Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1868-02-06
Where the Money Goes.

In looking over the report of the Auditor of
West Virginia, we observe some items Of public
expenditure which are of sufficient interest to
Justify special reference.
Among the disbursements is an item of SIG,
43l,54 for registration of voters, The regis
traton law went into operation IN 1866, and
the first registration was then made. The a.
bove sum was expended, not for registering
voters, but mainly for striking them from the
Isis. that having been the chief business OF the
Boards for the past year. The Radical party
is kept in power by swindle. the first cost oil
which was merely the first instalment OF the
outlay required. The people are to pay sixfeen
thousand dollars annually, to make the swlndle
eIeciual, 6---~ -ta
The " Civil Contingent Fund" SS,9lS,07, is
another ponderous item whose very mystery
suggests villainy. What is bought with this
money? What public benefit arises from its
outlay? We know that it passes under the
Governors control in the first instance, but be-
yond this we know nothing, although the cir
cumstanees justify the people in suspecting
anything. 1t is certainly not paid out for or
binary contingent expenses. The offices Of the
Auditor, Quartermaster General, Secretary of
State, Treasurer, and Adjutant General, have
special contingent appropriations; so have the
Courts. The Boards of Claims and State Com
missionersare alsospecally provided for. The
Constitution requires the Governor to make
report of hisdspositiou of this money. He has
been expending similar Finds for several
years. He has laid out more than forty thou
sand dollars. The people want to know what
he has done with their money.
Farther on in the report we find an allow
ance Of $4,000 to election officers for cost IN
defending suits. Suits for what? For reject
ing legal votes? Then let them pay their own
costs. A sweet state Of affairs when the peo-
pie are to be DISTINGUISHED by dishonest officials
and then required to shield those officials from
the consequences Of their own dishonesty.
The Rent of Executive Mansion amounts
to $4,000. Can anybody tell us from whom
this Mansion" is rented Can the lease be
found in the Auditors Officer Or does the rent
90 into the breeches pockets Of the Governor
And if so, what becomes of that clause of the
Constitution which declares that in addition to
his salary Of $1,000, he "Slrall receive no other
eD,oi,cment from this or any other Government
We find from the same report that on ac-
count OF the Soldiers Medals there was pad
last year S25, 1851. The Governors Message
states that eleven thousand NEARLY half Of
those medals remain undistrbuted. Why
! Because the Soldiers, like most other people,
regard the whole business as piece Of folly,
and refuse to cOuntenance the extravaganza by
having anything to do with the scheme. The
Medals are of no earthly use, save to waste
money, and nobody denies it, The same a
mount would have formed an Educational
| Fund for Soldiers children that might have
done much good. Even to have saved that a
mount to the Treasury would not have offend
ed the taxpayers very much. But TO lay II
out for these unsightly and useless medals was
about equivalent 10 throwing it into the fire
so far as the general interest was concerned.
A thorough overhauling of the Auditors re.
port will reveal many similar evidences Of stu,
pidity, extravaganza, and corruption. Wewl
shortly lay more of them before the public.
Wheeling Register.