Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1882-03-25

! No mandate of constitution could
possible be palmer than this, and yet
| in spite Of its unmistakable and inn
peratiye character these Democratic
strict construction statesmen have
gone on year after year raid
| ing the School fund to cover up de-
ficits and avoid their sworn cbliga-
| tions to the Constitution. They are
short not only $157, 500 to the School
| fund, in addition to a years interest
but they are short over $4,000 on
account of last years general appro-
priations, and IN violation of the Con-
stitution they are preparing to adj
journ without providing as requir-
ed by the Constitution for that de-
| ficenciency. More than this, they
have authorized another raid on the
school fund. They are determined
to get more money out OF that fund
this current year under pretense of
paying interest on it. Any intelli
gent reader who will examine Sec. 4
OF Art. XII will see that there is no
power on the part of those charged
with the guardianship and invest
ment of the school fund to loan it to
the State of West Virginia in ex-
change for her promisory note. The
State has no power to manufacture
such note. The language of the
section referred to forbids it. 1t is
provided that the money belonging
to the irreducible school fund shall be
Invested under such regulations as
may be prescribed by law in the in
terest bearing securities of the Unit
ed States, or of this State, or if such
interest bearing securities can not
be obtained, then said school fund
shall be invested in such other SOL
vent interest bearing securities. as
shall be approved by the Governor,
Superintendent Of Free Schools,
Auditor and Treasurer, who are here
by constituted the Board of the
School Fund, to manage the same
under such regulations as may be
prescribed by the Governor; and the
interest thereof shall be annually
applied to the support of free schools
| throughout the State, aid to no
other purpose whatever"
The strict construction statesmen
who are now engineering a fresh raid
on the school fund have set up the
pretense that they have the power
to do so under the language Of the
above quotation about sother sol
vent interest bearing securities.n In
order to see how thoroughly thin and
inslncere this pretense is the read
er has only to turn to the 4th and 9Th
sections of the 10th article of the Con
stitution, and see at a glance that
this State cannot contract such a
debt. 1t is prohibited from doing so in
the most express and unmistakable
terms, and the legislature is com
manded to levy for its deficits forth
with, and not carry them a day long
er than the money can be raised by
taxation. They must be levied for
at" the regular session held next af-
ter the deficiency occurs" This
shows the utter hypocrisy of any
and all pretense that the Constitu-
ton either contemplates or permits
the creation Of an interest bearing
securities wherein to invest the
school fund. The whole thing is a
dodge to cover up the fact that the
| finances of this State have been run
in the ground by the Bourbons, and
that they are ashamed and afraid to
meet the people at the coming cleo
lions with large deficiencies staring
them in the face. Things are going
on from bad to worse in this State
and they know it. The appropriation
now pending in the legislature over
whelmingly exceeds the estimated
receipts, as furnished by the auditor
last year, and will create another and
still larger deficit. And yet no pre-
tense of respecting or obeying the
constitutional mandate in regard to
deficits is even attempted. The
school fund is to be raided in order
to provide the money. This is just
what Democratic strict construction
of the constitution amounts to. 1t
means to work their own sweet will
by the power of numbers, relying
upon their party majority in the
State to carry them through at the
polls.
Not content with the expenses of
the State as they stand to day, IN
the face of past, present and pros
pectiye deficits, the men who are
running the Democratic machine at
the Capitol, and who above all things
are bent on preserving Bourbon
supremacy in West Virginia, have
turned in and manufactured new
senatorial district, in order to give
the party two more Senators from
the lower end Of the State, thus un-
necessarily increasing to that extent
the expense offuture legislation. They
have confined Brooke and Hancock
to one delegate, and cut off a MEM
Der in Monongalia county, thus get
ting rid Of two Republicans, and yet
have added two Democratic Sena-
tors from the Third district showing
that their motto and their only mot
to is, "let those take who have the
power; let those hold who can.'-
IatelIigencer.
STATE NEWS.
1t is stated that West Virginia