| OCR Text |
Show That Audit. The lloaid of Coiunils.sloneis and all concerned aie to lie commended on the laliucss with which tne leeent audit of the county books has been conducted. con-ducted. The audit was not thought j of until Mi. .1. N. Lai sen, cleik. asked 1 that ceitain books passing bttwecn the cleik's and tieasiner's otllces be checked up, and the enthe boaid, Including Mr. Dailoy, the Demociatlc member, acquiesced. In older to bo absolutely fair In the matter, a icpiesontathe fiom each paity was selected as a committee to make that audit, at least eveiy one believed at that time that theie was adomociat appointed, and ccitalnly (lemociats olfeied no objection to either appointment, lloth aie competent com-petent and honest men and conducted their woik as Instnictod, auditing such books as weie designated. They ' made their icpoit and olleied the .siig Igestion that the tieasuiei's hooks, the lcceiptsaud dlsbuiseiiicnts, tax lulls. I etc., should also be audited. Mr. S. W. J Hendileks then asked Tieasuier Per-i Per-i klnson's poi mission to do a lltt le audit- ing of his own befoie the committee j began on his liooks Thlswas gianled him, and after business houis Mr. Hendileks with two gentlemen went I over his Ixioks. This was kindness on ' the pait of Tieasuier r.iiklnson, and J indicates the disposition of all to be absolutely ralr. Mr. Hendileks made the lemaikable tllscoveiy that theie aio dlsciepaucies and he llletl complaint com-plaint against his l'oimer deputy, Mr. A maa Clayton, who was ai tested and is now nndei $1,00(1 bonds, awaiting tilal. J luring and since t ho icccnt city campaign cam-paign Tiik Hni-uiii.ioAs reported the piogicss of the auditing committee's iwoik, and suggested what the llnal I result would be. This piper knew at I that tunc that money had been paid to cover up ceitain shoitages and stated so, saying, however, that It was our belief that the cx-treasurcr and cx-cleik, whose liooks were being audited, au-dited, were not panics to a ciiincor even guilty of anything moie than caiclcss iKiok-kccplng. Deniociats now admit that theie may have been caiclessncss, ami the arrest of Mr. Clayton piovcs piactlc-ally piactlc-ally cvciy assertion made by this paper a few months ago. The audit has been conducted honestly hon-estly and fairly, atitt there can be no icasonablo kick noin any man concerned. con-cerned. With the exception of the one instance, when 1'iof. Ostlen was appointed a member of the new auditing audit-ing committee rather than Attorney Keeler, those concerned have secured everything asked for and have been shown every kindness and consldeia-Lion. consldeia-Lion. Ilefoic the full icport of the auditing au-diting committee was made public, Ixith the cvtieasuier and ex-cleik weie called befoie the commlssioneis and given oppoitunlty to explain away any matteis that weie adveisc to them and their woik while In oflleo. This was a gieat kindness, but they weie unable to explain satisfactory and the-1 upoit lulls entliety became public pub-lic piopcrty. Later, when Mr. Hendileks and otheis anticipated that the treasuier's books would be audited thoiouglily. lie asked that himself and otheis might audit his book after bonis. Tieasuier I'.iiklnson granted this io-tjuest, io-tjuest, and by accepting, Mr. Hendricks Hend-ricks made the mistake of his life, which of couise, he and otheis have discoveied cie this. However it was what that side of the house desired and their leipiest was complied with. In the one iind only instance wheie the ex-olllclals and the p.uty of which they aie a pait failed to secure just exactly what thev wanted, theie can not be a leasouable kick. They asked for the appointment of Keeler, but In 1'iof. Ostlen tlie commlssioneis iccog- nled an honoiable, conscientious gentleman of high lepu to and t hoi ough capacity, and an acknowledged Democrat, Demo-crat, hence appointed him Instead. If It was simply a fair deal the gentleman gentle-man weie aftoi.then this cannot be objected to. Theie has been no disposition to liijuie any poison or to conduct anything any-thing but anlionest audit, and all those connected witli the woik have many times expiessetl the hope that the books, though caielesssly handled, would not show any disciepaiu:v. Kven the news lepoits of the aftalr would have been kept In the back-giound back-giound except lor foolish agitation and lidiculoiis asscilious in ceitain tpiaiteis. As It Is, the matter has been kept compaiatlvely (pilot. All have a heaity sympathy for both cx-tieasuier and ex-cleik and regiet that these gentlemen hae to sulfer the annoyances and Inconveniences Inconven-iences attendant in such matteis, but public office Is accepted with a know ledge of possible contingencies and I these gentlemen will have to bear their bunion as other piomlnent men have done. It Is a souice of legiet that it has seemed uecessaiy to attest Mr Clayton, Clay-ton, and the lepoited .statement (hat he will not only plead "not guilty." but will make counter charges implicating impli-cating other gentlemen, leads us to express the belief that It is best to withhold Judgment all 'tomid until the end of Mr. Clayton's tilal. He will have a healing on Febiuaiy A, tommiow. |
