The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-04-06

Leading Items OfRecciptS and Expehdi.
tnFes for the Last Eight Years.

|tIIl gAEI EtNhNNA Sss
Leading Items OfRecCipis and ENpehdt.
lures for the LaAt Eight Years.
Now that We arc starting out on new
departure, rs 1t were, In the management
Of the city's finances through more concen.
trated and responsible agencies than here
toiore, 1t may he a matter Of interest to
many readers to look back over the ground
for the last few years, and observe where
the bulk Of the money has come from and
gone to, outside OF money borrowed and
debts paid. We confess that there is not
much satisfaction in looking over tho IN.
nual statements Of the city, Us published,
in order to CLEAN itemsof information. The
statements are too much Of hodge.
podge as regards receipts and expendi.
lures. There Is and always has
been u great lack Of system and detail in
these exhibits. They contrast to very great
disadvantage with the exhibits Of other
cities and towns that come under our no.
tlce in our exchanges. Tax payers do not
and cannot derive much satisfaction from
them. We venture that the tax payers Of
Belmont county, Ohio, or Washington
county, Pa, understand much more mi.
autcly and intelligently the income
and .outgo of their public money
than do tho people Of the city Of
Wheeling or the county Of Ohio
For instance, our city statements never
show how much tax Is received separately
on real estate and personal property. And
onceand awhile, as in 1878, the tax from both
Is Jumped with water rents, and given in q
Heterogeneous bulk. The same thing is true
in regard to expenditures. How much
does tax payer know as to where S5O0O0,,
900 Of public money has gone for Streets
and Alleys, from seeing two or three items
only under that head, running each from
5000 to $4,000 or $4,000. How little
do we know OF what may be and is cover
cd up under such "slittering generalities'
And the same thing is true in regard tc
the Fire Department. The tax payers o.
the city know next to nothing at al
where their money goees in that
direction, or any other direction
And they never will know Unit
the good example that prevails among oul
neighbors, on both sides OF us, shall pre-
vail among US. 1t is no wonder that VT
have had trouble, and all sorts OF arrear
ages, discrepancies and deiatcatiOns in oul
city and county finances when we, con
slider the loose and irresponsible way il
which the accounts have been kept ant
published. Publicity is needed. Publicity
we might almost say, in the language 0
stump oratory, is the palladium OF our lii
critics. Or, better still, us Hamlet sait
about the play:
"The plays the thing
Wherein I'll catch the conscience Of the King"
So we may say Of publicity: it is TIL
thing to "catch the conscience" OF the pub
lie servant. There is nothing equal to it
II The amount Of taxes paid by every tux
payer of this city was set opposite hi
name in print every year, it4Sould beH
great thing for the city. So, also, If some
thing like detailed schedule Of receipt
and expenditures were prepared and pub
lished every year, it would be great thin
for the taxpayers. Publicity is first neces
sary in order to get the proper amount o
taxes, and next, it is necessary in order I,
guard the public against waste and fraud
This much by way OF preliminary /,
printing the following tables, showing tn
principal receipts and expenditures To-
eight years past:
RECEIPrs.