The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1878-09-05
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
BY d. MACKI.EY.

lgO, the Democratic County COMMISSION ,
ers of jackson County, loaned money
contrary TO law, 0hich is not huc But, IT
It were true, we understand the money
they loaned has been paid back into the
County Treasury, while Patterson
Sl460 90 has not.
Now let us see how this is. Get your
Standard of last week and again read the
section of the law, which took effect IN
July, 1858, and then read the following |
proceedings of the Democratic county
officers, October Is, 1858:
"OcT. 1S-Meeting of the Commission
ers of Jackson County. Present the
Honorable Peter Pickrel, John Sanders
and Newell Braley, Commissioners of said
Jackson County, they then proceeded to
the loan of twelve thousand dollars pay
able in two years from this date, and SIX
thousand dollars within three years from
this date, with interest at 10 per cent,
Railroad Sinking Funds, this loan made
to the Iron Valley Furnace Co. of this
sum.
Ordered that the Iron Valley Furnace
Co. have an order on the County Treas
ury" &c.
Vol. g. Mortgage Records, Page 324,
you will find the mortgage made to Sc
cure this loan. 1t is dated Oct. Is, 1898.
In it is this recital:
provided always, and these presents
are upon this consideration following,
that whereas, at a meeting of the direc-
tors of the Iron Valley Furnace Co held
on the 18th day Of October, 1858, the full
Board being present, the meeting was
called to order by Jacob Westfall, Presi-
dent of the Company, who thereupon
made known to the Board that the object
of the meeting was to take into consider
alton the propriety and expediency of
borrowing the sum of twelve thousand
dollars for the use of the Company and
securing the same by mortgage on
portion of the real estate of the Company,
and it being made known that the Com
missioners of Jackson County were Will
ing to loan the said Company the said
sum, payable six thousand dollars in two
years, and six thousand dollars in three
years, with annual interest at the rate OF
ten per cent, whereupon, on motion, 1t
was resolved to accept the loan aforesaid,
and that the President of said Company,
on behalf of said Company, execute and
deliver notes and a mortgage to secure
the pay nent of the same to said Commls-
sioners, and whereas, said Commissioners
having paid to said Iron Valley Furnace
Co. said sum of twelve thousand dollars.
&c.
If this money had been loaned to any
one, it was a direct violation Of law; but
what shall we say when we remember
that Treasurer Westfall, and Commis-
sioners Pickrel and Braley were all mem
bers of the Iron Valley Furnace Co., and
| I 10
The mortgage made to secure this loan,
covered lands in Jackson and Vinton
counties, and most of this land was en-
numbered by previous mortgage given
by the Iron Valley Furnace Co, to secure
a debt due to Daniel and Rathburn, bank
ers, Of Pomeroy. A subsequent mortgage
was given to VIM McGhee on the same
lands, for twenty-five thousand dollars.
l have now come to the point where
an attempt was made to collect this mon
ey, and in my next chapter | will show
how this violation of law worked loss to
the taxpayers of a large part of this
money Before proceeding with that
part of the case, permit me again to say
tended to defraud the people, or that
they believed the county would lose one
dollar on account of these transactions
l will further be charitable enough tc
say that l believe they were all ignorant
of the existence of this law. 1t is pre-
posterous to believe that such men would
subject themselves to the penalty of being
sent 10 the Penitentiary twenty one years
and be fined twenty four thousand dol
lars, merely to try to keep their sickly
furnace company out of insolvency for {
time. 1t is the very best answer that car
be given to that howl of the demagogue
about sending farmers, or "laboring men
to the Legislature to make laws or tc
elect them to responsible county offices
Men who make laws, and men who are tc
execute laws, should be men who know
what the laws now are.
l do not propose to moralize upon The
propriety or honesty Of speculating upor
the money of others, but l will close this
week by giving the following editorial
from the N. Y. Observer, the leading
Presbyterian paper in the United States
"ARE THERE NO HONEST MEN?
One of the daily papers, discussing the
subject of defalcations, lays down these
two propositions
There is no man who will ultimately
resist the temptation to use furds which
are absolutely in his control for Ions
time and in using them he does so with
the most honorable intentions, trusting
to secrecy until he shall have paid back
every cent
Both of these statements are objection
able, because they are not founded in
truth. 1t would be in the highest de
gree discreditable to the human race, if
the first proposition were true, and ex-
ceedingly dangerous to admit the Justice
of the second Let US look at them sep
arately:
l. There is no man who will ultimately
resist the temptation to use funds which
are absolutely in his control for long
time Is that so? Then there are no
honest men living; then we may not put
confidence in anybody; then character is
no basis for trust, and -defalcation or
robbery is but question of time. Give any
man time and opportunity and he will
prove himself to be villain. Now we do
not take so sad view of society as this
We bear in mind that in proportion to
the vast number of trusted men, the
breaches of trust are very few. In such
a community as New York, Boston, or
Philadelphia, the number of men having
absolute control Of large trusts, as exec
utors, agents, guardians, trustees of es-
tates and minors, is to be counted by tens
and hundreds of thousands. Scarcely
man of position and character but is in
some way made the trustee of money