The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1914-10-30
GOVERNOR cox EXPOSES
OHIO TREASURY SCANDAL
Shows Connection and knowledge Zig Leaders Of The Repub
lCal Party Had With Accounts Of Former State Officials
Who Received Il8IGsi on Public Money for Their OH
Private Profit

Mt. Vernon Thursday evening hetort
q large audience, Governor Cox un
limbored the big gun Of the cam
Iaign. and showed the connection OF
Frank B. Willis with those who par
ticipated in the treasury graft that
caused the uprising in this state sew
eral years ago and resulted in Demo
cratic success in several state cleo
tions.
Il is interesting to note that the
connection is made through the fact
that one of the former state treas
urers now faces trial for his alleged
misconduct, and that a cashier under
the treasurer in a bank established
by him, now presides over the stats.
tics department at Republican head
quarters. In view OF the fact that the
governor in his speech refers to the
Tending trial of Isaac b. Cameron,
and the white wash" report on his
office in which Mr.. willis participat-
ed, Democrats point out that ii Is Of
|
bus. the man who spilled the ink
over the records of the defunct Co
lumbus Savings and Trust company
books is now engaged in the prepara-
tion OF campaign material for the Re
publican candidate for governor He
is guided by Edward NJ Fullington,
who was formerly in the office of the
state auditor to o. X. vouchers in the
almy days.
Governor Cox said:
@The decision of the Ohio supreme
court last week, which will place
former Republican State Treasurer
Isaac B. Cameron before the bar Of
justice in a Franklin county common
pleas court, TO be tried on a charge
| OF unlawfully pocketina interest earn
ings on deposits of the state treasury
balance. adds another link Of corrob-
oTative evidence to sustain the charge
of Democrats that prior to the politi-
cal change in the state administra-
ton. private bankers, dishonest poll
ticans and corrupt state treasurers
were in a conspiracy to defraud the
people
For years Republicans denied the
charge of wrongieing preferred by
Democrats and successfully blocked
all attempts to reveal the corruptness
existing in the state treasury and the
euditor's onice back in the days when
Big Chiefs Isaac B. Cameron and w.
S. McKinnon, with others, run affairs
in the state treasury to suit them
selves. The charges levelled at the
state treasury contained such extreme
accusations of crookedness as to be
startling, and for years the people OF .
Ohio did not place sufficient credence
in them to disturb wrongdoers.
"Now, let us see whether any of the
men who assisted in lulling the peo.
pie of Ohio into a state of security
against the men who we're filling
their pockets through misuse of the
state treasury balance are today bob
ing out from the places OF obscurity,
where they were consigned when the
people awakened to the true state Of
affairs in the treasury department
Back in the year 1902, find, upon
consulting the records, that Isaac B.
Cameron was state treasurer and w.
6 McKinnon was speaker of the
house of representatives. These two
names will be connected up with the
state treasury scandals by every in
formed Ohioan. The estate of him
who served two terms as state treas
urer after completing his tenure as
speaker, has been sued to recover
S116,7S5, representing the interest
on surreptitious deposits of state
money, pocketed by the then treas
urer of state. Cameron, himself, is
defending a suit filed to recover s213-
721 Of interest which Cameron is
charged with having wrongfully ap-
This is in addition to the
proceedings pending against
him
"In the auditor of states office :
there was at this time a man who
has since made restitution.
Now let us see whether there are
my who in days gone by deceived the
,eople about their misdeeds and who I,
lave now come forth for popular ap-
,roval.
In the year 1902, when Messrs. 8
IcKinnon and Cameron held the Of =
ices aforementioned, Frank B. Willis :
vas a member of the house Of rep o
esentatives from Hardin county. He =
s now the Republican candidate for
,overnor
in the legislative session of 1902 r
umors OF wrOngdoing in the state g
reasury reached the ears of members a
f the general assembly. and Repre- ;,
entative Sharp of Fairfield a Demo h
rat, introduced a resolution which
the speaker to appoint a h
of three to count the :,
money and conduct a thorough inves- -
.gation for the purpose of ascertain =
ng whether or not there had been !,
ny irregularities, such as Illegal =
pans Of the funds of the state or ad- n
ances on which interest premiums o,
ere paid to any one. u
This resolution was one of the n
rst efforts to expose the conditions q
xistine in the treasury Ii was re d.
srred to the finance committee. =,
hich returned q washing re- r,
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT
mt m 4