The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-10-11
i''OPE[Nl OPEN THE BOOiIS.n I',ljI2!i {; I
TIE AUDITOR WON'T DO IT,
Which Moves tho "lseGister"to Jump on III.
: stnto Administration With Some Very
Timely iySuEgcstions-Iss sone ebody Try.
Ing to Cover Up Something?
lt1sdino Rcpiar, otioCet 10.
A GRAVE MISTAKE.

| +.
A GRAVE MISTAKE. S
On Tuesday, W. 7. Hubbard, Esq, In (
speech at the State House, and within tho
hearing Of Auditor Miller, made The fol
lowing statements:
".lIe said that recently he had stated n,
Parkersburg that the receipts at the Stale
Treasury IN the fiscal year 1883 had been
$77S,0O0, and the disbursements $4,000
and that the State was In debt at the be.
ginning of that year S267, 900, A news.
paper lad said tliat he misrtprcrentcd tho
lact lie had therefore taken occasion to
address u note to Auditor Miller asking
what the receipts and disbursements had
been in the fiscal year just closed; how
much had been borrowed from the school
fund, from banks or other SOURCES. MIR.
Miller: after putting HIM OF on the ex.
cuse OF being too busy, had fiatly declined
to- answer. Mr.. Hubbard said Il was Il
shame that u gentleman of Mr.. Miller's al.
tainmcnts, Of his character and standing,
should 10 placed in r position where lie
dare not tell the truth TO tho people about
the States finances"
On Wednesday morning, Mr.. Hubbard
reiterated tho above statement In more
circumstantial language In the newspapers
Of the city. .,,. E.a
The charge that any citizen OF the State
has been denied the privilege Of knowing
the condition Of the Iinances Of the people,
by u servant whose duty 1t is 10 keep the
accounts, is grave one, and VIC confident
ly expected 10 see prompt and emphatic
denial OF it over the signature OF the Au-
ditor. We aro astonighed that such DE-
nial has not been made public, and Nv the
absence OF it must accept, however rcluc.
family, the statement Of Mr.. Hubbard to
be true.
And yet, We can scarcely credit the fact
that public officer OF good sense, and
possessed Of n knowledge Of Ills duties to
the public, would assume the response.
bility OF denying to uny Citizen, however
humble, the knowledge asked, and to
which he Is justly entitled.
il the State is in debt, tho people have
a right TO know the fact. A knowledge OF
the fact is no worse than the fact itself.
If that debt is increasing every year, the
people have right TO know the TACT, aud
to know why the fuct exists.
lit the Auditor had made u prompt and
clear answer 10 the request, us hc seems
to have at first promised 10 do, no fault
could have been attached 10 him-if fuult
there be.
But the dcclinaton to furnish the In.
formation demanded, throws suspicion
over what the books would show. 1t
gives room for the exercise of the imaci-
nation. Why should the condition OF the
Treasury be concealed from tho public :?
The question is q pertinent one. Tho fact
that it isconcealcd naturally creates suspi-
cion that all is not right.
We remember an exactly similar state
OF affairs in Ohio some thirty years ago |;
and when the books and vaults oi
the Treasury were finally opened by n
resolule Governor, q deficiency Of nearly
thrce-quarters OF a million dollars was
found to exist, md not one dollar of that
vast sum was cverrccovcred by the people.
Auditor Miller ought to lave known
that his extraordinary course in this case
%ou!d subject tho management OF the
states finances to grave suspicious and
that the Democratic party-not the State
officials personally-must be the sufferers.
We repeat our great regret at the grave
error committed by the Auditor, and hope
he may think better Of it and lose no time
in giving the public such a clear and con.
else statement Of the condition OF their
finances IA will allay all suspicion that
there is anything that Democratic official
would care to cover up.
Tell the truth" is Just as good motto
IN this case as in the case Of Governor
Cleveland.