The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-01-03
WEDNESDAY MORNING. JAM a..
atnte Fiscal Yenr--Inconvenlene Of
the Present Arrangement.


the Present Arrangement.
BY an act of the I.egisiature, passed
February ~ 1855, Il c fiscal year of the
State was made to begin and end with
the calendar year. This arrangement,
considered with reference to the assem-
bling of the Legislature, appears to be
very inccnvenient one. The fiscal
year ends with December 3lst, and the
Legislature assemblies within from six
teen to twenty days afterwards. The
reports of the several departments
must all be brought up to January LIST,
and cannot, therefore, be completed be-
fore the 9th or 10th. a great part Of the
Governors message cannot be written
till the reports are hid before him; and
then within the brief period in which
the message must be completed, they
cannot receive aproPer and sufficient
consideration. It Is of course impossi-
bic TO have them printed, either before
their delivery TO the Governor or before
the Legislature meets-even III any
officer were authorized TO do so. The
result is that all the reports so to the
Legislature in manuscript, with the
message, and are thrown on tile printer
mt once with the other work Of the two
Houses. The consequence is one that
could not be different: some of the re-
ports. evon the finance reports IL they
he lengthy, cannot lie laid on the mem
berg desks till late In the session. The
suIliects treated in them cannot be in
telIigently dealt with. without the
printed copies before the members and
committees; so that not only is legisln-
ton is retarded but the interests of the
state suffer, in more ways than one, by
the unavoidable delay. - .i,sI
Prior TO the passage of the act refer
red to, the fiscal year ended with the
3Otli day OF September, If that arrange
mcnt were restored, and the fiscal con-
Germs of the several departments were
to he closed up 10 that date, the vnrious
officers would have time to prepare
their reports with accuracy and care;
,nd if the number to be printed were
fixed and authority lodged with the
officers. or some one of them, to have
The reports printed when done, tile
printed copies might BIO placed In the
hands of tho Governor A. month before
the meeting of the Legislature. He
would thus havol ample time to consid-
err the matters suggested, in time 70
complete the message a few days before
tho assembling of the Legislature; and
could, if he deemed 1t. advisable, have
the message put in type and hnveprint-
ed copies ready to lay on the desks OF
the members when the document was
scnt in. Tho period between the SOth
of September and, say, the LIST OF Janu7
nrylco,iId he exhibited in ii supplement-
tary report; which would be brief, read
lis rndtlG up, and conveniently printed;
and could be included iii the next an
nunl report. Thus the two Houses
would be furnished Mt the beginning of
tLesesslon with all the facts needed for
Intelligent legislation; their own proper
printing could be' promptly executed,
and business go on without the ivexa-
tioms delays hitherto unavoidable.
This would certainly be an improve
mont, in many respects, on tho present
arrangement. Last year tho Auditors
report was not placed in the hands OF
tho Governor until the night before the
Legislature met. The Governor was
therefore Obliged to omit any reference
to the subjects treated in that report,
This year 1t will bcsome better, hutstill
far from what's desirable. The present
Auditor is preparing mn interesting md
important report, containing numerous
tables and much tistica1informntioni
no mart of which could he closed mp Till
the beginning of tho present week; and
which can hardly be completed before
the 10th. Tho Governor, will have less
than "A week, for its examination and
the consideration of the measures sug-
gested in IT,, even If he had nothing
else in hand, instead OF having all other
reports coming in about the same time.
Being pretty lengthy and embracing a
good many tables, It will necessarily
take some time to print this years
Auditors report; so that, being semitic
the two Houses in manuscript, the
printed copies cannot be laid on the
members desks as early in the session
ms It Is desirable they should be. In the
present instance, however, this unfor-
tunate arrangement Will be somewhat
relieved by tho fact that the Auditors
chiefclerlIi Is making nent manuscript
copy OF tho report expressly for
the use of tho Finance Committees
until tho printed copies can be given
them. ID r,,..i a-te.
The reasons SGT forth, it seems TO us.
are good and sufficient ones why the
fiscal year OF tho St.te should not end
no near the annual meeting OF the Leg
isInturc. There seems TO be no, reason.
on the other hand, why IL should. The
United States fiscal year ends, we be-
lievc, ON tho sOth of June. The fiscal
year should be arranged with reference
to convenience and advantage in trans
acting the business OF the State, and
without special regard to tho calendar
year, The Auditor, whois the general
financial manager FOR State, intends,
we understand, TO recommend some
such change rs TINT herein indicated ;
md we doubt not tho recommendation
will be concurred in by the Lcgisla-
lure. ..-.l.-.
AN exchange says of the church OF
Mexico: 1t has ONE archbishop, eight
bishops, ten Thousand infirm clergy OF
all orders. Il is the richest church in
tho world, and has an income Of $50,
OOo, 600 year, and millions in cathe-
drnls. churches. &c, valued at $1,000
COO. The income OF the archbishop Is
$4,000, and that of The eight bishops
,,,,t,.l a., S,nn hO0, u,ha arol,iiishon Is,