The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-05-11
In Their Position Against
Supt. Southworth.
GR0WLERS ARE ACTIVE.
They Say They Will Continue to Crow
Till Justice is Done.
THEY SIGN THEIR NAMES
To what They Have to Say and Insist That
the People who Have Complained
Have Not Been Given
Fair and Impartial
Hearing.


Fair and Impartial
Hearing.
| To the Trustees of Fairmount Children's
Home. Your report to the com
missioners Of Stark and Columbiana counties
in reference to the investigation relative to
Mr.. Southworth and his management Of the
home, has gone on its mission. We, a few iof
the Growlers, very respectfully-though very
earnestly denounce that report as a fraud.
The board of trustees was not present at the
hearing. Mr.. Teeters was there part of the
day only; and was apparently willing to give a
fair hearing while Mr.. BENTLEY the only
other trustee present by his pugnacious defense
of Mr.. Southworth inced his utter unftness
to hear evidence and render an impartial YER
dict. While only two of your board were
present-how dare you presume to dictate a
report to the joint board Of commissioners who
were all present. Your final action, gentle.
men, is only in keeping with your entire pro-
ceedings in this controversy. At our meeting
on February 1st, it was manifest from the
beginning that your decision WAS made before
hearing the evidence. Two of the commits.
sioners, Mr.. Crawford of Stark and Mr.. George
of Columbiana county won our respect by
their respectful silence and patient hearing of
our evidence. While Messrs. Bowman aud
French showed their utter unwillingness to
learn of.anything damaging to their protege,
Mr., Southworth. Not being present how can
you as board of trustees render a decision
when you had never called for copy of the
verbatim report" referred to by you. 1t is
simply your shortest and easiest way to admin
lister heavy coat Of whitewash to Mr.. South.
worth. Passing over your first resolution in
which you admit mismanagement in farming
and feeding You seek TO shield your friend
from the charge in reference to groceries and
provisions on the plea of many workmen EN-
ployed. Great Scott That is the first inti-
nation we have from any report by your ring
of any workmen employed. Why did you not
tell us just then something of the cost In
trying to whitewssh that point you forgot to
notice that in 1894 his grocery bill was almost
as large, yet the records of that year do not
show that his brother and family were
boarding with him at that time. Try
again, gentlemen. Your No. 2 is too thin.
Better not say anything about an allowance
on per capita cost until you account for those
blanks in column of current expenses.
In your third resolution you show your
| ignorance of what you are talking about Our
complaint was not that Mr.. Southworth should
change the sewer. We know that DR.. PIobst,
secretary of the state board of health, had been
| at the home about year after the change in
the sewer, and that he went away satisfied that
the sewer was working all right We know
| that he would not have done so unless South
worth had assured him that it was right Mr..
Southworth admitted to us a few days before
the board met that 1t was not success, that il
worked short time; but he could not tell how
| long ii had worked, except to give the lie to
Mr.. Eckert, the head farmer, who declared it
had not worked two days. Gentlemen, had
you been present, as your duty demanded, you
might be able to give a better reason for your
actions. But little more on this line may
not be amiss, and If, gentlemen, you are
animated by your earnest desire TO dc
| right by all concerned you will not think ouI
| complaint unwarTanted Four years ago two OF
us, subscribed below, found decaying meat
perhaps bushel, within few feet of the
sewer ditch. little way from it another
large piece of pork lay rottingj all destined tC
find its way into the ditch and then into the
stream of living water finally reaching the
Alliance reservoir. Messrs. trustees and com
missioners it will pay you to look up right soon
the statutes and see what penalty tho state Of
Ohio sets upon the crime Of allowing such
objects to be placed adjacent to any water
course. At one time crooks oflard and sausage
were found by the spring run, north of the
building. All these things were testified Ia
under oath at the hearing February 21st, yet
| you gentlemen trustees do not seem to have
heard it, and yet you have not a word of con
demnation for the superintendent, who allows
this state Of things to exist, while his COWS
drink from this same stream and are
liable to transmit at any time disease
germs from this same stream. When
we told him about this meat business
he whimpered, "You ought to have told me
about it." Yes, somebody ought to always be
near and tell him what he is too dilatory to dc
ha, 1nl,. al,
else he would not need to keep a specia
brand of tonic in the cooler. Naturally your
fourth resolution is in part answered by the
foregoing but further are the morals of the
boys improved by the fact that the the Pa Ps
superintendent is nearly always smoking
vile smelling cigar. A short item in the AL
lance Review of April 81 with appropriate
comments, would be good reading for you
gentlemen. reporter on that paper found s
little three year'Old complacently chewing the
stump Of a cigar. How many little boys from
Southworths example will get a start in tn,
filthy habit. Your assertion that there was
fair and impartial hearing Of witnesses viii
bear criticism On our part only voluntary
witnesses could be procured. There was M
way of obtaining those who would have beer
our best witnesses without incurTing expenses
which we did not feel justified in bearing
The fact that the commissioners refused L
procure witnesses employed at the home, and
| WHO were SUBJECT 10 lnelr orders SHOWS nov
unwilling they were TO hear evidence adverse
to their tavorite. The whole course of tn,
majority of both commissioners and trustees
shows that it was the intention from first q
last not to hear the truth. Had you listened
to hearsay evidence 1t need not have been re
eeived as evidence, but might have been uset
by you to reach the truth had you desired I,
do so. Your earnest desire TO finish the evi
dence by three clock hurried us, while II /
had been to the interest Of your client or {,
make votes for yourself you would have beer
willing to stay all night. We do not forge
that two of those same commissioners ar
candidates for reelection. They will bear il
mind there were 120 voters who signed ou
petition, and Notwithstanding Mr.. southwortl
says in his report of last year that any intelli
gent voter would be suspicious of the Growlers
we wish to say the end is not yet.
ID. j. RANDOLPH, Republican.
G. A, BOWMAN, Prohibtionist.
PRESTuN HOPES, Republican.