Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-02-02
CHARLESTON GOSSIP.

CHARLESTON GOSSIP.
Senator Nelson E. Whitaker is one
Republican member of the Legislature
who does not view all measures
through partisan glasses. The major
ity failed to hold him in line in the
Senate yesterday in the effort to smoth-
er Senator OSenton'S resolution of in
vestigation by referring it to the Judi
ciary Committee. The resolution is in
tended to make public the receipts and
emoluments of the offices of Secretary
Of State and Auditor.
When Senator Whitakers name was
reached on the call of the ROLL Fast
was the only Republican who had
voted with the Democrats against the
reference. Senator Whitaker arose 10
explain his vote, and his statement
made the members on the majority
side uneasy. Senator Anthony Smith
finally arose and made the point of Or
der that Whitaker was arguing the
question. The chair decided the point
not we'll taken.
Senator Whitaker declared that he
favored the abolition of the fee sys-
tenn. He would not favor the depriva-
ton of present officials of any of the
emoluments of their offices. 1t was a
matter of common report that the fe2S
aggregated sums largely in excess of
reasonable salaries. If this be true, the
taxpayers ought to know it. They
have right to know it, Public Of
flee is publis trust. The officers are
the servants of the people, and the
hnx rio t0 ly1,nx yhnt
their servants are receiving. If the
proposed investigation reveals the fact
that the fees approximate the amounts
| named in common report, the next ad-
ministration should abolish the fee
| system.
He warned the Republican Senators
| that, although they might defeat the
| proposed investigation now, the time
will come when popular clamor will
reach such proportions that no body
of men will attempt to prevent it.
| Senator Whitaker voted against the
reference to the Judiciary Committee,
and it is significant fact that Senators
White and woodward, who followed
him on roll call, also voted no" If
Senator Whitaker's speech had been
made before the vote was taken, the
| motion to refer the resolution to the
committee would probably have been
| defeated.
In connection with the proposed in
| vestigation of these two very lucrative
offices, it is alleged that Secretary of
| State Dawson has a larger number of
clerks than any of his predecessors.
| 1t is also said that the State receives
NO +1Do - ~.
clerks, since the work which they per-
form simply brings additional fees to
| their chief. The fees are said to have
increased from one-third to one-half
| during the administration of Dawson.
| An attache of the Auditors office is
authority for the statement that Daw-
son receives fully twice as much in
| salaries and fees as Lafollette The
office of Auditor has always been I'M
| derstood to be worth at least $4,000
| year 1t is reported-it is given here
merely for what it is worth-that one
| of the clerks in the Secretary of
| States office, for whose services tax
payers are asked to pay, has little else
to do than to attend to correspondence
with different corporations The cor
| respondence, SO the report goes, all
runs in the same vein, referring to the
| fact that corporations are required to
| have attorneys, and suggesting the
Secretary of State as such attorney,
naming fees which are small in indi-
vidual cases, but amounts to thousands
! of dollars in the aggregate.
Already half the session is gone, and
not a single bill has yet been enacted
sy,f0 10 To,,
| in the committee stage. Yesterday Dr..
| Taylor made an effort to have a night
| session of the House. Unless there are
night sessions every day, it is difficult
| to conceive the possibility of the Leg
| islature concluding its business within
| the statutory limitation as TO time.
| There are number of ambitious mem
| bers of the House who want to be
heard on nearly every question, and
| it will be difficult to cut off debate.
| The desire of these members is to talk,
rather than to say something. All this
| has an effect on constituents" Con
stituents" figure prominently in the
| making of motions, etc. It's the old,
! old vanity which is evidenced in the
| desire to see name in type.
1t is Idlr TO assume InaJ at least one
| half of the members desire to return
| to the Legislature at the next election.
| This is true of previous Legislatures.
| Somehow or other their hopes are not
! realized. Only thirteen members of
| the last House of Delegates were re-
turned. They are Behrens, Bennett,
! Crook. Darst, Hall, Hill, Hughes,
| Hunt. Hunter, Hurst, Mccoy, Steph-
| ems, and linn.
| John McEldowney, Of Wetzel, is one
| of the brightest pages in the Legisla-
ture and enjoys the distinction of
| having been the only Democratic page
| in the last House of Delegates. He
is a nephew of the Sage of New Mar
| tinsville, Col Bob McEldowney.
| Master John learned the occupations
| of all the members of the lower House,
| for publication in his favorite news
paper, the Register. They are given
| as follows:
| Farmers-R. B. Ash. j. N. Baker,
Geo. W. Crook. R. A. Gorrel. F. N.