The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-09-03

| W. A0Nr - OheAb .onJ pOAoOAA .
money belonging. or who is indebted to
the State, shalt give the 9detailedstate-
ment" and pay it into the treasury as
above provided with interest. The acts
of the Legislature making the appro-
priations for rent of Executive mansion,
houses, &e., can afford no protection, as
dee ded by Chief Justice Marshall IN
the case before mentioned, as such acts
are nullities.
AS something has been said in pallia-
tion of these violations of the Constitu-
tion, that West Virginia pays her Off
GERS inadequate salaries, will state brief
ly the compensation paid similar officers
/ by other States-giving at the same
time, their population in 1860 as a cri-
terion, shos ing the amount of labor to
he performed, and the ability of their
people to pay. Maine, with popula-
tion of 62o, ,276, pays her Governor $500;
Secretary of State, 5000 aud fees; Treas
urer $1,000; Adjutant General, $500.
New Hampshire, with a population OF
326,073, pays her Governor $1,000; Sec
retary of State $500; Treasurer 600; Ad-
Ejutant General S400; Clerks of Senate
and House, fees only Vermont, with
population of 3l5,1 ,116, pays her Govern
or $1,000; Treasurer $500; Secretary OF
State S4OO; Auditor $500; Adjutant Cen
eral $50; Quarter Master General Sl5O.
Connecticut, with population of 46O,-
147, pays her Governor Sll00; Secretary
of State $1,000; Treasurer $1,000. Michi-
gan, with population of 7l9, ,113, pays
her Governor $1,000; Secretary of State
$500 and fee!; Auditor $1,000;
Treasurer $1,000; Adiutant Cen
eral $500. Iowa, with population of
GA ,9S4, pays her Governor 81 ,300 Sec
retary of State 81, 300; Auditor 1890;
Treasurer 81 300. Wisconsin, with a
population f775, ,8S1, pays her Cover
nor Sl,250 Secretary of State $1,000
Treasurer S1,40O. The ability of all
these States is vastly superior to ours
at the present time at least Illinois,
with a population of l, I'll ,95l, pays her
Governor Sl,50O; Secretary of State
$500; Auditor $1,000: Treasurer $500.
She probably has ten times the present
ability to pay that ours has. Ohio, with
a population of 1887 800, pays her Gov
enOrs, and among them have been Chase,
Corwin, Dennison, Todd and Brough,
81, 800; Secretary of State 81, 400; Audi
tor $1,000; Treasurer S1,5O0 JanitOr
and Guard of State House, $500. need
institute no comparison between her
ability to pay and that Of ours. Nor de
l find anything in their appropriations
to pay house rent, or rent of Executive
Mansions"
Such is the economy with which these
great States run their State Govern
ments, and their present greatness and
prosperity attest the success, Their
wealth and glory consist in the individ-
ual industry, thrift and wealth of their
people, who do not waste their lives
and energies in sCrambling after petty
offices.
One word more in regardjto the Go :
eTnOr's message, which had almost lost |
sight Of. 1t is this: The Governor takes |
credit for having anticipated the suit |
in equity brought by the old against
the new State, for the recovery of JEFF |
ferson and Berkeley counties, and had |
engaged able counsel to defend, even |
before the summons had been served. |
If the Governor aud his friends, our !
members in Congress, to whom the |
whole charge of the matter officially |
belonged, and was entrusted by the peO- !
pie had moved COngress-during the |
two and a half years that elapsed be-
tween the time the Legislatures of the |
two States agreed, and the attempted
repeal, Dec, 5th, '65, by the Virginia |
Legislature, or a body calling itself
such, to have given its consent also, |
which Congress stood ready TO give
the whole matter would have been there /
by cOnclusively and forever settled; but /
these parties TO whom the matter was
thus entrusted cOntended all the while /
that the transfer of the counties from .
the old State TO the new, was only |
a Strengthening Of the dirisiOR line which /
the States in themselves were cOmpe-
tent TO do, without the consent of Con- |
gress, and even if necessary, such con-
sent of Congress had already Ueen |
given in its admission Of the new State |
with Constitution containing a clause ,
which authorized it TO acquire addi- |
tional territory by consent of its Legis- |
ldtme merely, and rithOW taking the
rotc Of the people, as many States re-
quire. This very question came up in !
the winter of 'G3 and '6I in the case of |
Mckenzie and Kitchen before the Com |
mittee on Elections of Congress, of |
which Mr.. Dawes was chairman, who |.
reported that the consent of Congress |
irdS accessory. The House sustained the !
report At the time and afterwards, it |
appears from Mr.. Dawes statement, he .
called the attention of our Congress /
men 10 the necessity of getting the con-
sent OF Congress, which it stood ready /
To give, yet our Congressman, supported, /
presume, by the Governor, still main |
tanned it was unnecessary, and discus
sion upon the question between some of
them and Mr.. Dawes took place in the /
ncwspapers,as will be recollected. Mean
while. the Rebellion fell. the Richmond |.
Legislature convened on the 4th of
December, 60, and Oh the 9th passed an /
act purpOrting to repeal the consent of
the Old State to the TRANSFER. Our Of |
fcerS, however. a short tims before this |
took place, had come TO the conclusion |
thCt the consent of Congress was neces- |
sara, and had taken some steps to Sc
cure it at the approaching session. Be
fore the consent was obtained, however, !
the Act of Repeal, or attempted Repeal, /
was passed by the Richmond Legisla- |
tuTe, and hence has arisen the question |
involved in the pending suit. Whether
we shall shOld or lose these coun
ties, ii is manifest who should be held |
responsible for the unnecessary hazard |
they are placed in, and who ought in
justice to pay the whole cost of litiga-
tiOn.
am now done with the subject, for
the present at least. | have aimed to
state the facts fairly and truly, whicl' |
feel the people should kHO,r, and if they
reflect untavorably upon any, they have
only o blame the facts, or their authors. f.
That the State, under past and present F.
management, has dTi,ted far from the
Constitutional track, must be obvious
to all. The people alone possess the
power to make those in charge restore
it to that track and keep it there in fu-
ture. Let our rallyiug cry be, the Con,
Stitution inviolate in future, with rigid
economy in. and accurate" detailed
and published statements" of all pub
lie expenditures: and cursed be the man
that shall disregard his oath in any or
one of our behests in this respect
Very Respectfully, &. T.
EgJyuUTu- 1~SI