Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1856-01-25
CITY MATTERS.

CITY MATTERS. asss
Another subject now attracting the public at
tention is the large amount paid for city print
ing, and the question growing out Oft, whether
the money has been expended for the benefit
and information of the taxpayers of the city at
large. or for the iaterest Of very few indiyidu-
ais? The whole amount paid for printing, as set
down in the official statement, during the past
year, il 81, 900 81. As We have never seen, and
consequently have never examined, the bills as
made out against the city for printing, we are
not prepared to say thatthe bills were extraya-
gantly large, They may have been made as low
as they could be made, and yet not alter the
fact that 81 coo 81, is large amount to be paid
for that one item.
The present proprietors Of the IntelligenceF
took possession on the 18th of March, 1855, and
tom that day to this, have never received enc
cent from the city for printing. We have :
small bill Of $11 70 for advertising, viE:-FiFe
Department, annual parade S.; Tax Collector
1925; Board of Health, $780, and We know
they all remain unpaid, and certainly form no
part ofthe 81 ,0O6 81 Previous to our taking
possession of thisofce, the Times was selected to
doall printing aud that too in the face Of
. proposition from our predecessors, Msssrs
swsayiagsn, Taylor & Co., to make all the pub
LEGATIONS required by the City Council, for the
sum. of s2Oot
Laying aside the official statement we find
thatons bill has been paid Of 1921 o4, and an
ether, OF what amount we are not informed, has
been referred. Taking this liberal view of the
question, it WILDE seen that the city could have
economical on this item considerable sum-
This matter OF printing was discussed several
times in eouncilat the beginning of the year, and
the proposition Of our predecessors to do the
work for 5000, being before that body, several
Gifts members resolutely opposed the election
off printer, believing as they did, that the cost
would be greater to the city; and we here ten
der our thanks to those friends Of justice and
economy, who so promptly raised their voices,
aud cast their votes, against the preparation Of
this fraud upon the taxpayers Ofour city.
Many items Of considerable expense which
appesr in the statement of the accounts Of the
city for.the present year, on other matters than
w HOb kbOW Ohb vi SShttaStH VI S44SA .
passed upon by tbs present council, but from the
acts Of former councils But this ~ no reason
vhy Their should not be euquircd into, for the
rule holds good, that we can only improve the
present and calculate tue future, by the expert
ence OF the past, aud wise mon are governed to .
great in their actions, by such experience
Since writing the above, our attention has
been directed to an article in the Times Of yes
terday morning. We publish the following eE-
tract, to give them the benefit of their state
ment and that we may be charged with no I'M
airaess, remsrking however, after reading it
carefully, that VIC cannot change one word of
what we have written shove, foF we know, and it
is susceptible of proof from tho books of the
City Clerk and Treasurer, as well a. our own,
that the city has never paid US one solitary cent
for city printing or any thing else What may
have been paid to aIessrs. Swearingeu, Taylor &
Co, and when it was paid, are questions with
which wehave no particular concern; butwe do
know that it was not for work done subsequent
IL to tho 18th day of March, 1866:
about the IL. OF April already the Time.
selected to DO he public printing and the whole amount
which received that RcsOuntsmbrseiug period OF
aas onts from 1st Of April to ist OF January, 1885
vas only s25l e. Thus WILDE sesn tst while the amount
paid fer printing year i put down q. $50
tho Times which did tn. alone for nine month"; only
received tho pary sum Of SeSt o. while alh papers had
distributed among tAe much shOrssr period, the
sprctablc amount Of sI o. Of which the Iusgeneer
received slsOso.
"as Council ordered sAs ordinances oras city bsPrin
Cd last year bqtths job separate asir-Wss put out
bidder. and bid for BY all the publishers,
Including tue Inegeneer aad awarded the Times
Assausgis bid lowest Tor thiu printing the Times
osIEsd esss 10 Of which the Of ts paid for binding
sIoso -.fF
"s submit therefore, that ne!shbeg is not He
generous saying have received g. for prins
m when the fact whole Of printing is stated by
chs City Clerk at only s1cs Is ssIto Of which paid 20
ether papers, OF Sieh TIE Inteluscnser Itself
received, "a ts.sss stated :hs auua OF sisH s0i
Wo say that the full amount stated by the Gil
~ Clerk, az paid for printing, is $l,oO664, and
We refer the reader to the published report for
thstruth Of our assertion. @
pSsThe Times thinks we are more DOySerfll