Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-10-24
THE FIRST ITEM.


penses incurred in the prosecution of
criminal cases in the different circuit
and criminal courts of the State, and
are examined and allowed by the Judges
of such Courts. The State author
tiles have only very limited power in
passing upon the nature or amount of
such claims. The large increase in
these charges of late years is mainly
due to the new population that has
hocked into certain sections of this
State, in consequence of their rapidly
increased material development, to en-
gage in mining and kindred occupa-
lions, and thus the comparatively
small counties Of Mcdowell and Mer-
Ger for the year 1895 head the list of
counties in the amount of expenses of
this kind, that of the first being $4,000
and the second nearly $1,000.
The Auditor reported to the Legisla-
ture Of 1895 that there was already
$4,000 due and unpaid on this ae-
count, az that he would require $780,
600 to meet the estimated charges for
the next two years, 1895 aud 1896. The
Legislature refused to appropriate the
$240,000 asked fer by the Auditor, but
gave him instead $4,000. This, &C
cording to his estimate, should have
produced deficiency at the end of
the fiscal year of 1896 of $4,000, and it
will be found upon looking at the
Auditors report that he reported pre-
cisely that amount as the deficiency
on September 80, 1896. Why. then, did
tie Legislature, instead of appropriat-
ing this amount, put in $125,000? The
reason is
APPARENT AT A GLANCE
All branches of the State government
being now Republican, the Deficiency
Bill" dodge could not in the future be
worked with any advantage. and any
thing that could by the broadest con-
struction be disposed of under this
heading would be that much saved out
of legitimate present and future appro-
priations. 1t was known that many
bills under this item must stretch
across October LIST, 1896, and all
amounts on this side of that date paid
under this bill would diminish the
charges against the regular appropria-
ton bill and thus aid in establishing
a fictitious reputation for economy on
the part Of the present administration.
1t is also probable that the knowledge
that all claims before October 1st, 1896,
must be provided for in this bill or pro-
baby lost, induced those interested to
send in eXtravagant estimates Of the
amounts that would be due then under
this bill. At any rate, that the Legis-
lature overshot the mark in its endeav-
ors to charge up this enormous amount
to the Democratic administration is
evident when it is seen that on the LIST
day of October, 1898, after a lapse of
two years, the Auditors books show an
unclaimed balance of s2092204 to the
credit of criminal charges that the
Legislature of 1897 solemnly declared
to have been due and payable before
the 1st day of October, 1896.
With reference to
THE NEXT ITEM.
public printing, binding and stationery,
$50 967, 1t is first to be noted that
s13 ,697 of it is by the Legislature itself
declared to be for printing, ETC., con-
tracted for not before September Both,
but December 31st, 1896, and it is there
fore chargeable. even according to its
own broad construction, to the fiscal
year of 1897, not 1896. AS to the re-
naming $4,000, it is due to the fact
that the Legislature Of 1895 apprcpriat-
ed on this account only $4,000 instead
of $4,000, the amount stated by the
Auditor to be necessary. Thus it APP
pears if the Legislature Of 1895 had
appropriated what the Auditor showed
to be necessary there would have been
no necessity for any deficiency appro-
priation at all under this head. That
the Legislature of 1897 was bent upon
swelling the Deficiency bill as much as
possible is evidenced in this instance
also by the fact that on October LIST,
1898, there was still to the credit Of
this item of said bill, sS.29s.
The next time, $1,000, is for the sup
port of lunatics in Jail and their trans
portation to the asylums. The con-
tingencies upon which the expenses
of this fund depends are necessarily
uncertain and variable The Auditor
appears to have somewhat underestim-
ated them in his report to the Leg.s-
lature of 1895. That he came much
closer TO the required amount than
that Legislature is perceived when il
i. noted that he recommended an ap-
preparation Of $500 and got oaly
Sc. coo.