The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-02-12
Something for the People to Consider.


We publish elsewhere tabulated state
ment from the Auditor, showing the ar
reages in the school fund, which vastly rex-
coed the amount heretofore reported. 1T will
be seen that there are now due the public
school and literary fund 81, 100000 in round
numbers whereas it has been stated in the
political contests in which this question was
discussed, that it did not exceed 100000.
We have no doubt the statement given to-
day is the true one, and that there has been
a persistent design heretofore to keep the
facts from the people.
The condition of the Auditors office. on
the 1st> of January, was truly fearful. The
books in that department show that there
| are now $500, 900 due from County Treasu-
rers, and that at least three-fourths of those
officers are behind in their accounts. This
is what the books show. 1t is more than
probable that the Treasures themselves,
in many instances, have receipts to offset
these balances, but as it appears now they
are defaulters to the State in the aggregate
named. 1t appears that there has been no
systematic method OF closing accounts each
year with these officers. A running account
has been kept with them and the balances,
to illustrate, existing on the 31st OF De-
cember, 1873. would be met by the collec-
tons for the succeeding year credits being
nues of the new year. In this way, the
business has been carried on for years, and
there is no means of ascertaining the exact
state of these accounts until all the Treas
urers are made to square the books to
certain date. Many of the Treasures have
gone out of office, and yet there are large
balances against them, from the exhibits in
the Auditors office. To right this gross IL
regularity and inexcusable negligence, the
present auditor has issued an order for all
the Treasures to come to the books, and
adjust the balances standing against them.
This is but a sample of the general alb
sence of an efficient system of accounting
prevailing in the auditors office heretofore
Other instances of glaring negligence have
come to our knowledge, but we do not
care now to go into detailed statement OF
them. 1t is sufficient to say that there
never has been, in the history of Virginia,
or any other State, such a fearful looseness
in the management of the business of the
people. and such utter confusion in the
, manner of keeping public accounts.
1t is not difficult to account for the con-
, flicting statements as to the State debt,
| which have come from the auditors Office,
during the past three or four years,
when the condition of that department
is known. We mention the school fund
and the Treasurers' accounts to con-
vey some idea to the people as to how
their affairs have been managed by the
, "great Conservative party Of Virginia. AZ
| The caucus dynasty, preferred to screen the
inefficiency and careless in the management
of the basement offices, and delude the
) people with the assurance that everything
was going on right, and that the interests
of the State demanded the continued DOM
: NANCY of that organization. The expo
, sures already apparent furnish the reason
, why such desperate fight was made to re-
7 tain power. 1t was to keep from the people
! knowledge of their true condition, land per-
t petuate system of wrong-doing that was
/ daily pushing the State into the abyss OF
ruin.ss IAN exhibit has to come with change
of motives and influences, and we may
soon expect full knowledge OF affairs
deeply affecting the people, and which has
5 been designedly kept from them during the
| reign of the dominant party, composed as it
was of present Re- adiusters and debt-pay-
: ers-both of the present factions being
e equally responsible.
Indeed, but for the Republicans retiring
r from the contest in 1877, and forcing a dis
) cussion of the condition OF the State, the
facts we now have, and the wrongs ex-
posed, would never have been known to the
public. 1t would be the ''scalawag, car
pet-bagger and negro" yet, while the peo-
Pile would have been sinking deeper and
, deeper down, under the weight of the bur-
, dens this ''great Conservative partly has
piled upon them.