The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-02-07


Expenditure of S2.I,I5o, the ssEstI-
| mated'' Amount for the Present
Year for Ordinary Purposes.
Editors I,,telLigencer:
] wish 10 correct an error made in
my last, in stating that neither the
| Treasurer's nor Auditors Report for
| 1885 gave detailed" statement of the
disbursem ments for that year. find such
statement in a column annexed to the
| appropriations. Looking for it to be
| under separate head, as it Is in the
last reports of these officers, overlook
/ ed it. af-e
see by it there was paid for Estate
| Scouts" SIS, ,725 %; for Estate Guards
S+9, SIS "a; for Militia Claims allowed
| by Regimental Courts, and the Militia
of Upshur County 81, ,92I Oh, making
| paid last spring. These should be
transferred from the "ordinary" to the
| "extrAordinary" expenses.
observe also in your paper of the
31st ult. that the Baltimore and Ohio
Rail Road Company is in arrears for
State taxes, that should have been as
seSsed and collected, since the New
State went into operation, 5000, 600; be-
side those previously due the Old State
and transferred. This is much more
than had supposed to be due. This
large amount Is not, of course, includ-
ed IN the SI57, los 05 which the Auditor
states the Sheritfs' and other collecting
officers were in default for. 1t is the
| Assessors that have been in fault 1
! presume, in this instance, in not asses
| sing this mammoth company. Is II
fear that holds our public SERVANTS back
lH thLS case, or something LCorSe ?
! 1t must be one or the other
There is no middle ground. This naEes I
the total amount. then, of arrearag es
of State and School revenue, accruing
| during the 5 years and 3 months that
the State had been in operation, three
hundred and Jifty-SeUen thousand one
hundred and SLrty yiUe dollars aud JiUe
and which, If collected-dRd the peoD[e
should insist that eVeT,y dollar of 1t be,
and that qEictky-wiI be sufficient TO
| pay the ordinary expenses OF the State,
| aside from the schools, for the next
three years and three months, without
assessing dollar more for the purpose.
| What say you, men, that hare pdtd your
td1eS2 Are you to submit StiU to be tar
ed and pay 40 cents on the 500, IchiLe
these GTTedTdgeS remain ItTIcoILected aud
ICiILe their amount is GccItI7lLLdtiaJ a7l71u-
ally more than 500, 900 No PolCer but
the stern aud determined conlHIuIld of the
people tOW eUer iaOUe our public servants
| 10 adopt the necessary measures to en-
force payment OF these uTreurd9eS. ISIcH
q command, 1 trust, a people l0lto haze
| been through IChdt ours has during the
| last nee years, kytOU hoW, aud dare, 10
gIUe; and acith GIt emphasis, too, that
| shall be needed. For UHteSs so collected,
ire must take upon ourselves a burden OF
tGxdtiOIl coT-reSpondingty increased.
propose to show, that the Constitu-
| ton will authorize the expenditure OF
less than half the amount ''estimated''
the present year for "ordinary expen-
ses." The regular State officers known
to the Constitution, whom the State
pays, are: The Executive, consisting
Of Governor, paid 5000; Secretary OF
State, paid $780,. Treasurer, paid
| General, paid $1,000 per year. Their
salaries amounting in all to 81 200. The
Judicial consist of three Judges of
| Court of Appeals, paid 5000 each,
making $1,000, and ten cents per
mile travel, going and returning t'by
sessions year, and l estimate sixty
! dollars for each, as travelling fees, ma
king $3.50, which added to ST, 600 makes
| Sc, $50. There are eleven Circuit Judges,
paid 8, 500 each, making SIS, 500. Each
| holds four terms year in each county
in his circuit, making of course TOUR
circuits or rounds a year. l estimate
their average travel fees at 500 each,
per year, making for all SIlO0-which
| added TO Sl9, ,S00-makes $50, 800. The
legislative consists of T6 members, /
think. Their regular session, not ex-
ceeding 45 days, at three dollars per day
| for each, and two dollars in addition for
! President of Senate and Speaker OF
House, makes $40, no; and Tor travel,
| same as Judges per mile. / estimate the
\ average travel for each $50 miles going
and returning, which amounts to 900
which added to $40, 40, makes 81, $40.
/ Add all these items together and they
| 10 SIE FThaEa all the
| State officers the constitution provides
for, and fixes their salaries and COM
! pensation as before stated, except a
| general superintendent of schools, who
Is paid from the school fund, which the
| Auditors "estimate" of S21l, $50 has
nothing to do with. All sheritfs, recor-
ders, clerks of circuit courts, supervi-
sors, assessors, county superintendents
! of schools, township officers, &c, are
all designed to be elected, and paid by
their respective districts, with the eS-
| ceplion of sherif7s fees in criminal
| cases. See article ., IS, 3 and Z as to
! " no elect and pay these officers.
Now this leaves the State government
proper, a very simple and cheap thing
| to run, Srhea kept TO the constitutional
track. OF the Judicial Department, eE-
cept the judges salaries and travelling
| fees, as above stated-all the officers
| aud expense, except the attorney gen
eral, clerk, reporter, and other attend
ants on the Court of Appeals, use OF
court house, and expense connected
| Herewith while that court is in session
are proUided aud paid by the cOgHtieS.
The State, however, pays the expense
of criminal business lrheTe she IS q par
tn. as Jury, witness and SherifS fees
and support and conveyance of crimi'
nails; and in this business, as now con
Quoted, she is subjected to much uu'
necessary expense, and is egregiouSIy
swindIed as general thing. The pres
ent practice of SammOnlng Specla
re1,ire of p citizens and taxing them
from their business, to try each rogut
| who makes it his business to steal, eve
lly time hea steals over so worth, is ar
obsolete relic. retained by the oldState
but long since discarded by the loya
States, except in capital cases. Why
NAV not the petit juries, who are in at
tendance at every court, try all issues
civil and criminal, except capital cases
Both pannels are made up from th'
same class of men. With this uuneceS
sary expense Topped on, and theswind
ling stopped, one half the present eX
pense can be dispensed with. Ant
when the Peniteutiary is completed,
wisely constructed and so managed al
terwards, il can be made TO supper
itself, as similar institutions OF othe
; States are doing. But see the Audi
: tors ESTIMATE for the present yea
requires SIS, 600 to support those merely
that can be put In OuC partially Dun
Penitentiary. II reads thus= ''SuppoT
of criminals in PenitenIiary, SIS, 600.
The next preceding item Is that relatin
TO criminals, including their support l
iails, carriage to PeniTenIiary. &c., DC
IS, 600. If the small part of the PEN
| tenLiary, that Is to be habitable tn
present year, is to cost The STATE Sl5, OK
for support, over the rent of the builC
ipgs and earnings OF the convicts, whs