Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-11-05

/ tire appropriation for public printing,
binding and stationery, and fetched
up with deficit amounting 70 S4s,
/ 3oS.I2 The deficit reported, and the
bills presented were much larger than
this, but committee Of the Legislature
checked them over and scaled them
down to the above mentioned figure,
which amount was paid by the pres.
ent administration | checked the
money out myself, aud have the cam
celled checks to show Tor it. The
present administration, with the same
sized appropriation printed every doe
ument that was necessary, and at the
end of the second year, instead OF a
deficiency, actually turned back into
the treasury from the amount approp-
rated tor these purposes, S44, ooS.4
They are apologizing for this sorry
showing by saying that the last legis.
lature passed bill prohibiting the
abuse OF their privileges, by State in
stitutions. Now, it might be inter
esting to inquire why it was neces-
sary for the legislature to pass spec
ial act compelling the commission.
ers and superintendent Of public print
ing TO do their duty. Or again, it
might be interesting to inquire, if an
act of that kind was so important,
why Democratic legislature didn't
pass it long ago; why did they leave
it for the Republican legislature OF
1897 to attend tor But can prove
to you that that is not the explana-
ton. The law governing the print
ing in fhe department of free schools
has not been changed, and yet your
efficient Superintendent of Schools,
Prof. Trotter, furnished, not only as
good but a better class of printed
matter than his predecessors, and
saved a clean $40, 600 in one year
This saving is not included in the
saving mentioned above, for il is
kept in separate account and paid
out OF separate fund.
] want to say to you, my friends,
that barring the Treasurer. who is
commonly supposed to have nothing
to do, and is not expected to know
how to do it if he had, you have full
set Of efficient. hard working, pains.
taking officials. In every department
the good work is going on. Leaks
have been stopped and collections
have been looked after, and the result
is, we closed our fiscal year on the
goth day of September with $424, GAL.
II in the State fund alone, and every
obligation is paid to date, and nt
man, woman or child within our Dor
ders can produce an obligation agains
the State of West Virginia which ha
been returned to them unpaid, in TIL
, last rs months, because there was II,
money with which to pay it. Gu
. obligations are all paid, remembe
that, and a $424, 600. 90 surplus in thu
State fund alone.
During all these years the Demo
Gratis have been apologizing for thei
enormous outlay of money by telling
YOU that they were spending it OF
the State institutions.
Now our people are patriotic anc
sympathetic and they didn't com
plain when they thought their money
was being spent for thisIpurpose.
They said, of course we must have
State institutions. We must have q
Capitol building and University build.
ings and Normal school buildings, and
our poor unfortunates must be kindly
treated, and if the hospital tor the
insane at Weston is too small it must
he enlarged, and if that won't answer
the purpose, we must have another
one. And there must be an asylum
for the blind and training school for
the deaf, and reform school in which
to correct our bad boys, and peni-
Tertiary with which to protect our
selves against the criminal classes,
and while the people are being led to
believe that the money was being
used for these purposes, they bore the
burden Of taxation ..uncomplainingly.
But want to say to you that you
we're being deceived, and that no con-
siderable proportion of your money
was being used for those purposes.
I began some time ago to prepare a
table which would show the actual
amount expended by the State on her
institutions, each year since the be-