The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-04-11
WINDY WILSON LEFE.
The Ex-Govomot's Too Previous
Efforts to Get a Share
OF THE STATES DIRECT TAX
For Nothing AvaiIs Him Nausht..-A
lucky oversight OF the LegLsla-
ture Saves the State $751;
oCo.Howit it Happened.
q ...., n,,nnI.l % Ml IaLellioele.r.

at.t1. DtspGleh 10 ne lHlGiiioecr'
WAsniSeroS, D. O., April 1O-There
will be one very sore heart in West Vir-
,dnis tomorrow when letter, written
Sv First Comptroller Matthews to-day,
reaches It's destination. The owner Of
the same is Ex-Governor E. W. Wilson,
rptwhiIe active in behalf OF the return
of West virginia's share Of the direct
tax, amounting to morS than S1s1, 600,
nuder the recent act OF Congress.
One Of the most acsudalous and un-
Nushiur acts OF the late West Virginia
Legislature was the awarding to Wilson
and the heirs OF the late Beverly Tucker,
10 per cent of the amount thus refunded
10 the State, amounting TO over $4,000,
WiIsoH's share, Of course, being half.
Nobody has been able to see why this
sbopld have been done. Wilson did
aLsolutely nothing toward obtaining
ihis legislation from Congress; he made
strip here after the act was passed, but
so far as any influence Of his or any
work OF his ayailed, a babe unborn could
have done as much.
All he did, and, as the sequel proves,
It was most unfortunate for the State
That he did il, was TO draw up the joint
Tpsolution passed by the Legislature &C.
centiDp West Yirginia's share Of the
hnd, The enabling act Of Congress
contains in section third this provision:
INo money shall be paid to any State or
Territory until the Legislature thereof
shaII have accepted, by resolution, The
sum herein appropriated, and the trusts
imposed, in full satisfaction Of all claims
against the United States on account Of
the levy and collection Of said tax, and
shall have authorized the Governor to
receive said money for the use and pur-
noses aforesaid"
Now, while the resolution adopted by
the West Virginia Legislature accepted
the sum in full Of claims, etc., It did not
authorize the Governor to receive the
money, and consequently Comptroller
Matthews to-day declined to honor
Governor Fieming's request for pay
meut, and wrote him accordingly. The
result is that West Virginia cannot OBJ
IAN her BulID u Lulb luVueJ A1kAL eAe
Legislature meets again and passes the
proper resolution; and neither does
Governor Wilson get his big, unearned
fee unless an extra session be called TO
take action in the case.
A new Legislature will be elected and
the people will have had ample oppor.
tunity to think over the scaEdalous job
which was ruehed through the last body,
appropriating ever $4,000 for nothing,
before the deed is actually done. i Is
safe TO say that Wilson, in his blind
haste to secure this money, has, by his
OWN act, defeated himself, and that the
Comptroller to-day saved to ths State
permanently a large sum OF money.
There is no room for any develop
ments in the matter; the facts are as
given above, and the United States
treasury will absolutely decline to make
payment to West Virginia till the proper
authority is forthcoming. This action
is taken in pursuance Of ordinary busi.
mess precautions, It springs from no par.
tisall spirit and is attributable 10 nothing
but the States own negligence. Wilson
has nobody but himseltto thank for the
failure Of job which, after long effort,
he had 80 nearly pushed to completion,