The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-06-14
tEiEPHoSr sUEnrRx
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WHEELING, JUNE IL. 1895,
ait FIgurcs Some More"

After holding ont for nearly n wecl;
that the present city government won't
into Office with 4 $4,000 surplus lcf,
over by the last administration, the
Rcgistcr finally acknowledges its error
TO the extent Of figuring hat instead OF
surplus there was an actual deficiency
Of S2l, 1900.
Though the lNrgLLIGESCEE has shown
that tho deficit is considerably moro
than the sum named by tho Register, it
is glad to'see that its ncighbor has 70.
covered from its f! OF partisan deccp.
ton sufficiently to acknowledge tia!
there was q deficiency and that it was
one for which the present council is in
no wise responsible. alter shrewdly
Juggling with the iSusea, tho Register
saws:
This farther reduces the alleged deficiency to
below ST., 900. and 10 amount Of Juggling wiih
figures can make III penny more; ard this Is
no greater SUN than a1s been carried over rom
year TO year ios the pais half dozen years.
Now, having conceded this much Of
the truth after hariuc charged tho H.
TKLLIGEScEE with islsehooi in claiming
there was no actual surplus. but, on
the contrary, q deficit which mus! DO
met, perhaps tho Register will explain
what it meant when, on the 18th in
slant, it said:
There were TO deficiencies Left from last wear;
but. on the coauS'! Al overlooking treasury,
The Register held to that declaration
until yesterday, when it was forced to
admit that it was not true, and proved
its unt,u!hiulness by its own figures.
But the remarkable point about our
neighbours position is that i, esaveiy
argues tina: iuasmuch as this deficiency
has been carried over from year to
year by past councils, tho present
council should do the same thing.
Our ueighbor iosgets two things
first. that those to whom the money
representing a large part OF the de-
ficiency is due ere demanding payment,
and that prov;,ion must be made to
meet the obligations; second, that it is
not 4 good business method, nor is it
economy to carry over from year TO year
discrepancies oil this character without
adjusting them on n busineas basis.
The 1STELLIGEScER does not believe that
the Register would couduc. its own
business in-this way, or that il is Yin
cere in desiring to see the public bust,
ness so conducted.
But. Notwithstanding its admission
that there was n deficit bcqueathed TO
council, the Register r~citera.cs its
charge that the presGn: condition OF
the treasury is due to loose business
methods OF the preaeCt council" This
is Q general charge that our contempo.-
airy makes no attempt TO make good by
specifications, cxccp. to say that coun'
Gil has made no effort 70 trim" the ea.
Inmates 10 sui. the revenues. Thisis no;
true. The finance committeohas figured
very close on the matter, but at every
turn has found tho discrepancy which
the Register says has existed Tor six
years. staring i: IN the lace, with tho
knowledge that it can no longer be
carried over" becauae the city's
creditors demand payment. It is, rs
We havo before said. 4 condition and
not q theory which coniront4 council.
1t cannot, az past. couuciia have done,
80 on the theory that whatever dis.
crepancies there nrc between necessary
expenditures and revenues can 90 orcr
for future councils to caro- for. 1t would
not be to the credit OF tho city 10 do 30.
Tho RoSister does not seriously advise
it, for it well knows that it is not good
business advice.
The Vague talk OF our naighbor about
trimming" the estimates is only in.
tended to mislead lhoughtlesa readers
Why does not the Register point on
where tho trimming process ahould be
gin? Let 1t take the table OF estimates
item by item, aud give tho public tho
benefit OF its wise advice in tho matter
Lot it point out items that ahould BIZ
chopped of in order that the $5O,O9t
deficit that appears may be wiped out