Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-02-14

1t win be noticed that the first two
bills mentioned provide for additional
revenues Of the state. while the next
dozen or so reach the saine result by
system OF reducing the expenditures.
CPIMIN AL CHARGES.
Tle fifth bill proposed BIZ the COM
mission provides for the payment Of
the salaries Of the judges Of criminal
and intermediate courts a of the
treasures of the several counties in
which such courts sit, and provides for
the repeal of all acts inconsistent with
the proposed law.
The bill is followed by one to amend
the code relating to the execution Of
judgements. and one to prevent the
appointments of more guard han nee
essary in the p~enitentiary, by naking
all appointments subject TO the call Of
the warden, when he finds such adj
ditions to The guard necessary. Tie
next bill provides for the amendment
of the code regarding to education.and
the assessment of school taxes in each
county for the purpose of constructing
new buildings and prohibiting the *
penditure by any board of education
of IRE than the aggregate amount of
its q uota of the general school fund
or independent school district levies
for the year. together with the balance
remaining in the hands of the assessor
at the end Of the preceding wear, and
such arrearages of taxes as may be due
such district or independent .caool
district.
HThe next bill of the cut-down ex ease
class provides that from the first of
June of this year the two asylums of
Spencer and Weston shall be under the
control of Que board of directors TO
tails for the insane" A similar bill
follows relating to the "West Virginia
schools for the deaf and blind at
Romney, and which provides that the
superintendent of the same shall be
chosen by the five board directors.
who are appointed bv the governor.
1t also provides regulations by which
the officials Of the institutions are to
be governed, and which tend either
to reduce the expense or increase the
eff cheney Of the institution. Similar
bills are proposed relating TO the state
reform school at Weston and "the asy-
lum for incurables. = at Huntingon.
1t will be noticed that the bills be-
ginning with the third. winch is the
first of what is classed as Draft b, up
to the sixth in that draft, the thing
aimed at is the relieving the state Of
certain taxes and imposing them upon
the county. Iu was the puIpos aud
aim of the comm ission that at least
half of the criminal charges row paid
by the state should be sustained by the
counties in which those courts sit.
In defense of this act the commission
states N its report that if the only
effects of it was to remove the burden
from the state to the counties, without
l%essening the burden, the counties
and the people generally would still
gain much by the arrangement, mas
much as the additional expense to
be imposed upon them is far less than
the amount by which they would be
relieved in getting rid of the state
tax of 30 cents on a hundred dollars.
The criminal charges have had their
enormous growth in part because the
communities in which thew are in
Cured We're not directly affected by
the expenditures. If part of those ex-
penses are put upon the people of the
county it is natural to suppose that
the direct influence of the people there
in will be exerted toward keeping those
expenses within reasonable and proper
bounds.
TAX ASSESSMENTS.
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