The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-10-04
GRAFTERS DRIVEN
FROM TREASURY
DEMOCRATIC OFFICIAL EARNS
S625, 900 INTEREST IN FOUR
YEARS FOR STATE.
COUNTIES ADOPT The PLAN
With an Earning of $4,000 in a
Single Year for the Taxpayers-ln-
stftution of Competitive Bidding
Plan for Deposits of Public Money
Has Wholesome Effect.

Emulating the excellent example
set by the Democratic state treas
urer, who deposited the common
wealth's money by the competitive
bidding plan and earned $625,0OO in
terest in four years, custodians Of
county funds throughout Ohio
awarded money under the same sys-
TEN, and during the last six months
of 1911 and the first half of 1912
earned $71O,57O.99 interest for the tax
payers.
And this amount does not begin to
represent the total earnings in the
state. In addition city officials gen
orally have followed the plan, but the
aggregate accruing to the taxpayers
is not available. In Cleveland the
interest is greater than what was
earned on Cuyahoga county funds,
and the same is true in other coun-
ties where there are large cities.
The average yearly interest earned
by State Treasurer Creamer during
his tenure totals $4,000 year. This
amount is sufficient to pay the annual
salaries of every elective state Off
cial, leaving a balance of $4,000.
In the last II months the interest
earnings in Cuyahoga county on funds
so deposited aggregated $160,843.24
Hamilton county made the next best
record with total of $117,44S.35
earned. The increment in some of
the other large counties were: Lucas,
$31,672.92; Summit, $34,591.48; Frank
lin, $3O,762.56; Stark, $27,9S2.13, and
Montgomery, $14,921.69.
Immediately prior to the notable re-
forms in the handling of public
money, which was instituted in the
state house by State Treasurer
Creamer, little attention was paid to
obtaining profitable rates Of interest
on this money. Prior to 1905 there
were no interest earnings at all, and
thousands of dollars were lost to the
taxpayers.
So late as 1906 a senate investigat-
ing committee probed conditions sur
rounding the depositing of Hamilton
county funds and it was learned that
county officials there had been pocket
ing the interest earnings, thereby
robbing the taxpayers. One result of
this work was to compel Hamilton
county officials to turn back into the
treasury $214,998.76.
At one time prior to the advent of
Democrats in the state treasury de-
partment greedy gang of grafters
reaped rich harvests of dishonest
money by first controlling Republi-
can state treasurers and then get
ting deposits of public money at
low rates of interest and
then pocketing them. A very small
circle of politicians was able to get
these deposits. Boss George b Cox
was one of them. So powerful was
this combine with its ramifcations
throughout the state that it was able
to dictate nominations for state treas
urer in Republican conventions for
many years.
The death knell of grating in this
was sounded when the
legislature in 1911 en-
acted a measure providing for the
awarding of all state money by COM
petitive bidding. In two previous ses-
sions Of the general assembly Repub-
lican majorities had steadfastly re-
fused to pass such a bill, although the
members knew their destinations cost
the people many thousands of dollars
The department has been purged of
The system whereby state treasurers
in former years bartered deposits of
he commonwealth money in ex-
change for banlc stocks, system that
enabled men who came to Columbus
IN moderate financial circumstances
10 retire after four years service at
IN annual salary Of $500 the posses
sors of imm ense fortunes, and tower
ng skyscrapers were erected in the
Capital City with the ill-gotten gain,
t was charged. A comIHete system
If bookkeeping instituted by Treas
lrer Creamer, who paid the cost for
he same when he learn ed there was
10 appropriation for the work and
ook the risk of being reimbursed, has
'eplaced the old system, under which
here were practically NO books. Rec
,rds were kept on the backs Of en-
velopes and carried in the minds Of
,fficers Of the department, who had
he distressing habit of forgetting
alient points when c allied upon 4 for