Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1915-10-28
A Fine Official Record:

The members of the legislative in
vestigating committee, appointed to
examine various departments Of
State, were unanimous in their find
ings on the Office Of Secretary of
State Cornelius Roach. Mr.. Roach
may well be proud Of every comment
made on his conduct Of the Office.
This committee was appointed to
criticise. No one who knows either
Hon. Almon Ing, Of Butler County,
or Hon. Frank Harr, of Clark Coun-
ty, will doubt the republicanism Of
those gentlemen. Both are typical
standpatters plus ambitions to win a
place in the next republican State
ticket, the former being credited with
aspirations to be Attorney General
and the latter State Auditor.
These partisan rivals subscribed
their names officially to the following
statement Of fact;
''Your committee finds that
the clerical force employed in
the Office of the Secretary Of
State was authorized by law and
by specific appropriation to
cover the same, and that no new
positions have been created in
that office, or salaries except as.
authorized by law by appro-
priations made to cover the
same"
This formal admission subscribed
to by these eminent republicans
ought to be sufficient to put forever
at rest the false and libelous charge,
made by mendacious and hostile
partisan papers, that Roach has
numerous members of his family on
the pay roll. The people (not Roach
speaking through the law limit the
number of employees Of the Secre'
tary of State; the people (not
Roach) speaking through the Law
fix the wage paid his employees; ant
the people mot Roach) through th'
law appropriate every dollar spent t.
lay his clerks.
| These republican Investigators anG
critics further find and officially re
port:
1 ''The total expense Of the Sec
retary Of States department
during. the last full term, 1903 to
4 1912 inclusive, were $77,000.O0
less than they were the years to
1908 inclusive and the receipts
during the years 1909 to ~, in
elusive were, in round numbers
$22O000OO greater than the
term preceding"
These republican committeemel
also join their democratic collegue
in appending their signature to tn
following finding:
"The earnings Of the Office of
the Secretary of State for the
two years 1918 and IA were
practically the same ($SS0,00O
as the total earnings of the Office
during the four years 1905 to
'OS inclusive; and these practic-
ally equal receipts Gin half the
time, were obtained (by Roach)
at diminished expense Of $61-,
10000.
How would it be possible to fun
nish practical economy and bushes
efficiency? But listen further to tn
concluding paragraph of the finding
to which these republicans attache
their signatures:
"Your committee finds and re-
ports that the Office Of the Sec
retary of State is being Efficient
ly, economically and carefully
managed and conducted, and that
it has no suggestions to make
which it believes would make
the service better to the public
!, and for the State and less ex-
pense than now conducted"
When these eminent republica
partisans put their signatures to ii
, statement that it is impossible II
them to make suggestion that wouI
/, add to the efficiency, the economy,
! the character Of the public servi'
rendered in this office, all fair-min'
ed people must be forced to eonclut
that as public official Mr.. Roach h;
d attained as near perfection as az
t mortal can hope to achieve.
4 On such a record and with such
finding in black and white from SUI