The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-02-28

The Register yesterday morning In its
Charleston dispatches charges the Re.
publicans in tho recent session OF the
legislature with making cheap bid for
popular approval in scaling down tho
appropriations, and claiming that In
doing so Il was yocroant in Iailing to
provide for tho deficiencies In the soy.
oral departments Of the state govern.
mont, notably that 1t refused to provide
for deficiencies in tho criminal charges
for 1881 Of $4,000, and $4,000 for
mileage OF judges Of tho circuit court,
also failing to appropriate money tor
advertising tho state bank examiners
reports by the county papers. All Of
these charges arc mado with a solemnity
and oarnestnoss that Is quite amusing
in tho light OF tho real tacts OF tho case.
To eaie the mind5that wero at all dis.
turbed by tho publication OF these
alleged iacts and exploited under faring
headlines, n reporter OF tho lNTRLLIGES.
GER sought Senator n. L. Whitaker,
chairman Of the senate finance commit
tee, to unrave! the cause OF this seeming
negligence on the part OF tho Republi.
can legislature TO pay for tho dead horses
Of Its Democratic predecessor.
The senator after being shown tho dis.
patch did not heaitate to say 1t was aim.
ply rot" long past the hrst stages Of
dissolution.
"The plain truth Of tho matter" said
Senator Whitaker. "can DO SGT forth in
very few words. Tho appropriation
for criminal charges made by the last
Democratic legislature for 1904 was
$4,000. whilo the appropriation for
1866 by the present Legislative body
amounted TO $4,000. The appropria.
ton OF the Democratic legislature wa,
insufficient as the auditor anticipated
tho appropriation, Of 1895. after Oclo-
Der l, 1904, by issuing warrant, to the
amount Of $4,000, 50 por cent OF tho
yearly appropriation, to cover tho de-
iiciency. as he 10 empowered to do by
law. This amount WAS all absorbed.
Tho auditor in his estimates for Grimm.
al charges asked Tor 100000 for the
years 1926, but the finance committees
OF both houses assumed from the best
information they could obtain that $751;
COZ year was ample to provide for the
item OF criminal charges, and inserted
such sum in the appropriation bill.
They did not feel that it was incumbent
on Thorn 10 load down their own bill
and the Republican party with tho on
erous burden OF deficiency growing
out OF the bad and imperfect legislation
OF the previous legislature. The COVER
nor in his message 10 tho present leCis.
lature claimed there was n surplus in
the treasury OF 1927, 1888 81, whereas the
fact is that there was deficiency OF
some $4,000 or $4,000. These are iu-
controvertible fac,s."
Senator. you will observe that the
dispatch also claims that there was n
deficiency Of $4,000 in the mileage &C.
count Of the circuit judges. How about
that?"
well, must conioss that is news to
me. The correspondent must have been
misinformed or else he wilfully misrep-
resenls tho amount. The deficiency in
this particular department as reported
to the finance committee Of the senate
for tho year 1894 was exactly Sl.ll3 60.
which, you see, is quite a different
story
"what have you to cay OF the charges
that the appropriations made arc in
sufficient TO run the state government,
and that they were scaled down for
mere purposes Of buucombe?
That may possibly DO the light in
which tho incompetent Democracy
looks at it. As far as tho Republicans
in the present legislature wero con-
cerned, they did not propose to put
club in tho hands OF tho Democratic
party By making extravagaat appro-
priations. We did not propose TO load
down our bill, BY providing for the
deficiencies OF former Democratic ad.
ministrations. We bcliove We have ap.
propriated sufficient sums to defray tho
expenses OF the state government eco
nomically administered, and il there be
deficiencies We want the people OF tho
state to understand by whom they were
contracted. Why, tho deficiencies re.
fcrred to in tho Register are but small
drops in the bucket OF the total. Tho
auditor in his estimate submit.
ted to tho finance committee
shows that he anticipated tho
appropriations for 1895 in all branches
OF the government to the extent OF Sl53,.
6l7 rs. Many charges wero made that
could not DO explained, aud OF which
tho auditor himself affected to DO iGnor-
ant Of. 1t Is really story OF eYtrava.
gan. appropriations and reckless OK
pendituros. Some day when tho Re.
publican party, has full control oil tho
s,ato government there vii! DO an op-
portunity to examine into matters. when
some startling revelations Of misman-
agcmcnt may DO made. As far rs tho
charge Of failing to provide for paying
for tho publication OF tho bank exam.
iner's report, that would necessarily be
n charge on the contingent. for which
$1,000 has boon appropriated"
! Sonator Whitaker then rcferrni In n