Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-01-22

In h Opinion Of the writer the
Assessor "Gives Away Both Him.
self and His Consulting Cabinet's
at the Court House.

To the Editor of the Register.
WHEELING, w. Va, January 20.
Sir:-In your issue of Friday last Mr..
Helmbright, the assessor of lands In this
city, publishes an elaborate statement.
At the end of it he, in one sentence
denies that the County Commissioners
Influenced him to make increases and
in the very next says:
Il made the assessment and then re-
queSted some of the Commissioners to
meet with me and familiarize them
selves with the work I had done, and
make any suggestions that might ben
eft the public in general"
In this sentence quoted MI. Helm
bright gives away both himself and
his consulting cabinet of County Com
m~issioners. If his assessment was COM
pleted, what does he mean by saying
he me with certain County Commits
sioners for them to make amy suggeS-
tions that might benefit the public in
general. His asses sment could not
have been completed, for if it had
been any such suggestions would have
been worse than useless. Mr.. Helm
bright seems to be trifing with an out
ragged public in his CD published state
ment. 1t reads like a prepared defense
of the County Commissioners, who
have violated those rules of official
decency and propriety which it should
have been instructive for them to have
recognized and observed.
The whole statement reads as If it
also had been the joint work of Mr..
Helmbright and the consulting County
Commissioners. 1t Is a plain effort to
offer Mr.. Helmbright as a sacrifice to
an indignant public, to save the over
throw of those County Commissioners.
Mr.. Helmbright has been a holder OF
appointive offices and is not to be af-
fected by the voters directly. 1t is
otherwise with his friends, the Com
missioners.
Again the statement is a long DEM
agogic appeal to the poor man, which
will not bear inspection. The small
homestead was not sacred from the
gentleman's attentions in any undesir-
able way, as the Democratic Commit
tee will show before the next election.
Now let Mr.. Helmbright tell just
who these consulting Commissioners
were. If he does not do SO promptly,
the public will be justified in the belief
that they were all Republicans-aE of
the political faith of Mr.. H~elmbright.
He would hardly seek Democratic adj
vice in his great work of raising the
assessments Of his fellow townsmen
for the benefit of the rest of West Vir-
ginia, and thus for ten years to come
heap extra burdens upon the shoulders
of the people of this city, who for many
years have been paying into the State
treasury thousands of dollars beyond
their fair share.
No Democrat would advise such a
raise. If there is such a Democrat up
ON the Board of Commissioners, name
him and he will newer fill the place
again.
Let US have light, MIR. Helmbrght,
and the names of your Commissioner
friends.
This precious Board should have the
attention of the Chamber of Commerce.
An expert should be employed to go
over their records for some years back
and see how close to the law they
have kept.
Some of them have held their jobs
too long without thorough investiga-
ton. 1t is always a safe course with
men in such Offices TO examine into
their records occasionally. If there is
nothing wrong it won't hurt and it
makes officials more careful.
Can it be that there is rank treason
in this city, against the great leader
who aspires to be auditor of the State?
Are the -re-asSessor and his consultors
of the Board of Commissioners friends
of Auditor LaFollette and trying, by
exciting the people of this city against
Republican office holders, to destroy
the influence and great pull of his for
midable rival residing in this county?
Whether they are such friends Of the
present auditor or not, their acts play
into his hands. MORE LIGHT.