The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1899-10-12

Az great fuss is being made in some
newspapers about the amounts Of money
drawn by 8. N. Patton, a. Recorder, and
w. H. Walker, az Clerk, for extra SCR.
vices performed by them, ss reported by
the investigators, history of the origin
Of those claims may not be out of place.
The contracts for transcribing records in
the Recorders Office, was originally given
by q Democratic Board Of Commission
ers to Hugh 8. Vance, then County Re-
corder, and at present candidate on the
Democratic ticket for County Surveyor.
Vance failed to secure reelection and
was succeeded by Patton before he had
completed the contract. A Democratic
Board of Commissioners upon the advice
of J. B. Woley, their Democratic Prose-
cutting Attorney of the county trans
ferred the contract from Vance to Pat
ton, who had succeeded Vance as Re-
corder. Further along another Demo-
cratic Board OF Commissioners, upon the
advice of certain Democratic lawyers, as
to their right to do, among them being
o. N. Sans, present candidate for Prose
cutting Attorney on the Democratic tick.
ct, gave Patton the contract for the in
dexine, of which complaint is made.
Now we ask the voters, if this was ex.
travagance or mslfeasance2 Who is re-
sponsible for it, Democrat or Republican
of1icials2 If Democratic Commissioners
had withheld their assent the work
could not have been done, or the money
drawn for it. Did these Democratic Com.
missioners join with the Republicans to
filch from the Taxpayers money to be
used to corrupt Republican politics ?
If so why was not their action denoun.
ced at the time? 1t was generally
known that such action was contem.
plated, and in fact the Commissioners
were RED qdeeted to take these steps by
number of lawyers and other citizens
of both parties, who had frequent occa.
sion TO run over the coun ty records and
knew their dilspidsted condition, and
the necessity for some action to be taken
to preserve them and to prevent the loss
of records affecting many land titles in
the county.
And now as to the Walker bill, some
time in the year Of 1893, a petition was
fled with the Common Pleas Court,
signed by nearly every member Of the
Hillsboro bar, including the signature of
candidate Sans, representing that former
clerks had neglected to keep an index
to the execution docket as required by
law and that sucl, index was necessary
in order to make a safe and thorough ex-
animation of the record to ascertain the
existence of liens, and that other index.
es were worn out and some of the leaves
missing, and asking the court to make
an order requiring that such records be
made as provided by the Revised Stat
utes of Ohio. Upon this petition the
order was made and the work which
was so badly needed, done.
If this was "a useless expenditure of
money, Sans did his share to bring it
about and 1t ill becomes him to now
complain about it or seek to profit by
such complaint, after he has made
statement to the court upon his honor
as lawyer that such work should be
done and that, in his opinion, the law
it to be done. This petition
is still probably in the possession of
Judge Newby. The people do not want
to be gulled by the sham reformers any
longer, but have said in both county
that they want the matter
adjusted by the courts, where the rights
of the office holders and of the county
will alike be protected.