The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-03-18
The Printing Frauds..-AIr. Walker
as a Cutie Fish.

The Printing Frauds..-Mr. Walker
as a Cutie Fish.
Tho following appeared in Charleston
dispatch in the Cincinnati Enquirer Of
Saturday, and furnished the basis. Of a
dispatch sent from Cincinnati Saturday
by the agent Of the Associated Press:
ALLEGED STATE PRINTING FRAUDS.
"The Courier OF to-day contains an arti-
Gle written by Mr.. Walker, the State
Printer, which makes some startling rcve-
latlons concerning frauds which are al
legged 10 have been perpetrated by his
predecessor, ono Of the proprietors Of the
Wheeling INTELLIdRNcRR. 1t Is charged
that during two years the public printer
drew from the Treasury over $15, 900 upon
illegal and fraudulent vouchers, and that
he also received large profit on paper
which the law requires 10 be furnished at
cost. The recent furry about the ac-
counts oil the present printer seems to
have been gotten up for the purpose oil
screening the former swindlcr. The In.
vestigation to be had will probably re-
suit In the, impeachment OF the impeach.
ers. The friends Of Mr.. Walker are con.
ildent Of his total vindication, while those
upon whom these late revelations bear
heavily are evidently down in the ditch"
The Courier containing the article re.
ferred TO has not yet come TO hand, and
at present we can only deal with these
general charges in general terms. This
We do by pronOuncing them false and
groundless from top TO bottom, and under
the circumstances VIC need hardly add
that they arc malicious. What Mr..
WALKER means by "illegal and fraudu.
lent vouchers" VIC do not know. We do
know that his predecessor never drew one
dollar from the State treasury except
upon bills properly rendered, for work
honestly done and lawfully charged; and
this the work itself and the bills on file in
the Auditors office will show. The West
Virginia public know, though it may moi
be known outside the State, that Mr..
WALKER himself has been arraigncd be-
fore the Legislature by his own party
associates, and stands charged on the most
crushing evidence of his own vouchers
with having collected fraudulent over
charge on the House Journal and session
Acts of 1871 alone amounting TO more
than double the lawful allowance, the
excess being exactly 1891. Under such
circumstances, entirely unconscious as We
are Of any basis for such charges, VIC car
only conjecture that Mr.. WALKER, feeling
himself driven into a corner has adopted
this course as a desperate expcdient tc
make a temporary diversion, knowing full
well as he docs that fmpudent aud brazen
assertion well stuck 10 is almost as good
rs the truth. .....
The suggestion of the EnQuirerS cor
respondent that "the recent furry about
the accounts oil the present printer
seems to have been gotten up for the pur'
pose of screening THO former swindler" is
simply absurd. So far as we are aware
the accounts Of Mr.. WALKERS predeccs,
sOr had never been questioned and there
was no occasion to screen" them. i
there had been, 1t would not have been
very smart in those who wanted TO do II
to provoke an investigation. which wa!
sure to bring all the printing accounts be
lore committee. But MIR. WALKER''
predecessor had nothing 10 do with get
ting up "the furry" nor anything to Dc
with 1t till summoned to Charleston rs 6
witness.
Itmay serve to help explain the ap
pcarance of this article in the C0uricl
to say that we learned a few days ago tina
charges were TO be brought agains
Mr.. WALKER, in the Convention for over
charging on work done for that body
The resolutions bringing them had beer
drawn, and not by Republican hands. II
seems very probable one motive for get.
ting up this roorback was to affect popu'
lar opinion at Charleston and stop the
threatened exposure in the Convention.
The Commission with Gov. JACOB al
its head, which the disclosures before the
House constrained that body to appoint
to look into Mr.. WALKER's accounts and
for the sake of appearance, into those Of
his predecessors, will be able, we presume
to ascertain the truth, both as It regards
the charges against Mr.. WALKER and as
it regards his charges against his prede
cessor. That Commission embraces -four
Democrats and one Republican, and 1t is
atleast certain that they will do no injus
uce to Mr. WALKER. We arc content tc
abide their investigation, only asking that
itshall be open and impartial and search.
ing, as the public interests demand. And
now, gentlemen OF the committee, we re.
specially ask that you will proceed as
soon as you can make it convenient.
Free Schools in the Convention.
Our attentive correspondent at the Cap.
ital enables us to Inv before our readers