Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-12-19
to provide for the erection OF a building
TO be used as a court room
FnR THE SUPREME COURT.


10 be used as a court room
FOR THE SUPREME COURT,
for the State library, for quarters OF the
exhibits of the West Virginia H's.lri-
cal and Antiquarian Society, storage OF
Dublic documents and for other pur-
noses. The public business Of the State
has grown too large for the capacity
of the capitol building. The supreme
Court has always been cramped LOT
room. and has had to utilize some Oh
The legislative committee rooms IN
which 10 keep its books, documents ana
archives. thus depriying the Leglsla-
ture of rooms for its committees. me
room in which the State library IS To-
Gated is altogether too small, and many
of the books which should be IN the IL
brarv are stored away in the attic. Inc
Exhibits of the Historical Society are
located In the Armory, on the thlrd
floor and the room is only about hall
rs. large as il should be for the purpose.
Many valuable books and curios when
have been offered as a free gliJ to the
State have been declined because there
Is not room for them. Storage room Is
badly needed for public documents,
books. stationery, etc, belonging 20 the
State. These are now stored IN the at
tic and are very hard to set at When
needed. besides they very largely in
crease the danger Of the destruction OF
the building by fire, as they are very
combUstible.
The bill providing for an asylum for
incurables. which was before the Legls-
lature of 1898. will be again brought
forward Mrs. Joseph Ru1ner, the
President of the Home for Destitute
Women and Children. of this city. is at
the head of the movement for this dsy-
lum for incurables The general SEN
timent throughout the State is That
something ought to be done for these
homeless and afflicted persons who are
beyond the hope of recovery. There IS
now no place for them in any public IN
stitution Of the State.
There was also a bill before the last
Legislature providing for the establish
ment Of a reform school for girls. This
bill failed to pass. but it will be revived
and brought forward at the coming ses-
sion. j Harriet B. Jones of Wheel
ing. is an enthusiastic advocate of this
measure. and she hopes to see It sue
cessful at the coming session.
There are several bills to be brought
before the Legislature in which the
farmers are especially interested, the
principal Of which is bill providing for
the revision of the
SSESSMENT AND TAX LAWS.
Tie farmers claim that they own rot
more than one-fourth of the property
in the State and pay three-fourtis Of
the taxes. They want a re-assessment
of the property and a general re-adjust-
ment of the burdens of taxation. II
this cannot be done by legislative en-
actment. they will ask for an amend
ment to the constitution, or constitu-
tional convention, if necessary, to re
wise the constitution OF The State IN re-
gard to taxation.
The farmers will also endeavor to
have a law passed making it the duty
of assessors to take agricultural stat.s-
tics. having special blanks prepared for
that purpose. They believe that STA
tistiCs very valuable TO farmers could
be obtained in this way at very little
expense.
Another bill which will be brought
forward and in which the farmers are
specially interested. Will provide for
more permanent and thorough i'm
provement of public works. Although
there is a great deal OF money eXpend-
ed i'm the State each year in the i'm
provement of the public highways, the
fact remains that there are very few
good roads. tt is proposed to make the
supervision of roads department. or
State. at the head of which shall be
placed q competent road engineer. who
shall have supervision of the entire
road system of the State, the same as
in the case Of the public school sys-
tenn.
An act passed by the 'ast Legislature
provided for the holding of agricOi-
tural Institutes i'm each county, but no
money was appropriated to pay the
expense of these institutes. Neverthe-
less. the State Board Of Agriculture has
undertaken and carried forward this
work at their own expense. But the
Board will now ask the Legislature TO
appropriate not less than $1,000 for
this work.
The farmers viii also ask for a con-
tingent appropriation of $1,000 to pre-
vent the spread of disease among do
nestle animals.
Besides the various measures named
above which the coming ! 'sislature
will be asked to consider there will be
a number regulating insurance COM
panies. railroads, etc. too numerous to
mention.