The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1908-10-01

seIIe III as democrats seJJle every
question-Let the people rulei
Governors Duty 10 Enforce Laws.
The duty of the governor Ia to
enforce the laws and see to It that
the other officers Of the state proper
ly perform their duties. So he is
given by law full authority to investi-
gate their conduct. Yet, in spite Of
these rumors; in spite of this action
by journals of his own party; in spite
of this official report; in spite Of
these charges by the representatives
Of half a million voters, the governor
his speech of acceptance, long after
the facts had been brought out, with.
out resorting to his own power to in
vestigate further, but taking the bare
word Of the officials involved, he says
that the charges are merely partisan
and "the assertion can be made with.
out fear Of contradiction that there
has not been a cent of the public
funds stolen or misapplied."
am glad to say that believe the
governor to be perfectly honest and
upright himself. But l fear he had at
his elbow when that part of his
speech was written one Of those
shifty steersmen who are familiar
with the gaps which are unfortuni 20
ly sometimes left between moral hon
esty and legal crime, because nobody
has made the charge Of technical lar
ceny or embezzlement.
What was the conduct of these Off
cials, then, which the governor does
not think deserves condemnation or
even inquiry?
The state House Probe.
In January last the house passed
resolution asking the treasurer to
give the names Of the banks in which
the public funds were deposited, with
amounts, rates Of interest and certain
other information. The treasurer
paid no attention to the request. Two
weeks later the house inquired when
he proposed to give the information.
He finally complied in part, but re-
fused to name the banks and the
amounts deposited in each.
The house insisted and the treas
urer was finally compelled to comply,
but did not do so until March.
Loose Methods In Treasury.
This conduct, Of course, caused
general amazement, and the senate,
Feb. 20, by unanimous vote, ap-
pointed q committee Of investigation
which promptly proceeded with its
work. The treasurer, his deputy and
the auditor were put on the witness
stand.
The treasurer and his deputy, who
was also the secretary Of the board
of deposit, said there were no books
to show in what banks, in what
amounts, or at what rates Of interest
the state funds were deposited. There
were certificates Of deposit issued by
the banks, from which names and
amounts might be gathered and the
Interest computed, but the interest
paid could only be CLEANED from the
banks letters transmitting checks for
1t, and some of these letters were
missing. 80 they had to write to the
148 banks which had been favored
with deposits for statements of the
interest they had paid, and these did
not agree with the slips and loose
memoranda which constituted the
accounts" Of the deposit of the funds
Of the state of Ohio. AS the treasurer
was a business man and his deputy
an expert bookkeeper, this state Of
things hooked q -eer to everybody but
the governor. In any private Office
In the state there would have been
vacancy and an investigation before
sundown.
Governors Peculiar Apology.
But let that pass as mere careless
ness, II the voters of Ohio are willing.
They will surely hope 1t is true, as
the governor said at Youngstown re-
ferring to this and the other disolos-
ures OF the investigation, that mo
two persons, perhaps, would conduct
a public Office in precisely the same
way, except in the general oompli'
ance with the law" These deputies,
II elected, might conduct the offices
the same way IS their chiefs. but GER
tainly nobody else would.
The commit then asked these
officers whether they were Interested
in any OF the depository banks. 1t
was admitted that they are all stock
holdera in a number of banks; but
when the committee asked in which
banks and how much stock they had,
the answer by the treasurer and his
deputy was that 1t was NONE OF
THEIR BUSINESS. The committee
had to get the exact information from
the sworn statements filed in the vari-
GUS counties by the banks, as reQuir-
cd by law. II proved to be very fiat
tering to the thriftiness of all these
officials, most of whom had entered
the public service little blessed of for.
tune, and also to their sagacity in the
selection Of these particular bank
stocks for the Investment of their
savings, which was largely II not On,
tirely after they entered the public
service.
Private Interest In Deposits.
No less than 100000 OF the state
funds were found to be on deposit in
banks In which the treasurer, the
auditor and their proposed deputy
successors owned stock and the bank
of George q. Cox in Cincinnati. Even