Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1909-10-28
ADDITIONAL EDITORIAL.
A BALD KISSIATEMEET.

Governor Swanson spoke at Roanoke
on Monday night, and he repeated the
same misststement of fact that he
made at SurTy Courthouse, that there
had been but one small defalcation by
a Democratic official in the past twenty
five years. Here is what Governor
Swanson said at Roanoke:
During the twenty-five years of
Democratic rule more that 500 900, 90
has been collected and properly distribu-
ted through the different official chan
Dels provided by the law, and in all that
time and during the period that great
sum was handled, only one man-Shep-
ard, had, as an official, converted the
public money to personal use."
exIn his speech at Tszewen, on the Goth
inst, Senator Martin made practically
this same statement that has been re-
peatedly made by Governor Swanson.
In Senator artin's case we will be
charitable enough to say that he must
not have been informed as to the
true facts. AS to Governor Swanson,
he must have known that the true facts
made such 2 statement by him and in
excussble untruth.
If Governor Swanson had made an
honest investigation, he would have
found that the Auditor of Public Ac-
counts appeared before the House Com
mittee for Courts Of Justice at the ses-
sion of the Legislature in 1904, and told
that committee that he had investigat-
ed the embezzlement of Shepard far
enough to find that be had stolen $50,
600, but that he did not say that this
sum represented the entire defalcation.
And at the same time, the Auditor of
Public Accounts disclosed the fact that
one w. II. Smith, chief clerk to him.
self and three previous Auditors, had
stolen and appropriated to his personal
use the sum Of THREE HUNDRED
THOUSAND DOLLARS.
Mr.. Griffith, Of Russell county, then
a member of the House Of Delegates,
introduced resolution in the House,
which after reciting the embezzlement
by Shepard and Smith, read an follows:
Resolved, by the House of Delega-
ties (the Senate coneurring) that the
Attorney General, of Virginia be, and
he is hereby requested and directed to
ascertain the total amount of public
money so embezzled by the said Smith,
former clerk as aforesaid under the
three former Auditors or their personal
Representatives and heirs at law as the
case may be and their surities for the
recovery Of the said moneys, so embez-
zled by the said Smith, former clerk,
rs aforesaid"
This resolution passed the House of
Delegates, and was also passed in the
Senate, with an amendment which was
agreed to by the House.
If Governor Swanson will totally dis
regard these recorded facts, showing
that there had been more than one en-
bezzlement in the Auditors office, and
recklessly stand up before his fellow
citizens and declare that only one Dem
ocratic official had converted the publics
money to personal use, what reliance
can be placed in his statements about
the use and misuse of the revenues of
the State?
If the Attorney General ever took
any action under the resolution or made
any repor5 thereon, the same has never
been made known to the public.
No man knows how much of the pub
lie funds have been wasted and stolen?
A careful examination by expert ac-
countants can alone disclose. How can
that examination be secured? Certain
ly not By keeping the office-holder's
trust in charge