Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-01-26

VIII.
In the course Of ,hls exposition Of the
record Of the Overwhelmingly Republican
Council. now about to pass into an anre-
sretted oblivion, attention has been call
ed to the mysterious disappearance. dur
ing the last month OF the year 1895. CT a
portion of the money set aside by the APP
preparation ordinance of that year for the
payment of the balance due upon the
stone bridge in litigation along with the
affairs OF Paige, carey * co. For a num-
Der of years past. including the year 1875,
Council set aside the sum of $lS.4gy.27 in
the annual appropriation ordinance TO
meet this debt. when it should be called
for through the decree OF the Circuit
Court. and the report and estimate OF
the Finance Committee for 1895, as adopt
cd by Council i'm the month of July OF that
year. contained this item. The city state
ment for 1895. completed January p, 1896,
contains no mention of any money having
been paid on this debt and as matter
OF fact none was paid, and therefore the
full amount should have appeared as Il
credit under the head in the 1895 state
ment Of Debt Summary, January 1,
1886" and be contained in the item, under
this head OF Receiver, general fund.
AS matter of fact, the item named. un-
der the head aforesaid. carried a credit Of
but Sl4G42.7I. while the stone bridge item
was $lS4925, q discrepancy of Si,4j6.53, as
Stunning that every cent of the money TO
the credit of the general fund in the hands
of the Receiver was stone bridge money.
The money appropriated to the payment
OF The stone bridge debt could not be di-
verted TO any other use or purpose with
out the passage OF ar ordinance by Coun-
ell amending the appropriation ordinance
and taking from the stone bridge money
certain definite and specified sum or sums,
or TO De applied to definite and specified
purposes. No such ordinance was ever re-
ported from the Finance Committee 10
Council or passed by that body, yet the
stone bridge appropriation appears TO
have suffered 10 the extent of about $lJO
in round numbers. As has been said, this
money appears to have been uniawiuily
and applied 10 the payment of debts other
than those for which it was appropriated
and by curious coincidence it was in
this same month of December that re-
porter for the Register was refused a
copy Of the monthly statement OF the
Clerk for the same month. This state
ment would have disclosed the situation.
By another coincidence. an examination
OF the files of the papers for January, 1896,
fails to reveal in the Council reports, any
record of monthly statement having
been read i'm Council. covering the month
Of December. 1888. although that statc-
mcut was duly made by the Clerk and is
probably ON file. The Same thing appears
TO have happened during the past year.
The appropriation ordinance for 1896 car
ried an appropriation OF $l3.750 for the
payment of the stone bridge balance. the
amount having been cut down from the
estimate Of previous years on the recon-
mendation of the City Solicitor. who
thought no more than the sum here men
TONED would be required The annual city
statement contains no item Of any pay
ments having been made on account of
this debt. and yet the credits in this
statement, under the head OF Receiver.
general fund. amount to but $7,432.Ol. The
money has again probably been spent for
the payment of debts other than that for
which the money was appropriated. This
is an incident of the reform adminstra-
ton which has attracted considerable at
tenticn. but concerning which no official
OF. 1,r,o f3i..ial a--ri,,,at3or no' v-.e- t-re,
made one would be welcome at just
about this time.