South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1873-12-05


counts for this work from which 90 deduc.
tions were made were correct, then the
clerks erred in refusing TO certify bis full
accounts, aud the State is still Indebted to
him to the extent Of oue-fourth of said nc-
ooun's. Bot if these clerks were right in
their action, then the accounts from which
no deduc ions were made mus. be improp
er, the rates of charging being the same in
all If them.
But it can be demonstrated that his
charges for printing House and Senate bills
were improper aud excessive. His charge
in 1872 for bills Of Que rage was Sc aud
the same for bills of two pages, aud for all
other bills at the rate of three dollars per
page. The committee after an examips ton
OF the testimony came 10 the conclusion
that 50 % was the proper charge for bills
OF one page. 50 25 per page for bills of
more than one page and not more than four,
aud that for oil bills of more than four pag-
e', the work should be estimated rs PAM
pblet work, which would give about 81 80
per page. Mr.. WALKER and all the other bid
ders offered to 90 for S | I5what he had chare-
ed So for, aud for which the committee al
lowed lin So so. For hill of four pages
he charged and received sl2, and the com
mittee allowed him 50, Will, it would have
amounted to but 81, if calculated by his
recent bid.
The printing of the daily Journal of the Con.
sttutiopal Convention is a marked example, not
only of overcharges on the part of Mr. Walker
bat of utter disr egard OF the public interest -
The House ordered one hundred copies of this
journal, aud The Senate one hundred copies be-
sides these he printed the copies required for the
use Of the Convention He charged 80 per page
for the copies furnished the House So 90 per
page for the copies furnished the Senate, and SO
90 per page for the copies furnished the Conven-
tlon. As they were all printed at the same time,
this was equivalent to charging 50 90 per page.
For instance the journal of The first days pro-
ceedipGs of the Convention, a little pamphlet of
eight pages, cost S24 90 for the House, S24 90
for the Senate, and S24 90 for the Couven ii on,
making is total cost to the State So co. The
Journal of February ], cost each body S7s 90,
or in all 1884. Tie Convention contained Sc
yenty eight members, and their compensation
was three dollars per day. making a total of
S23l 90. Mr.. Walker, therefore, charged for
printing the Journal of that one day lin the
bound volume it makes twelve pages) as much
as all of the members OF the Convention received
for their compensation for that day. These cop
les were furnished TO the House Cor fifteen DAYS
and TO the Senate during its whole session. I'm
der an order of the Convention, ESQ copies of its
Journal were printed and bound, and for this al
so Mr.. Walker charged and received payment
Consequently he WAS paid twice for the whole
Journal, three times for about half Of il and four
times tor the first fifteen days proceedings The
committee Of investigation, in this case, as in all
other things, giving Mr.. Walker the benefit Of
any doubt, did not refuse to allow his separate
charges for this work but simply reduced each
account to reasonable rates This simple reduc-
ton made the overcharges for copies Of the jour
nal furnished the House and Senate, and the CO.
pies Of the Journal and Documents furnished the
Convention amount TO 50, sos 80.
Some examination of Mr.. Walkers accounts
was made by committee of the Convention,
either Of its own motion, or by order Of the Con-
YenIon, but the result was not made public.
The total overcharges made by Mr.. Walker as
reported by the Investigating Committee amour
ted to 80, 593 AZ. Their examination, however,
was confined almost exclusively TO work done be
fore the appointment Of the committee, March
%, 1872, the only exception being, believe, that
portion Of the Convention Journal printed after
that date.
OF the above overcharges of 80, sos Al the fol-
loving were made in accounts which bad been
approved by me