The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-12-25
The $4,000 Committee.

the llsl uN! VI WV "N'
Committee Of seven, appointed to investi-
,,,e the finances of the State from the
10Th day Of June, 1868, up to the present
time" One Of these reports, that OF the
majority was signed by Messrs. Prichard,
M.EllownCy, Chapman, BlakemOre and
WoelelI all Democrats, and is very brief,
hardly an inch long, and simply re-
,arms the report Of the Special
Committee at Charleston on the 24th
jw Of February last, which re-
por, in addition to liuding the
auditor and Treasurer guilty Of high
crimes and misdemeAnOrs, submitted q
statement gotten up by E, 1, Bill, chief
clerk in the Auditors office, showing a
deficit in the State treasury. under Re-
publican rule Of S3s,GOj 81. This state
meDt Of \. l.. Bills was, according to the
committees report at Charleston, taken
from the books Of the Auditors office
and II. correctness was sworn to by Mr..
Bill. The impression 1t made upon the
committee was that at some time between
the 10Th Of June, 1868, and the lat day OF
January 1871, a deficit Of S3s,OOj 81
had occurred under Republican rule.
They therefore very properly recon-
menled "its consideration TO the Attor'
ney General, with the request that lie In
,tinte such proceedings as will secure It's
recovery and the reimbursement Of the
State treasury"
into this time We have never heard OF
any step, having been taken by the Attor'
ney General to recover this missing sum,
II he has ever acted on the recommended
tion Of the committee we are unaware oil
the fact. 1.-The has investigated the facts
and found deficit we presume the public
should be aware Of the discovery.
The fair inference Ia that he has either
never Investigated the matter, or having
Investigated 1t, has found nothing in it.
And yet Notwithstanding this silence
on the part Of the Attorney General, and,
more important still, Notwithstanding
the fact that several Of the parties sign.
ing the majority report have recently
been in conference with Mr.. h, l.. Dill In
the Auditors Office, and while there have
heard him asked to show when and
where this S3S,GOj 81 disappeared from
the Treasury Of West Virginia. and not.
Wilhslanding the said Mr.. Il. l.. Bill &c.
knOwledgel that he could mol find any
such deficit In the Treasury Of West Viz.
ginin, ys! The Said parties came into the
House and in their lazy three.quartet
inch report state that they "see no reason
for changing the report formerly made
by this committee"
Oi course Bob McEldOwney the mem.
Oer from Wettel county, who never at.
tended u single conference al the Audit
ot's office this session, while the matter
was under discussion, sees no reason to
change the former report. And yet he
signed hiS name 10 the report Of Thurs
LAY last, just as II lie knew something
about the matter. And on the strength
Of Bis signature, in part, the charge Of a
SsOOO deficit in the treasury is again
heAldel to the public, to be used for
effect in the next canvass in order to
stem the rising tide Of popular indigna.
ton against sham Democratic rcformers.
And Mr.. Woodell, too, the member
from PocahontNs, Notwithstanding his nd.
mission to at least two persons that he
could zee nothing in the charge, signs his
name also to the majority report
thereby reSfIirming to the public that
he does see something in the charge.
luaddition to these two model commit
teemen we understand thai there Is at
least one other who was never present,
perhaps, but at one conference, and then
only when the subject was being informal
y talked over and not really investigated
by the light Of the Auditors books!f ~
Now contrast with the indOlent Ma
iotity report, signed by such men,
the pains taking Minority report
signed by Messrs. Stewart and snider,
the one an Independent and the
other Republican, and see the differ.
ehce. They give the public information.
They give date and page in the records
Of the State Of West Virginia where their
quotations can be found and verified,
and after adducing these quotations they
boldly express their opinion that
"thac ncNr has etisted any deficit q
a1yEind in he 7tedtury as Is claimed in he
report qf he AUDITOR" and furthermore
@ty declare Tia! "er+y dollar that kas ere
come into he Treasury ofMe STATE Of IHesi
Virginia clearly deeounledJor"
Now here ispreSented plain oppottu'
nifty to all or any persons whom it may
concern, to come forward and show thai
atany time within the existence Of the
State Of West Virginia, from the
10Th day Of June 1868 up to
The day named in the commit
tees report at Charleston, viz: the lst
day Of January, 1871, that ever a single
dollar Of deficit occurred in the finances
This opportunity IL open to Auditor
Bennett and his Chief Clerk, as we'll as to
other people, Will they come forward
and put the seal Of discrcdit on the Mi.
noFiiy rcrort2 II not the public will
put its far weighlier seal Of discrCdit on
The Majority report.