Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-09-13
SOME STATISTICS FOR sTUR9Iss
TO PUT IN his PlFE

/ sOMp STATISTICS FOB
TO PUT IN HIS PIPE
We are not disposed to torture our
Republican readers with statistics lar
Their than is absolutely Necessary to give
them a correct and accurate exhibit o.
the manner in which the Democracy
has administered the affairs OF the State
government
Mr.. SrURGIss has rendered this task
somewhat obligatory upon US, inasmuch
as his campaign for the GovernorshiE
has been q studied, persistent and assid
uous reference to statistics as the evil
dence upon which TO base his assertion
that Republican is better than Demo
cratic government.
We are willing and anxious to be
Judged by the figures. We want the
people to know what the figures are.
We don't want to spend time in dis
cussing whether New York is better
or more economically governed than
West Virginia, bat We want to make an
| honest, square comparison between Re-
publican administrations in West Nir-
oinia and Democratic administrations in
West Virginia. That is the subject
! about which the people want to know,
and which We want I bring Mr.. STUR.
GIss to discuss, il possible.
We have before rs a very interesting
table of the Auditors report, which
gives a very fair comparison OF the ex-
pense OF running the State under six
years OF Republican rule, and six years
oi Democratic rule, together with the
amounts that each party appropriated
for the support of public schools during
these respective periods.
We find that during the six years OF
Republican rule, from 1865 to 1870, In
elusive, the average cost per capita for
running the State was S42.l5.
The average cost per capita under
Democratic rule for the six years from
1871 to 1876, inclusive, was S392S,
showing a difference in favor OF Demo-
cratic rule of s2.s7 per capita.
The average cost per capita for each OF
the six years of Republican rule wassI,O2,
and the average cost for each OF the SIN
wears CT Democratic rule was $3.50, or a
difference for each year i'll favor OF
Democratic rule OF II cents per capita.
During the six years OF Republican
rule they appropriated Sl.7S per capita
for the support OF schools, and during
six years OF Democratic rule there was
an appropriation OF S2.63 for public
schools, showing q difference in the lib.
erality Of the Democratic administra-
tons toward public schools OF 81 cents
per capita.
1t will BE- observed also that the ap-
preparation made tor schools under Re
publican rule. although less than under
Democratic rule, was maize when they
were collecting a larger tax from the
people han the Democrats were. The
Republicans were collecting S42l5 per
capita and the Democrats only S39.2S
per capita, and out OF their S42.l5 the
Republicans were giving the schools
only Sis, while out Of S302S the Dem
ocrats were giving them SOS.
Another fact should be stated; that
the Republicans in 1865 had S297 ,2lO.SI
in the Treasury TO begin with. Yet be-
lore the six years were outthe Treasury
was bankrupt and they had unlawtuily
thrust their hands into the ~irreducible
school fund, gobbled mp 100000 OF that
fund which belonged by law exclusively
- the schools and applied it to the ex
penses of CARVING the State for th"'r
party. They Left this $4,000 debt as a
heritage for the Democrats when they
came into power, and the Democrats re-
stored every dollar OF it to the school
fund from whence it had been unlaw-
fully taken, and then with this debt
proceeded to administer the government
at less cost, and at the same time appro-
pirate more money per annum to the
schools, than the Republicans had done.
These are plain facts that can be veri-
fed by the records. No man dare dis
pute them. They show a fair comparl-
son between Democratic and Republican
administration in West Virginia, and il
Mr. SrURGIss wants to deal in this kind
of argument, these are someo the figures
with which he will have to wrestle.