The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-10-07

men OF Malone retrenchment. When tn,
Legislature OF lS77'7S met Il fount
Richard +. Walker. devoted fol
lower OF Malone, Superintendent o
Public Printing. lie reported the public
printing for the year as costing (see report,
OF printer and Treasurer S23, 5000
Mr.. Walker was turned out OF Office anC
X. l.. FraysCr, good Democrat. wa
elected aS his successor. The first year hi
held the Office, after getting rid Of Walker
u contracts, he reduced the cost TO SIC, GGl 30
which included the printing for an extr;
session. (See report for lS7s-'79.) Tb'
Malone Legislature Of lS79-'S0 was no
content with the c.Onomy Of Frayser, how
ever. and he was turned out and Walker
relnstated, and We have rs the result th,
cost Of
p bile printing for the year ls79-'s0.
with no extra CssiOI................ 1854 80
| And for the year lssl-'s2, when there
was an extra session, an appropria-
ton $4,000 Ol
/ And for 1882 3, with no Legislature.
an appropriation Of..-..-.............el 5000 o.
Mr.. Wise states that the actual amount
expended i'm the last two years was Si3.
5000. and not the $4,000 appropriated
II he is correct il still appears that in the
two years Frayser held the Office. when
there were tlcO regular sessions and an eX-
ira session, the public printing cost;
For 2l3 II
For lS13.-..-.. lb.tbl ~
Aggregate ............ .......... s3j.~7j 90
while for the last two years that Walker
has held Office. in which there was but one
regular session and an extra session, the
printing has cost Sl3,g9O.1O.
II could not be expected that a party
which so increased the ordinary expenses
would economic in the extraordinary cX-
penscs. II Will not do 10 attempt 10 eX-
/ plain away the increase rs 10 these, aS Mr..
Wise has done, by saying that some Of
| them are due 10 preceding years. That
NAV be said Of the appropriations for every
wear. Some Of the items are Tor liabilities
! incurred in previous years. But the eN-
! trayaeance OF the party in power Is clearly
! shown i'm the first act after the inUgura-
! ton OF the present occupant OF the GOV
errors mansion. His immediate prcdc-
ces>ors. Kcmper and Holiday, were clc-
| cant gentlemen. and while they were
| widowers. they kept the mansion in good
condition. and frequently had ladie>. their
| friends and connections, visiting them.
| The furniture was elegant and well pre-
served. II was stated al the time that the
Superintendent OF Public Buildings, whose
duty 1t was to keep the mansion in
order, reported it n needing but lit
| tie IN the way OF repairs. This report,
| however. was soon changed why, the pub.
| lie can only GUESS and an appropriation Of
| $4,000 was made " tO repair and rcfurnish
! the Governors Mansion" Forthwith some
plastcring was knocked down and put up
/ again, perhaps a little painting was done.
and IN entirely new outfit oi furniture was
purchased, and the old furniture was sacri-
| feed at public auction. The chairs upon
which the honorable and patriotic men had
| sat, who had been Governors Of proud
Commonwealth, and the beds upon which
they had SLEPT, were not suitable Tor tie
abode Of the fayorte Of an INSCRIPTIONS
master -onc like the Roman tyrant who de-
manded that his horse should be- stabbed in
splendidly-furni>hed palace.
But the proposed extravaganza OF the
party was even greater than what was ac-
| tually accomplished. rs may be- seen by the
defeated bill, thanks TO the Biz -Four,
which proposed 90 publish rs advertise
mcnts the public acts i'm newspaper. ac-
knoWledgcd TO bc the Richmond wing.
! /
act,, and the cost would have been enor-
nous, and the money would have gone
into the pocket u Nlhonc, the owner OF
the paper
Mr.. Wise attempts 10 excuse the in
creased expense in The office OF the Com
missioner 81 Agriculture by saving that
his dutic, had been increased. In this he
j. entirely mistaken. The Office was c>tab-
li,hcd and the duties defined by an act Of
1857. page 30, and the last Legislature
made no change in regard 10 them.
His attempt 10 claim credit for rcduc-
ton Of the expenses OF the penltentlary is
also grOundlcSs. The records 81 that in
>ituticn win show that the system Of
hiring the inmates 20 contractors within
the walls. 10y which the expense have been
cut down. wa, inaugurated before his party
got into power, and was pushed by GOV
crnor Holiday while be controlled the in
sttution rs Governor 20 Is 10 produce the
present results.
There is one extraordinary expense fer
which Mr.. Wise takes great credit TO his
party. II is the appropriation OF 5000
for manned soldiers. He compares this
eXultantly with the expenditures ~ 1920
i'm $3.50 and so in <lSSl. BY strange
oversight he iorgcts that his party has had
control since December, 1879. and II the
manned soldiers were neglected since then
his party are responsible Had he looked
TO the year $3.50 he would have found
S1L9lO paid to them under a Democratic
act, and also that like amount per an
mum had been pretty regularly paid them
before. Having neglected them for two
years, it WA, not very generous during the
third year to give them two-ycars' allow
ancc.
But | need not pursue the subject any
further. When Mr.. Wise and bis fellow
partisan, openly claim credit for having
large balance in the Treasury by reason Of
having withheld the money due the public
creditors, the public can take their just
measure. II.