to our demand for its charges
against Mr. Atkinson. Gould speaks
about the law as he understands it. He
is not lawyer, and is not competent to
construe a law.
The examing committee, of which Mr.,
Aleshire, a jealous democrat, was a mem
ber made no report of any sum which
the Auditor had overdrawn, and without
such definite report, the Prosecuting At
torney had nothing upon which to base
suit. 1t was a mere construction of
very intricate Statutes, upon which the
best lawyers differed. Will Bro. Gould
tell us where the law makes Mr.. Atkin-
son the legal adviser of the County COM
missioners ? We believe that Mr.. Trip
and J. L. Jones have been their legal
advisers, and we know that there are no
more competent lawyers in Southern
Ohio, surely no more reliable, honest and
honorable men in Jackson county. We
are amazed at Mr.. Gould charging such
men as the Commissioners of jackson
county, and such man as John T. Moore,
with the commission of great crime.
John T. Moore is Democrat. but he is a
lawyer of the highest standing, and only
last week the Democratic convention in
Pike county, where he was born, and
raised-where he was married-where he
lived and practiced law, instructed their
delegates to cast the vote of the county
for Mr. Moore for Judge of the Court of
Common Pleas. Is it probable that a
man thus regarded by his life long neigh
bors, would come over to Jackson county
and sell out his oath as an attorney. his
honor, his standing as an attorney, to a
set of rascally Republican officials, for
the paltry sum Of one hundred dollars,
when one-half of that fee would go to
his partner, Ambrose Leach, Democratic
candidate against Mr.. Atkinson Mr..
Gould ought not to judge all Democrats
by himself. They are not all scoundrels,
We now and here publicly demand of
Mr., Atkinson that he lay before the next
Grand Jury a copy of the Herald of last
week, and if they do not bring in an in
dictment against w. c. Gould for mali
cious libel against John T. Moore and
the Commissioners of Jackson county,
they will fail to perform their sworn
duty.
We never examined the Statute, and
we neither knew or cared about the mat
ter knowing that it was in the hands of
honest and careful men, and Mr.. Patter-
son always said he was ready and willing
to pay back any money he had overdrawn
in mistake, whenever the amount should
be ascertained. The matter was referred
to John 7. Moore competent, disinter-
ested man, a Democrat, and he after
many doubts as to the true construction
of the law, repc rted..a certain sum, which
Mr.. Patterson paid, and that is all there
is of it.