Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-09-17
SOME INTERESTING FACTS

SOME INTERESTING FACTS
For the Careful Consideration of
West Virginia Voters.
Special to the Register.
CHARLESTON, w. Va, September
15.-The Mail Tribune in its issue of
the 9Th continues to falsely make
claims and misrepresentation to the
people of this State in regard to the
alleged great saving to this State I'M
der the present State administration.
In the article referred to, which was
carefully prepared and given out by
the representative of the present ad-
ministration with a view OF deceiving
the people and leading them to be-
lieve that this administration had been
a great blessing to the State-fgures
have been distorted, facts have been
carefully hidden, deficiencies charged
up to a Democratic administration
when such deficiencies should not have
and would not have existed had Re-
publican Legislatures needed the ad-
vice given by Democratic State offic-
ials.
When the Republicans first came in
W pONCl III CuiO OldtC, d bCIIlOSl dLlS
official had ca.ed their attention to
the heavy expenses for printing and
stationary under the then existing sys-
tenn and asked for a remedy. With
the sole object of trying to make the
people believe that at the end of two
years the Republican party had reduc-
ed the cost of these items largely, some
of the smooth officials then coming
into office went before the Finance
Committee and had the following little
clause attached to the clause approp-
Rating money to nearly every State in
stitution, aside from the State Of
fees:
provided, further, That all station
airy, printing and binding for said -
shall be purchased and paid for
out of the expense fund of said jnsti-
tuition"
Innocent looking little clause, but on
that clause the Republicans expected
then and are now trying to make the
people of this State believe that they
have saved this State within the four
years OF Republican rule the vast sum
OF 147,UOO The above clause was at
tached to the appropriations for the
IOIlOWlDSo OlliCSS dlu lnoIiIuIIOAS. GIL
itentiary, Marshall College, West Lib
erty Normal School. Fairmont Normal,
Chenille Normal, Shepherd College,
Schools for Deaf and Blind, the Uni
versity, Prep. Branch of University at
Montgomery, Hospital for Insane at
Weston, Second Hospital for Insane at
Spencer, West Virginia Reform School,
West Virginia Colored Institute, Blue
field Colored Institute, Bureau of La
Dor, State Board OF Agriculture, Inspec-
tors OF Mines and State Board Of
Health. In every instance except one
the appropriations for these institu-
tons were largely increased.
The scheme was simply this, 1--WE will
make these institutions pay for their
printing and stationery out of their
current or contingent funds, thus re-
ducing the amount to be spent out of
the printing fund from 80 to IS per
ent, then we can say to the people that
we have saved the State this vast sum
on printing and stationery. Of course
they won't have sense enough to know
that the saving was paid out of an
other pocket in the form of an increase
in the current and contingent expenses
OF the various institutions whose print
ing was formerly paid for out of this
printing and stationery fund" Are the
people of West Virginia going to be
hoodwinked by any such tactics as
this. The writer knows OF just one out
of these nineteen institutions and the
printing for this one institution for the
year ending January, 1898, amounted
to $1,S71.09, not including the cost OF
the paper and other stationery of the
institution or the cost of binding. 1t
is to be regretted that there is no way
OF getting at the exact amount that has
been paid for printing, binding and sta
tionary by the State institutions above
named. In many instances the current
or contingent fund of an institution is
paid over by the Auditor In bulk to the
Treasurer or superintendent OF the in
stitution, and these officers in making
their reports to the Governor merely
show the aggregate of the several re-
ce5pts and the aggregate amounts ex-
pended for all causes in each month
''as per vouchers" these vouchers be-
ing filed at the institutions. For this
reason it is impossible to find out just
what the printing. binding and station
cry for this State has cost the last three
years.
There are, however, some matters
which have been unearthed which will
cause the present administration to
wish that they had left untouched this
wonderful scheme to deceive the peo-
pie. What will the people of the State
say when they find out that a clerk in
the Secretary of States Office has re-
ceived commission from a publishing
or printing firm in New York On sta
tionery furnished and paid for by the
State of West Virginia? What will the
people think of this excellent manner in
which the printing and stationery bust
ness has been managed by this Repub-
lican administration when they find out
that beginning with February. 1899, the
Osborn Company. of No. PIT Broadway,
New York cify sold IN n 9 Guthrie