The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-11-01
SAY FULLINCTON
ABUSED POWER
Vicious Tactics Resorted 10 BY
Republican Audltuf Is Charga
sUILBER1's APT PUPIL

OUooo " UoIos00 W WepoV " ~
amInatIons os Osmeeratic ofF,esrs
sf oarks County Until . Few Days
esfers eisctIen-tew Fulilnston's
Examiners Went outside Their Ls.
Gal Duties 70 Get statistics About
Tax Payment BY Corporations.
Last August, A. v. Donahey, Demo
cratic candidate for auditor Of state.
announced that when he 70 elected hs
will turn on the light" In th@k once.
Auditor Fullington. the only }elic Of
the notorious Guilbert Republican ma
chine IN the state house. by what 10
termed brasen and scandalous abuse
Of his authority recently, supplied an.
ether reason why the light should be
turned on and provided Q strong argu.
ment for the election Of the state DEM
ocratic ticket.
For years Fullington wien not Q
candidate has sought to create the i'm.
preston that lofty ideals impelled
him to withhold reports Of examina.
tons Of county offices until after cleo
ton SO that no partisan advantage
Gould be obtained, but there are cir
cumstances about the publishing Of
the report of the examination of Darke
county offices, Oct. 81. that indicate
Burlington was an apt pupil of Gull.
bert and as good n manipulator of pub
lie trusts to secure partisan advantage
es was his teacher.
A year ago Darke county citizens
had committee appointed to investi-
cate charges of Irregularities. Facts
developed by this examination, to-
sether with additional evidence OBJ
tained by a private detective working
under the prosecuting attorney result
ed in Ss indictments being returned.
en- which Eve penitentlary sentences
have been secured and one man sent
70 prison.
| Although the law requires an ex-.
animation Of county ofYices every year
and Fullingtcn's own report shows IL
legal acts were practiced since 1908,
It required the insistent demands of
Darke county taxpayers to stir the
slothful bureau Of inspection and ~
rervision Of public Offices into action.
When Flllington's Examiner John
A. Bliss appeared on the scene In
Darke county he obtained an alleged
Confession from Ed Fry contractor.
tLa only Republican caught In the
graft investigation. which was said to
fuv01vo Othors oNd ho n, a do Tho v,oy
ing proposition Of immunity for Fry
and his son and brother-in.law. also
involved. to Prosecuting Attorney
John F. Maher at time when the lat
ter was busy sending alleged grafters
to prison, he having been successful
In every case tried. Maher rejected
the proposal and in the report Of his
examination which Bliss fled there
was set forth an affidavit by N. d. Sip
pei, whom the prosecutor had sent to
prison. charging Maher with irregular
ities. although Sippel. when subse-
quently called from prison to testify
in another graft case. declared that he
had not read the affidavit and did not
know It's contents. Il has been
| NidiuuCu tu6L al OIucT luoUduCCo LucDo
reports have been used to libel coun.
ty officials.
It is alleged that there was no need
for the publishing Of the Darke county
report at this time, because condign
punishment was being visited upon al.
legged grafters and because there was
nothing In II beyond what had been
disclosed BY the citizens committee
probe.
Examiner Bliss. 1t is stated, had not
been working In Greenville for more
than two months before the report
was hled. which would indicate that
Il was withheld for q purpose.
The Republican paper In Greenville
according to the admission Of the pub
Usher. George Groshans. received IN
advance copy Of Bliss report for use
in his paper. before It came into the
possession Of the prosecuting attor
ney, who would proceed under the law
to collect money found TO be illegally
received and to prosecute all findings
Of criminal liability. Apparently II
was more important to get this report
to the Republican paper than TO get II
into the hands Of the county Official
who would enforce findings.
On an occasion last spring ''lofty
IDEALS" no doubt. were responsible fol
the appearance Of examiners from Full
ltngton's ofiice in many counties ask
ing auditors for the amount Of taxei
paid by corporations! Instead OF at
tending to the duties imposed upor
them by law, Fullington's examiners
It appears, were busy in an effort tc
obtain figures that would show the cor
Jorations we're paying less taxes thar
they did before the activities Of thu
Democratic board Of state tax commits
sioners. In this they were unsuccess
full. for the tax payments Of corpora
tions have been increased millions o.
dollars by Democrats. One count,
auditor In giving a report Of taxei
paid by certain railroads addresses
his letter to the state tax commission
instead of State Auditor Fullington