West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1892-09-22

net iahdS, property that hls bncl rapid.
~ increasing in value ana IL owned
largely by corporations 0rl ~ persons
non-rosidcnts of this s,atI?
Transparent Charrr,
But, my fellow citizens. II one charge
In this Republican platform be more
transparent aud false thnn alulh r. IL i
that We have "malc "A large debt in
hagraut violation OF the constitution of
the state, and usrd the fnWl4 set apart
sacrcdly To the education of tho children.
for other purposes" This is tho Ian.
guage of the platform, and must say
that IN my Judgment no one with a
proper sense of political fairness. who ia
familiar with tho fIctS aid record OF
each party upon the SIhirCt, wouli have
preferred such Charyr The truth IL.
that the present 0lniui ,tratiou i per.
haps the iirst since til o'g niIltion of
the state thar has ut all tihc found the
revenues sufficient to m'et NIL currents
charges upon the trcnslyV. thot ht1 hal
at all times surplus funds ON hand.
During prior administration. both
Democratic aud Republican. il WA rre-
quently necessary To- borrow money
either from the banks ur Clscwh - to
meet casual or temporary deficits In the
treasury. But mark the dliferehco be.
tween the parties.
How school Funds We're I.indlci.
As it was and Il the duty of the boarl
of the school fund To keep the irrcluci-
BILE school fund loaned ont at interest,
both Democratic and Republican ad.
minis;rations have from time to tilLo
borrowed from this fund such sums as
We're required to meet these temporary
shortages, When money was so borrowed
from the school funl under Democratic
administrations, notes We're duly exc.
cutcd covering the sans borrowed, an |
the interest thereon was regularly paid.
When the present administration took
charge of airriTa. there was duo the ire
duciblo school ft,nd the sum of $l0i..
oil .4S 80 borrowed. Since then no adj
ditional amounts have been borrowed
from that fund or elsewhere. but ON the
contrary. the sum OF S93. oil ~ has been
paid back into the school fund from the
surplus revenues Of the state. leaving u
balance Of only Si0O,0iO yet due that
fund, OF which interest Mt u per cent. IL
paid annually and disburscd with the
diStributable school fund. Now. while
Democratic administrations borrowed
from This fund 10 meet casual deficits
under authority and 10y virtue of law,
Republican Administrations did the same
thing without regard to Law. While
the
Democrats Have rigidIy Accounted
To the school fund for every dollar so
borrowed, and have promptly paid ac-
crued interest thereon, the Republicans
kept accurate account of neither pIinci-
pal nor interest. and from the formation
of the state To the year 1866, they usOl
both the general ana free school funds
indiscliminalcIy for general state pur-
poses in direct violation of law. In
support of this statement, let me give
you Republican authority. / quote from
the report of Auditor McWhortcr, dated
Jan, /, 1866, page /. He says: I'm as
sulning the duties OF this Office on the
4th day Of last March. found that no
account had been kept with the free
school fund or OF the general school
fund" Auditor McWhorter thereupon
opened accounts with these funds, and
when the days Of RepubliCnnJm ended
in this state, five years Later, the books
showed, as near rs could be ascertaiarJ
from the imperfect accounts kept, thar
balance of $50, ,J0S.3i had been diverted
from the school fuud, on which no in
terest had been paid and for which no
note on other evidence Of indebtedness
had been given. and which sum Demo
cratic administrations piid back. This
Is the sort of protection and care that
that fund which its present platform de
clarcs was ''set apart EDcTedly for the
education Of the children" so long as
that party's fingers were in the treasury,
this fund was not regarded too "saCrcd"
TO bc tlscd for other than school pur-
poses, whether for the sacred purpose
of disfranchiing Democratic voters o.
increasing officers salaries by donGtiOns
Of house rent.
The Public Printing.
Ny friends, this remarkable platform
next charges eXtrayagerce in public
printing and stationary accounts While
no department Of the state government
Is more carefully watched and econOIn-
ically managed, there has been
necessarily gradual increase In the ag-
gTegaIc cost Of printing and stationary.
incident to the establishment and growth
Of our public institutions But IL com.
parisOu Is made between present appro-
priation5 when printing is done for and
stationery supplied to the university
Agricultural board. experiment sta
tiOn, Colofed Agricultural college. six
normal schools, hospitals for the insane
the pcritcniiary, LABOR bureau and mine
inspectors, and the appropriations for
printing made priprtO the establishment
OF these institutions aud dcpirtmei I TO
say nothing of the large requirements of
the executive offices Of the government,
p sufficient answer 10 the charge Of eX.
travagance ia this quarter will have
been found.
Partisan Boards and Teachers,
Another charge I'm this platform H.
that our public institutions are run bv
partisan boards appointed because of
partisan service. IL strikes me tha
This comes with rather bid grace from "a
pirty that was seldom. n over. known
tO aU1int a Democrat 30 Any office or
upDu any board. giid even required of
gchOol teachers the fJgnmous test oith
before allowing tECn iJ .ac'i school fO,
q hyiug but iu dcfmce 90 tho charQ e.
we plead that all of our state institutions
are Va most healthy WT1 crOus and
satisfactory condition. aud better man
aged with less reference tO politics than
they even were at ANY BoTiOd duriuo Hil
thc years Of Republican SUPREMACY in
this state. 80 iay, my fellow citizens.
ss ] au authorized TO speak for it. the
Democratic party Viii decline 90 apollo
gize for placing Democrats on guard.
Tbe statc'- Prosperiff,
And now / como 80 what mast be re-
CORDED, in tho ligh, Of our 5atc's pplon-
did prosperity since She threw oil tho
yoke of radical R1ublicmi,in, as the
'Joke,' the re'iiculms aIsurdiTy Of the