The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1897-03-10
INVESTIGATIONS,

ID ~ IAAS5 lA1k -%S - - -
IN am Enort, to Prove That
tile state is bankrupt,
HavealI Proven Fruit
Correspo 10 Register.
CHARLESTON, w. VA March D.
The Legislature of 1897 has come
and gone. Like that of 1895 it
did a wonderful lot of inyestiga=
ting to try TO get the Democratic.
administration In a hole, as 1T was
expressed, but their work was bar
rem of the fruit which they had
fondly hoped to see. They started
out by making number of ex-
travagant charges against the
Democratic officials, but were ut
terly unable to prove the truth of
any assertion that there had been
anything wrong in any department
Of the State government. Their
investigation of the Offices Of the
Auditor and Treasurer for the pur=
pose of showing that there was no
money in the treasury, and that
the reports from these two officials
were unreliable, was an utter fail
ure for the purpose for which it
was intended. The statements
contained therein were so ridicu-
lous and the conclusions drawn so
absurd, that the report was not
even taken up for consideration
and adoption. They did not dare.
to open up a discussion upon this
subject, because they knew the
utter weakness of their case. The
concise End tersely written minority
report of the investigating com
mittee which was prepared by
Maj. E. A. Bennett, member of
the House from Cabell county, was
a complete refutation of all the.
silly charges that had been made
in reference to the condition of
the treasury. Maj. Bennett was
prepared to follow up his written
report with an oral statement
showing the untenable position of
the majority of the committee.
The minority report was like a
bomb-shell thrown into the camp
of an enemy, or clap of thunder
from a 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 adoption.
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 ir-
regularities on the part of the Dem
ocratic officers have been sustained.
The Secretary of State is mourning
the disappearance of something
near one hundred copies of the
Code. They were taken from his
office by some person or persons
during the night of the adjourn
ment of the Legislature. Gov.
MacCorkle also feels the loss of
several books and supplies in his
Office. A great many persons went
loaded with such books and sup
plies as they thought they would
have need of. The motto was
Everything goes" and those who
had occasion to visit the Capitol
the next day had reason to believe
that the motto was pretty gener-
ally acted upon, for there was
scarcely anything to be found that
was loose about the halls and com
mittee rooms of the two Houses.
It is the first time the Republicans
have been in power for long time
and of course they were hungry.
The Legislature of Arkansas
took. exception to members sug-
gestion reducing their pay and
passed law fixing their salary at
seventy-fve cents per day and
washing while in session: Few
Legislatures are wise enough to
measure their ability by their their
daily stipend, but we must give old
''Arkansaw'' credit for being ably
representative
Two or three of our battle ships
at Havana, would do much to make
the Spaniards respect the rights of
Americans in Cuba.
The Air Gun.
Yesterday we called attention to
/