The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-10-11
HIS GRIEVANCES.

Nilligans majority at La Sale to run be
hind that of the rest Of the Democratic
ticket. Second grievance; The Board o
Supervisors refused to join him ina scheme
10 avenge him on Mr.. Taylor by sustaining
charges of Mr. Milligan that Taylor hac
no, accounted for certain fees due the
Sheriif's office
Taking a look at the vote in La Sale AT
the election in 1880 and grievance No. l.
NJ the first blush, seems TO rest on very
thin foundation. The regular democratic
majority at La Sale, in that year-on the
vote for IIancock-was 22l, while Mill
cans majority was 2l0, just II short
which ought to be easily accounted for by
the fact that Clark, Milligan's opponent
was La Sale man and very popular there
besides which he was personally present at
the election in La Sale all day and was
supplied with abundant means to make an
effective canvass. But, says Mr. Milligan
there were 900 greenback votes cast at La
Sale at that election and the greenbackers
having no candidate for sheriff he had
bought the entire greenback vote, paying
$500 therefor, which should have raised
his majority at La Sale to 800 But how
does Mr.. Milligan know that though he
may have honestly O. bought the green
back vote, those he bargained with were
able to deliver the goods? Ii Is well re-
membered that on the morning of the cleo
ton In 1880 Mr. Clark was supplied with
$500 from Ottawa alone TO assist him In his
canvass at La Sale; and though Mr. Mill
gan may have bargained for the greenback
vote for $500 the week before, what assur-
ance has he that Clark did not make the
same purchase, and make it stick besides,
with his $500? One cannot always tell
about this purchasable vote-proverbially
it is very slippery sort of property
Upon the whole, that story about Taylor
and his friends having gone back on Mill
gan in La Sale in 1880, in the absence of
proof and based only on surmise, seems too
thin TO deserve serious consideration. Yet
we have no doubt Sheriff Milligan hon
estly believes it, and as his failure to get
the 500 majority he had bargained for at
La Sale caused his defeat, and that defeat
was very sore disappointment to him,
him in many ways, he has been
brooding over the imaginary wrong ever
since, SO that it has become a sort of mo,
with him, and even his best
friends admit that he Is crankish on the
subject; so much so that from that day to
this he has been apparently on sleepless
watch for an opportunity to avenge himself
on Mr. Taylor And this brings us to
Grievance No, Q BY empl y'ng MIR.
Hook to 90 over the whole fee account OF
Sheriff Clark with the Circuit Clerks of.
fee, an apparent balance of $l79,G5 against
Mr. myler was discovered in fees collected
by him that ought to have been paid into
the Sheriif's office, but which he denied
owing and refused to pay over to Sheriff
Milligan or the county, The matter, on
Taylor's motion, was brought to the atten.
ton of the Board of Supervisors, who APP
pointed committee of investigation,
headed by the late Lothrop Perkins, with
one Democrat and three Republicans as
associates. The committee examined Mr.
Hooks statement then the account of Mr..
Taylor rs kept with Sheriff Clark in his
office aud the account he proved up in the
Probate court in settlement with Sheriff
Chrk's estate, and also having heard Mr.,
Ed Smith, Clarks deputy, in full eNplana,
ton of the whole, and Mr. Milligan and
Taylor's statements decided unanimously
that the account as rendered by Mr.. Taylor
and as made up by Mr.. Hook substantially
agreed and that the supposed deficiency
was misrepresentation of sheriff Milligan,
growing out of his ignorance of the settle
ment of Mr.. Taylor with the estate of Mr.
Clark as evidenced by the records of the
Probate Court.
In a communication in last Saturdays
Ottawa Journal, however, Mr. Milligan de
MES that he was under any such misappre-
hension and undertakes To dispute the cor
rectness of Mr.. Taylor's account as rem.
dered against the Clark estate in the Pro,
bate court, charging that at least on two
executions the fees in which amounted to
$32 GO, the fees had been wrongfully col.
lected of the Clark estate, said fees being
receipted for on the executions in ques-
ton Now we have taken the pains TO ex.
anime these executions, and we find in
making that statement Mr.. Milligan has
decidedly put his foot into it; for although
there is the usual blank receipt on the ex.
ecution for the fees tie receipt is not
signed, showing conclusively that the fees
We're not paid TO Mr.. Taylor, This dis
crepancy between the allegation of Sheriff
Milligan and the proof is serious, for il
amounts to a charge of perjury against Mr.
Tavlnr IA Suinlla tho Clark aStnta aud