The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-07-10
nRooKE ANp MANCOCK.

welhburg Herald.
In looking over the financial statements
OF Hancock county as published in the
papers there, q county located very mnch
like Brooke, and not widely different as
to population and taxable property, we
were struck with the wide difference in
the expense Of running the two counties.
Our expenditures last year were s90,,
779 So; the estimate for the current year
is SIC, $40 90, subject TO resourcesr educing
it to the sum Of SlS,l60 90.
Their expenditures tabulated In the
same way by Clerk Flanagan, we're last
year g, 230 20; the estimates for the cur.
rent year is s., 953 81. subject to balance
OF surplus on hand, reducing 1t to S.
724 rs.
This is very considerably less than one.
third OF our levy. The population by the
late census has not yet been announced,
nor has the assessed valuation, but the
population OF Brooke over Hancock will
not much, II any, exceed one thousand,
nor will the actual value OF the real and
personal property, he in any very great
excess. We have one item oil s0,69B in
terest on railroad bonds, which they have
not got to raise, otherwise the items OF ex-
penss are not dissimilar in their oharac-
ter and quality. Deduct this ~, G2d rail-
road tax from the net levy SIS, 100 and 1t
still leaves our levy sll ,5A or little more
than double the Hancock levy.
The query comes up, whence comes
this difference. One item oil difference
that Is very apparent is the cost OF sup.
porting the poor. Hancock pays for main
tainance Of her poor or at least reports for
lew this year, the sum OF 81 600, which is
in excess OF the ACTUAL cost lsst year
Brooke expended last year g, $50 49, and
the levy this year calls for $500. Whether
there Is that much difference in the actual
paupOrism oil the two counties or whether
the difference can be accounted for In
some other way the public can determine.
Possibly in the one county niggardllness
has prevailed and in the other wasteful-
ness, the correct thing being In the happy
mean that It is something hard to find.
One thing, they have no county poor
farm: neither have We, but We have to
pay the interest on the bonds that repre-
sent a little folly In that direction, in
which we once INDUCED. This is an item
peculiar to Brooke Of 1859 81 year, that
Hancock can thank her stars she has man
aged 10 avoid. Salaries are abont the
same-say $1,000; per diem oil Justices,
Brooke 9i7; Hancock 1926. In jury ex-
penses we loom up SllS0,60, against SI1S.-
q. Road expenses are not materially dit.
ierent, but in bridges We run ahead OF
Hancock.
The item OF printing bonds and paying
for bonds not printed, OF slT2, OF course
they do not have, neither ought we to have
had, more than moiety Of 1t. They pay
their printers sl06 IA; down here we paid
Sl3S S., which was SlS S. more than ap-
propriated. We tried our best to keep
even with Brother Glass, but he managed
to absorb, through partisan favoritism,
considerably the larger share OF this DO:
MANGA. In stenography, road scrapers, jail
expenses, and stationery, We are ahead.
The Sherif's commissions by reason Of the
larger collections, are larger with US, being
81 .27l 25 against 874, which is regular
enough, but much better for friend Curtis,
than Il Is for the taxpayers.
But the most amusing thing isthe com.
parison OF the wind up OF the two state
nents. In Brooke 1t requires So cents on
The one hundred dollars valuation to set
US even with the world year, hence in
Hancock, in the opinion OF the Court 80
cents on such valuation is amply sufficient
to answer the purpose for them. 1t would
be still much more amusing down here II
some one would discover the means by
which our county taxation can be reduced
to something like similar proportions,
These taxes, bear in mind, are in addition
to the taxes for school purposes and fol
the State.