Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1911-08-17
As to Auditing.

Fund has been properly accounted
for"
Some four years ago the Repub-
lican push in this county, hoping
for political advantage, began
bowling for an audit of the coun-
tvs books. They kept up the
howl, with calumnious insinua-
tons, until the county court made
and published a proposition that
the howlers and villi6ers deposit
$1,000 and the audit would be
ordered; that if no criminal neg
ligence or dishonesty upon the
part of the officials was developed,
the cost of such audit W ould be
betrayed out of said deposit, but
ii criminal wrong-doing on the
part of said officials, or any of
them, was shown, the cost of the
audit would be paid by the coun-
ty. Did the book-seeing howlers
respond? Not on your life! They
shut up like clams-for q time.
Then came the Rev. DR.. Swift to
the howlers' aid, and soon the air
was trembling with all sorts of
rumor as to the ''~rotten" condi-
ton OF the county affairs. From
covert inuendo he proceeded to al
legged 'faots and fggers," climax
ing with the agonizing cry, in box
car letters, "Where Is the War
Debt FUND.-" Well, the boys at
the courthouse didn't want him to
be losing any sleep over the mat
ter, and he was politely invited
to come and see the books where
in its disposition was set out, item
by item. But he refused to see,
though Rev. w. w. Strother, who
accompanied him to the county
clerks Office, said a ten-year"old
school boy ought to be able to
comprehend the whole matter. To
e didn't suit his purpose-there
was no partisan advantage in his
seeing.
Then the Rev. DIR. introduced
his "expert'' auditors who made a
cursory-and cussatory-exami-
nation with the desired result.
March 10, he published their re-
port made to him, for which re-
port and its publication he and
the Audit Co. are now under suit
for libel. Upon that report mes
sengers were secretly sent to the
different townships of the county
with petitions asking the court to
order an audit. The carriers of
these petitions asked for sigma
lures on the ground that the afore-
said auditors had found things sin
a hill of a mess" as one of the So
licitors put it. In many instances
signers were told, that shortages
of from $4,000 to S12, 900 had been
unearthed in the Treasurer's off ce.
In this dishonest way many a
name was secured which could not
have been obtained in any other
manner.
The Democratic members of the
county court, when these petitions
were presented, refused to order
an examination on the spur of the
moment, but took it under advise
ment until the next term-about
one month distant. Then the
REGISTER and all the county Of
fcials agreed that the charges and
insiuuations had gone so far that
an honest audit of the books had
become necessary in order to
silence the lying accusers, put
them to merited shame, and to
vindicate the men they were SLAM
dering. When the court met in
May they ordered an audit, and
selected Messrs. J. P. Foard, q
Republican, of Butler county, and
VIM. r. Edgar, Jr., of Iron coun-
ty, to do the work. The result of
their labors was submitted to the
court and the public some two
months ago. 1t was an honest re-
port, AND SWORN To--a corrobor-
alive addendum seemingly be-
meath the dignity Of Judge Gays
and Rev. Swift's "bonded ex-
perts."
In the meantime, Judge Gay
had begun suit mandamusing
County Clerk Reyburn and Treas
urer Jones to permit him and his
auditors to examine thsir bsoks.
This action was brought before
the st. Louis Court Of Appeals,
and the mandamus war granted
against both officials, notwith-
standing Treasurer Jones denied
having refused the plaintiff per-
mission to examine his books;
and In this contention he was sus-
tanned by four other witnesses
against the testimony Of Judge