The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1902-09-05

Of the county for some 20 or %
years. In that time the only office Of
profit he has held has been that of
sheriff, which he held for four years.
Perhaps he has been too ambitious. for
public Office But this has been neither
sin nor . disgrace. And there are
others who have held Office much lor ger
than he, for whom these men endeav-
ored to secure the postoffice.
Yet one other objection they have
urged, and I will not pass 1t by. When
IL Was announced that he was to be
postmaster, they said he was too sick
TO attend to its duties. This alone, il
|srue, would have suggested to an or
dinarily decent man that 1t would be a
very small and dishonora5le thing to
attack sick man by slanderous re-
ports and false charges when he was
unable to defend himself.
ask my fellow-citizens II. they can
excuse such attacks on one of their fell
low-citizaus? II Is without precedent,
it is without justification, it. Is without
honor. II they had sent these charges
with proofs Of their truthfulness TO Mr..
Warnock. to prevent Mr.. Roach's ap-
poiniment, 1t would have been fair in
form, II not in spirit, and might have
had some justification. But when these
charges, q mixture Of truth and false
hood, are openly published. and sent
without proofs to justify them to those
whom they think win prevent Mr.,
Roach's being appointed, they have
cenmiseed an. act worse than any OF
which they have charged him.
The public would like to know who
these men are. l will refer To but
three: One who gets his news from "a
little bird" perhaps q peewee; another
9 follower 10 long way OH of Black
stone. and another . lifetime office.
holder and seeker. From the last
the other two claim to get thei
insplrstioe, saying he has q desi
full Of villianous dynamite that woul,
blow Mr.. Roach OF the earth. He
raises the cry that Roach is horric
Iofiiceholder; and this same fellow ha
been hanging around the governmen
soup-house for nearly half q century
and has drawn more money out of tn
government treasury than any man Il
the Congressional district, and b
Is today an applicant for q ia
government position. Another of thi
trio, who points the finger of scor
at Mr.. Roach and calls him an Office
seeker, only stopped running for offic
when he found himself outclassed b
his colored constituents 10 Alsbams
I and the third one Of the trio-well, I
, Say the best Of him, he Is only the pee
Iof the Others
II ! would ask, In all candor, who del,
Iested these men to take the place {
Mr.. Wsrnock in selecting the postmsl
ters Of this county, and where did the
, get any right or authority TO attack Nj
Roach's character or record? Let th
man who comes into court to attack th
lriRhts or claims Of his fellow-mar
. come with clean hands and with undil
puted authority.
81 Mr.. Roach may have an ambitio
above his deserts, and he may have III
1 willingly done technical wrong. but b
never was . butt OF ridicule; he neve
, stepped in where angels fear to tread
|, and he never was turned down by tn
United States Senate as man M
worthy to hold an office to which th
President had appointed him. Il woul
have been well II some Others had bee
left TO throw the first stone at MI
3 Roach. It would at least have bee
> more appropriate.
: am glad, however, that some pei
pie have found their level in congeni,
0 company.
. A FRIEND OF WALLACE ROACH