West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1899-07-20
A SERIOUS BLUNDER
Made BY The County Court.


cept to pay the high taxes levied by
The said Court and have the money
spent, and ask no questions about
what becomes Of it. That's none
OF their business, and the Court
/ does not want them to know what
is being done with the money. The
law requires the Court 20 publish u
financial statement Of the receipts
and expenditures OF the county
every year IN one or more papers
published IN the county, if such
there be, and the Court has been
| doing tins ever since we have been
IN the business. Giving this to the
journal and ARGUS both, as should
be done, i'm order that the Tux.
payers Of both parties could see
what became Of their money. The
Court had been allowing 5000 per
year for publishing all the proceed
lDgs every term aud the financial
statement. This was not near as
much as the law allows, for it is a
big thing in years time, but the
papers were disposed to be very
reasonable about it, and the ARGUS
and journal each received 500 per
year for all this printing. Last year
the Terra Alta Oracle made kick
for part of it, and the Court di-
vided the 5000 among the three
papers, making S668 each. This
was a small sum for tho work, but
we accepted it and made no com
plant.
Last week the Court passed an
order Just before adjourning allow
ing the Journal 1925 per year for
this work, and cutting the ARGUS
and Oracle both off entirely. They
called the Journal man in and
asked him what he wanted for the
work, and he said $125, and they
gave 1T to him and gave no one else
any chance for bid, nor let us
know anything about it till it was
over and the Court adjourned,
and no session till October, so that
the ARGUS was given no show
whatever for bid or hearing or
explanation of any kind.
They talked something about
economy, and yet gave the Journal
almost as much as it and the ARGUS
both received heretofore, and ig-
nored the Democratic citizens and
tax payers Of the county entirely.
Now they are compelled to take the
journal to see what becomes Of the
heavy taxes they are forced to pay.
1t may be big advertising scheme
Tor the Journal, and may be neces-
sary to do something of this kind
for 1T in order to help it out, but
tho ARGUS can live and thrive and
get along without it.
The Court will be ashamed of
such littleness and such bitter par
tlsanism as this before it gets done
with it and hears tho last of it.
The Court seems to have the idea
that because they were elected by
Repu blican votes, they are under
no obligations whatever to the
Democratic citizens and tax payers
OF the county, and have sworn to
discharge the du ties Of their office
only so far as they concern the
party they represent. The taxes
are going to be higher this year
than ever before, IN spite of the
alleged prosperity that is swapping
the country, aud IL may be that the
Court is taking this plan to keep
az many people from finding out
what they are up to as possible, but
1t won't work, for the ARGUS will
watch their movements now closer
ttan ever and whenever they de-
serve criticism, they will get it,
straight out from the shoulder.
AS matter Of fact, the Court
was led astray AID influenced to de-
this by certain Of the ReDn blioan
ring in this town, and II we don't
take the hide off these same parties
ard hang it on the fence to dry. il
I Will be because Providence or the
+ Devil lnterferes, the former with us
and the latter with the aforesaid
ring
This is all We have room 10 nv
now, but read the ARGUS II Won
want to see the fur az, az timo
goes by.
The Grafton Leader makes
bad break in crit.cising the Prssi-
dent and Gov. Atkinson for the