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

inps which netted them SIoI, 957.97,
but in spite OF all this they had re-as'
sessments and supplemental assess.
ments and sent their tax inquisitors
round to count the chickens, the pigs,
the ducks and the geese, and a thou
sand and one other things that are
ordinarily exempt. And on top OF
all that they borrowed money, as
their own records show, every year
from II to o5, and we're only saved
from borrowing that year by the time
" arrival Of the $I54, 900. 90, which
mentioned awhile ago.
In the year 1894 Gov. MacCorkle
borrowed 800, 900. from the irreduci-
bic school fund to tide him over; this
he did. and the State had to pay six
per cent interest, while during those
very months, members of his own adj
ministration had thousands of dollars
of the States money in their pockets
aud were paying neither principal nor
interest.
Now. my friends, / have confined
my remarks principally to the State
fund. because this is the only fund
that is ever available for the contin-
gent expenses OF the State, and when
this fund is exhausted the State IS
financially embarrassed. No deficit
can possibly be created in the other
two funds, for you are never called
upon to spend more than you have.
I said that we closed our fiscal year
with S42A,64I.I7 in the State fund.
In addition to this we had lying in
the treasury on that date 1907 1920. 10,
TO the credit of the general school fund
and s271,I93.2I to the credit of the
irreducible school fund, uninVested,
or total cash balance in the treasury
ofsf.o62 500. 48. In addition to this
we have invested in bonds and other
securities to the credit of the irreduci-
bic school fund $658, 500 90. On re-
tiring from office on the 4th of March,
1907. our Democratic friends under
took some sharp practice, as they sup
posed which consisted in holding
lot OF this outside money in the treas
urv and requiring ME to receipt for 1t,
and they are now exhibiting my 1e-
ceipt for something over SI,loo, ooo,-
90; but if they should show it to you
ask them to kindly tell you what
kind OF money that was, and then II
they tell you the truth they will have
to confess that $500, 600 90 of it was
K. K. money belonging to the coan-
ties, districts and municipalities,
which should have been distributed
before they went out, and that $780,
10000 belonged to the irreducible
school fund, and another big slice to
the general school fund, and aside
from the amount I have mentioned,
not one dollar of it could have been
used to pay the contingent expenses
of the State unless they had borrowed
it or stolen it.
now wish to make just a brief
reference to the manner in which the
two school funds are being handled,
and thus to show you that improve
ments have been made along those
lines.
Take for instance the fines which
are assessed for misdeneanors. This
money goes into the general school
fund. but we found in numerous in
stances that local officers were com
promising with offenders by collecting
their own fees and letting the State
lose her portion This practice has
been stopped and the receipts, from
this source have increased over fifty
per cent this year.
The money received from the sale
IF waste, delinquent, and unappropu-
ated lands goes into the irreduci5le
school fund, but we found thata large
number Of commissioners Of school
.ands had pocketed these moneys,
md were not being compelled 20 set
lie. The present administration has
brought them up with a sharp turn.
number Of them have settled, and
before we are done with this thing
more of them will be compelled %
walk Spanish, - some of whom are
nigh up in the councils OF the Demo
cratic party AS a result Of our Of
t2rts we have added to the principal
# this fund this year S5655I.54,
which is as much as they added in