Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-03-02
INVESTIGATIONS,
By the Republican Legislature, in an
Effort, to Prove That the, State is
Bankrupt, Have all Proven Fruit
less.
Special to the Register.

Special TO the Register.
Charleston, w. Va. March l.
The Legislature of 1897 has come and
gone. Like that of 1895 it did a Won
derful amount of investigating TO try
TO get the Democratic administration
in hole. as it was expressed. but their
work was barren of the fruit which
they had fondly hoped TO see. They
started out by making a number of eX-
travagant charges against the Demo-
cratic officials but were utterly unable
to prove the truth of any assertion that
there had been anything wrong in
any department of the State govern
ment. Their investigation of the Off
ces of the Auditor and Treasurer for
the purpose OF showing that there was
no money in the treasury. and that the
reports from these two officials We're
unreliable was an utter failure for the
purpose for which il was intended.
The statements contained therein were
So ridiculous and the conclusions drawn
so absurd. that the report was not even
taken up for consideration and adOp-
ton They did not dare TO open up
diCussiOn upon this subject because
they knew the utter weakness of their
case The concise and terselv written
minority report of the investigating
committee which was prepared by Mai.
f. A. Bennett, member of the House
from Cabell county. was complete re-
futation of all the silly charges that
had been made in reference TO the con-
diton OF the treasury. Mai Bennett
was prepared 10 follow up his written
erIrr rfrrf
the untenable position of the majority
of the committee
The minority report was like a bomb
shell thrown into the camp of an enc
my. or a clap of thunder from clear
sky. The Republicans did not know
that the Democrats were loaded. They
decided that discretion was the better
part of valor and consequently they
failed to take up the report for adop-
tion. so it stands on the journals of
the two bodies unacted upon and un-
adopted. None of the charges that the
Republicans have made of irregular
tiles on the part of the Democratic Off
GERS have been sustained The Secre-
tarv of State is mourning the disap-
pearance of something near one hun
taken from his Office by some person
or persons during the night of the ad-
iournment of the Legislature. GOV.
NacCOrkle also feels the loss of several
books and supplies in his Office. n
books and supplies in his Office. \ great
many persons went loaded with such
hooks and supplies as they thought they
would have need Of The motto was
Everything goes, and those who had
occasion to visit the capitol the next
dav had reason to believe that the
motto was pretty generally acted upon,
for there was scarcely anything 10 be
found that was loose about the halls
and committee rooms of the two
Houses. It is the first time the Re
publicans have been i'm power FOR
long time and of course. they were
hungry.
The Board of Regents of the West
Virginia Normal schools met yesterday
i'm the office of the State Superinten-
dent of Schools and transacted a con-
siderable amount of routine business.
a resolution was adopted rendering the
thanks of the Board to retiring super
intendent of schools Hon. virgil \.
Lewis. for his uniform courtesy and
kindness TO the members of the Board.
and heartily commencing him for his
interest in the Normal schools and the
cause of education generally.
The Regents of the colored institute
met in the capitol building yesterday,
and among other items of business
transacted was the election of Hon. j.
r Trotter, the incoming State super
intendent of Schools, to the office OF
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