Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-09-01

tu0 GOVeTuOT COuIO bcrrOW
Money and there Is No Money to
Pay Salaries Due, and to Come
Due Later-The Attorney General
Asked to Pass Upon the Question
Of Paying Debts Out Of Next
Years Appropriation.
Special to the Register.
Charleston, W. Va, August 31.-The
attention of State Auditor Lafollett
was called to-day to an article publish
ed recently in the New Dominion, OF
Morgantown, in which the Auditor is
quoted as saying: There will be one
! OF the grandest little bells kicked ND
down here some of these days that has
! ever been seen" Mr.. Lafollett says:
Having been East for ten days, I
have not till now heard of this matter
nor seen the paper which undertakes to
quote me. | have no recollection what
ever of speaking to anyone about the
matter. and have never at any time
made such a statement as is contained
in that paper. Governor Atkinson is
capable of managing his own affairs,
and does so. | undertake to do the
business of the Auditors office and
have nothing to do with the business
of anyone else. / have had no CONVEX
sation with any one with reference
to the civil contingent fund, nor any
other fund with which the Governor
has to do, except TO answer any ques-
tons concerning matters shown by the
records in my office, and any one in
the State is at liberty to make exam
ination of all the records in this Of
flee. The civil contingent fund is
not overdrawn, there being still
small balance to the credit of that
fund for the fiscal year ending Sep
TENDER &c. 1897. The appropriation bill
provides that the Governor may pay
from the civil contingent fund what
ever he thinks proper, and what he
has paid, or may pay in the future.
is matter for him to determine.
There are no bills being sent in, or
charges against. other than the proper
funds. The record discloses what was
paid on account of the trip of the Cow
ernor and his staff to New York TO the
Grant memorial. No bills nave been
presented for expenses on the trip
to Chicago"
The civil contingent fund was ex-
hausted some time ago, with the excep-
ton of balance of s66.09, and this
balance remains to the credit Of the
fund to-day. The reason that the
fund has not been drawn upon for the
expenses Of the trip to Chicago is be-
cause the fund is practically exhausted.
and the Governor has been appraised of
the fact and has ceased to draw upon
it. These bills will probably come in
to be paid after the beginning of the
next fiscal year, October LIST, when the
appropriation for that year will become
available. The pay for the ianitor's
force at the Capitol, which comes out
of the civil contingent fund, was not
forthcoming when their salaries be-
came due on the LIST of August. and
the men had to go without their pay
! until the Governor borrowed the
money to pay them. Neither will there
be any money to pay them for their
services for August and September I'M
less it is borrowed
1t is a question with the Auditor
| whether the money appropriated by
the the Legislature for the fiscal year
of 1898 can be used to pay expenses
incurred in 1897. The Attorney Gen.
era1 has been asked to give his opinion
on this point, but he has not yet
/ done so.
| The expenditures from the civil con-
| tingent fund for the fiscal year be-
| ginning October, i, 1896 and ending
October /, 1897, by months, is as fol-
lows: October, sS05.21; November,
| sSs9.34; December, s65111; January,
s59462; February, s9G62s; March,
/ sS6Sss; April. s2.623.09; May, sf,613.-
%; June. sl.9341O; July, sS79.55; Au-
| gust. s135.34. making a total Of s11.-
| 940S5, and leaving balance OF $3.50
| During the months of October, Novem-
| Der, December, January and February,
Governor MacCorkle spent OF this fund
| s3,sS6.66. and from the fourth Of March
to the present time, six months, it APP
pears that Governor Atkinson has
spent sS,05419.
Following is brief statement Of
| the fund:
By appropriation .......... 1920 90
Balance from last year 49,. 81
Total ....... s12 ,006 "a
Disbursed ................ 1870 50
Leaving balance Of. $50 %
II Attorney General Rucker decides
that none OF the appropriations for
1898 can be used TO pay any expenses
incurred in 1897 the pay OF the janitors
force for July, August and September.