Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1893-10-12
ON ol4IE ISSUES

The Governors Mastery Reply to MI
Meals Attack Upon His Administration.
All of Governor McKinley's meeting:
in Northern Ohio this year have beer
larger than were ever before witnessed
in that part of the State. At Elyria tbs
huge Blaine and Garfield meetings were
eclipsed in point of numbers, and the
audience was one of the most responsive
| that has been met with.
Mr.. Neal, the Democratic candidate
for Governor, had addressed small
audience there the day before, consist
ing of not over 300 men, women and
| children. Lieutenant Governor Harri:
and Governor Mckinley, the former
speaking first. spoke to an audience
consisting of certainly not less thar
$500 persons from the same platform il
the city park which was used by Mr.
| Neal.
General Harris dealt with State
affairs exclusively. Governor McKin
ley covered the whole range of subjects
and in addition made reply to accusa-
tions and criticisms INDUCED in by Mr..
Neal. He said:
Ny distinguished competitor seems to
have become somewhat tired of tariff
reform. He evidently has not been en-
couraged as he has gone over the State
preaching free trade in the presence OF
idle mills and intelligent, though unem-
ployed, workmen; and though he told
us at Cincinnati that tariff reform was
to be the ba,tle-cry and that we must
I ush it aggressively from start to finish,
ne now has descended to the considera-
ton of State affairs. l do not think
you are ve1v much interested in State
affairs. l think you are pretty well
satisfied with the financial condition of
the State of Ohio. (Applause.) l wish
the financial condition of the whole
country was as good as the financial
condition of our beloved State.
Mr.. Neal made two complaints here
yesterday. / feel that as he made them
here they should be answered here.
read from the Cleveland Plaindealer,
which describes an immense gathering
of the people to hear him. (Derisive
laughter.)
BE says this is State election. Down
at Cincinnati he said it was National
election. and he gave notice at Cincil-
matt that the voice of Ohio this year
would be the voice of the Nation on the
subject of the tariff. ! hope that it is
So (Applause.) He said this was not
State fight, but National fight. He
has tried the National issue and seems
to want to find another. And he will
want still another before we get
through. he says there has never been
an administration in the State of Ohio
so inefficient and 30 open to public criti-
l. d. l. = = l.
dals in every department of the State
government. Here the Governor read
from a report of Mr.. Meals speech.)
Now. what are the facts? l take the
last charge first. When I went into
office in January, 1892, found the office
of State Inspector of Workshops and
Factories filed by Mr.. W. z. Mcdonald.
He had been appointed by Republican
had been continued in Office for two
years by Governor Campbell. He had
been in this department of the public
service for e:ght years, and was regard
ed as an able and efficient and honest
public officer.
When the first intimation was made
that there was a suspicion of wrong in
the administration of the Office l at
once instituted an investigation and it
covered every period of which the State
was capable Of furnishing any proof
And part of the misappropriation as
certained by the commission occurred
during the administration of Governor
Campbell and part of it during the
present administration.
All l could do was to ascertain
whether the suspicious were well found
ed, and to that end l instituted an
investigation, appointing three honor
able gentlemen to conduct it. The
commission consisted of the State
Treasurer. Auditor and Attorney-Gen-
eral, representing the accounting,
auditing and legal departments of the
State. My instructions to them by let
ter were to make the most searching
investigation and to spare no one. The
investigation was had, and the result
was that the Chief Inspector was found
guilty and the amount of the deficiency
was ascertained to be about $4,000,
which was covered into the State Treas
ury by him.
Upon the finding of that commission
/ felt it my duty to dismiss the officer
for corruption, and so did it. What
more could have done do not know.
Mr.. Neal complains that he has not
been indicted. Mr. Mcdonald is now
citizen of Franklin County, living in
Columbus, within the jurisdiction of
the grand jury of that county, which,
by the way, Is Democratic county,
whose Prosecuting Attorney is Demo-
crat, and who can proceed now or at
any time ip the future, or who could
have proceeded at any timG in the past,
If the grand jury had been in session.
to find an indictment, if one lies, which
Mr.. Neal complains has not been done.
It may be proper for me TO say that
the Prosecuting Attorney of Franklin
County has been furnished with all the
testimony taken before this commission,
together with its findings. and is in pos
session of all the facts known to
the State administration, with power to
act as may seem best and right and just
IN the interest of the people and in the
faithful discharge of his public duties.
Nobody can regret this unfortunate
affair more than myself.
Now, as to Mr.. Meals accusation
against the administration of the Day
ton Insane Asylum. 1t came to my
knowledge that two of the attendants
had been inhuman in their treatment of
patients-at least it was so charged.
-
gether to institute an investigation.
The attendants were removed and they
have since been indicted by the grand
jury of Montgomery County, in which
jurisdiction they reside.
1t is probable that Mr.. Neal does not
know that the two attendants thus
gravely accused were appointed by the
Board of Trustees under the admins
tration of Governor Campbell. Our
board found them there, and believing
them to be faithful attendants, and de-
string that the institution should have
tried and. experienced help, retained
them, but the very instant that they
discovered their inhumanity at once
dismissed them from the employment
of the institution.
Could anything more have been done?
Mr.. Neal will probably not regard the
fact that these attendants were appoint
ed under Governor Campbell's admins
tration as good defense for the Repub-
hcan board, for it is generally under
stood that he think as little of Govern
or Calnpbell's administration as he
thinks of mine.
Again. he says, there have Leen some
g.. % 49,