The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-09-05
THE s11e,21s.12 SUIT.

What The People Think About 1t.
We are asked by many people two
questions: First-Who charges the
county commissioners of 1s78-Mcssrs.
ID. s. Gilmore, I. A. Taylor and L. A.
Wood-with having robbed the county
treasury of $116,21S.12? SecOnd-DO
we think they are guilty?
We are unable to answer the first ques-
ton, and would be pleased to have some
body who can furnish the names of the
party or parties at whose instigation the
attorney general has ordered the suit to
be prosecuted in the name of the pres
ent board of county commissioners, with
out the knowledge or consent of that
board. The attorney general and his as
sistant counsel, Scott & Lynn and James
ID. SnOddy, are acting, of course, simply
as lawyers employed toconduct thepros-
ecution. The three latter, who are to do
all the active work, must look either to
the county treasury or private parties to
pay the costs of the suit. Under the at
torney generals order, it is fair to pre-
sumo they expect the costs to be paid by
the county treasury. The people, there
fore, have an interest in knowing about
how many hundreds or thousands of dol
lars of legal fees the suit is to cost, and
at whose request the lawyers have un-
dertaken to saddle its expense upon the
county treasury. We naturally sup
posed, at first, that the general reform
oor,n.;ttoa annOinta6 lNN, n ,,nblic m aaf
ing last April was responsible for the
SUIT; but we are informed that the COM
mittee did not authorize it, and is not re-
sponsible for it. If any member of that
committee is responsible for the charges,
and prepared to prove them, we will take
pleasure in giving his name to the pub
lie.
1t is suggested by some parties that
the suit is merely political dodge, d
device to pull some men out of Office and
put some men into Office, and that the
charges of fraud are intended only fol
campaign purposes. 1t seems hardly
possible that even the most unscrupu
lous and desperate politicians could bt
guilty of charging the most serious
frauds upon innocent men, merely &c
achieve some political object. The
charge of stealing $116,21S.12 from tho
county treasury is either true or false
If true, it would brand three of our bes
citizens with lasting disgrace, and justly
consign them to the penitentiary. i
false, then the parties ut whose instiga
tion such charges are made will be brand
ed as slanderers too base to retain the
confidence or respect of any honest citi
zen. If $tl6,21S12 has been stolen from
the public treasury, the taxpayers canno
afford to have any withdrawal of tn,
suit to recover the money. Public morali
~ demands that such charges, once made
he proved or disproved in open court
that the accused may be punished i
guilty, or yindicated if innocent TAX
it in any point of view, so far as the pub
lie interests are concerned, the prose
cutors have now no right to Withdraw
the suit or suffer it to die legal death
They have made their charges of gros
frauds upon the county treasury, and
BNbAiS W nov ~ OA oAA'
prove their assertions, or else fall witt
them beneath the contempt of the entir
community. If the accused are guilty
we want them brought to justice; if in
nocent, we want them fully vindicate
by q trial, and their accnsers brought {
justice. This is the position of the ps
per that has the official printing at Il
gal rates." and asks and receives nothin
from the county commissioners or an
one else that it is not justly and legall
entitled to.
"Do we think the county commIs
sioners are guiltyy' We have yet I
find any one who will furnish us witt
any evidence of their guilt, and unit
some evidence is furnished we canno
believe that d. S. Gilmore, I. A. Taylo
and L. A. Wood conspired to steal or di,
steal $11s,sls12. or a single dollar iron
the treasury or anything or anybod.
else. We have no knowledge. and n
information, which would justify Us 4
believing them to be dishonest, even j
ne wished to. If any one else has an,