The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1873-09-05
WALKER vs.. JACOB.
The Printers Reply to the
Governor.
BRINGING DEFIANCE"
" Sue or Subside.D
From the Charleston Courier, Sept l.
To the Public.

L ; '
concerning the public printing. Wholly
unimportant and inconsequential in it,
eelf, the spirit which dictated it is so
petty and spiteful, so mean and mali
cious, that l have concluded 10 give it
and It's author more than a passing
salutation.
This order purports 10 be issued in
the interests of the public service, and
in this it is false upon its face. Striking
at the Printing Commissioners, the
Auditor, Treasurer and School SUPERB
intendent, for not letting the printing to
contract, it assumes that they do not
propose to do so, and suggests that their
failure to act hes imposed upon the
Governor the duty OF declaring who
shall do the work. And yet this order
was issued three days after the Com
missoners had completed their prepa.
rations for letting out the contract, and
with the full knowledge on the part Of
the Govern or that they had done 30
When therefore the Governor conveys to
the public the impression that leading
reason for this action on his part, was
| the unwilingness OF the other State
! officers to do their duty, he clearly be-
| rays that intention TO deceive" which
moral science is bluntIy declared to
constitute lying" and developes dir
out characteristic disposition to CLOS
~ himself at the expense Of the 9th
rr members Of the Administration. He
knows that the law fixes the second
| Wednesday in January next after the
letting of the contract as the time
at which it shall 20 into oper-
alton; that without the intervention OF
the Legislature an earlier day could
not be fixed; that this was the Attor-
ney Generals construction OF the law;
that the action OF the Printing Com
missioners in fixing October as the time
for the letting was sensible and prudent,
in that it would enable the Legislature
upon re-assembling to amend an exist
ing defect in the law, and put the con-
tractor to work forthwith, and he knows
that had the Commissioners been au-
thorized to let out the work at an ear
ler day, they could not have done so
because of his delay in furnishing the
necessary estimates for his own Depart
ment. And yet with all these facts before
him, he deliberately garbes the law
under which these men have acted,
suppresses that portion of it which
shows that they had no power to COM
mence contract earlier than the ID
Wednesday in next January, arraiGns
them for derelicton OF duty, and seeks
to magnify his own efficiency at the
expense of their official reputation.
Affecting to beieve-what he knows
to be false-that these officers do not
design to do their duty, he assigns az a
reason for taking charge of the print
ing branch Of the public service, their
failure to do On act which he well knew
they had fully performed three days
before he arraigued them for negIig.
ence. If Governor Jacob ever did a
neaner act than to black-mail the I
Democratic State Executive Committee |
for money to pay his liquor biIls in |
1870, this filthy fling at the men who
have given his Administration all its
standing and support must constitute
that act.
A second reason which is rendered |
by the author of this "order' as an |
apology for it's presentation is that the |
person whom he proposes TO exclude !
from State patronage, made overchar-
ges" against the State during his term
OF office. The solemnity with which
Governor Jacob affects to have just
been informed as to these "oyerchar-
charges will hardly preven: inquiry rs
to his failure to act at an earlier day. II
there is anything in this reason, it has
existed for nearly eighteen months
The Governor was appointed in March,
1872, eighteen months ago, to inyeati-
gate reported improper conduct on the
part OF the State Printer. The House
OF Delegates, which appointed him, ex-
pressly instructed him Ito take such
steps as the facts might warrant and
the law authorize" 1t was DIS
tinctly understood, at that time,
that this meant removal and
prosecution, in case the Cow
ernor could discover any facts which
would sustain the charges that had
been made against the Public Printer.
BE made the investigation the basis OF
a political canvass, and prostituted his
place as an impartial Commissioner TO
serve partisan and selfish purpose in
his own reelection. He professed to
have discovered the most stupendous
frauds. He promised to exact the
sviftest restitution. Those who voted
for him professed to believe that what
be had done for the discovery OF the
fraud, was only preliminary 10 what be
would DO for its punishment. lie was
chosen to his second term largely
through the influence OF the charges he
had worked up against the Public
Printer, and the promises he made to
bring the delinquent oiustice.
Ifthen there ever was time when
the improprieties Of the State Printer
should have received Executive atten-
tod, it was when ne first determined TO
assert that this officer had wro0ged the
State In the month Of May, 1872,
when Governor Jacob failed in his ef-
forts to receive the support OF the Colr-
ier for denomination, he determined
to make a report in the printing case
averse to myself. Had there been
truth or justice at the bottom ofthe re-
port which he then concluded to make,
be would then, according to the instruc-
tions of the House OF Delegates, have
proceeded "to take such steps as the
facts might warrant and the law au-
thorizs.' He would have removed the