Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-01-26
AS AN OPEN BOOK.
AUDITOR DUFFY AND SECRETARY 0PLEY
READY FOR THE INVESTIGATION.
The "lntelligeucers" InsinuallOns Too Chlmsrical-
Both Officers are Willing aud Anxious That Their
Official Acts Should te Irquired Into
They Have Nothing TO Hide or Fear.
suec.al zslemam 10 Me ReqLstsr.

CHARLESTON, W. Va. January 20
Your correspondent caught Auditor
Duffy and Secretary OF State Ohley TO
gether last night and called their atten
tion to the editorial that appeared in
Yesterdays Intelligencer in regard to the
reference to the Senate Finance Com
mittee of the resolution to investigate
the amount of fees received annually In
these offices. The gentlemen seemed to
think that the Intelligencer and certain
Republican members of the Legislature
were merely endeavoring TO make polit-
ical capital out of an extremely small
amount OF material.
The Republicans, and the Intelligenccr
itself, concede that there is nothing
wrong in the offices, and that whatever
may be the amount of the fees, they are
honestly collected and authorized by
law. The resolution to investigate was
referred to the Finance Committee, to
be dealt with us the committee deemed
proper, solely because 1t was in Il form
that carried with it suspicion Of
crookedness and reflected upon the hon
eSty of Democratic officials, and not be-
cause there was any desire on the part
OF any one to defeat or shelve the
resolution or suppress any information
regarding the revenues OF the Offices.
Both gentlemen have publicly ex-
pressed themselves perfectfully willing
to give to any committee or any individual
member of the Legislature, or to the en-
tire body the fullest information on the
subject of their fees, or the conduct Of
their offices, and it Is not material to
them whether such information be re-
queSted by the Finance Committee or
by general resolution, or whether it be
obtained by joint smelling committee,
such rs the Republicans seem to want.
There is no desire 10 hide anything,
and the hltcllJencer knows this as well
as anybody else, but the Democratic
members of the Legislature propose to
obtain in proper way the information IN
desired, and TO get it without rejecting
upon honest and faithful officials OF
Democratic administration. This is all
there is in this outcry.
As TO what will be elici.ed by an in
vestigatOn into the fees of these offices,
it is sufficient now to say that every
body familiar with the business Of these
Offices must know that the fees don't
amount 20 OMN-SONSth & the
sum the Inteliigcncer's imagination
puts into the pockets of the
Auditor and Secretary OF State;
in fact, If the IntGlligcncer, or anybody
else, will take the Auditors report they
can quickly figure out the revenues OF
that office, and brief look at the cor
poration and commission records in the
Secretary of States office will disclose
full knowledge OF the receipts there.
Anybody can do tbs, and yet there is
pretended howl for information; and
because the minority in the Legislature
is not permitted to get it in way that
reflects upon Democratic officials the
Intclligcnccr tries to make it tappear that
a Democratic Legislature is trying to
conceal from the people something they
should know.