West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1908-05-07
u a Far Reaching Act.

-" ~ w paOsiuS iOI the IN
'pection and supervision of public
offices and to establish a uniform
system of public accounting" one
of the broadest and most sweeping
in its character that has ever been
placed on our statute books, and yet
it got through the legislature without
creating any public comment. The
newspapers seem to have been
strangely silent upon the subject.
Some of its provisions are fairly
good and its general purposes are
worthy ones, but as a whole il is
vicious. 1t is not native of West
Virginia. but was imported from the
state of Ohio, where most of our
freak tax laws were Matched and Sc
cured, having been imported by
Messrs. Dawson and White. Some
OF these measures have already been
'~""' in PistaICdDlC III oUlO dTteT
trial and are being discarded, but
they are gong on adopting them in
this state as fast as the Ohio Repub
lican machine can grind them out.
This act, to be more specific, see ms
to be designed mole particularly and
especially to broaden the powers Of
the state tax commissioner, who is
already the high muck a.muck of
the state political machine. This
act gives him authority to provide
the method of bookkeeping and
public accounting Of all public off
Gals of state institutions and all
county and state officers, including
district officers, members of the
boards of education, justices of the
peace, and constables. He is made
ex-otticio "chief Inspector" and has
the right to supervise, himself or bv
deputies, all the county and district
officers, examine into their accounts
and affairs, require of them annua!
statements, etc. He is gwen unlim
;ted power to appoint just as many
persons as he sees proper to aid him
in this work, aud il the work is car
ried out in accordance with the plan
outlined in the act he will need 90
or 100 assistants. In other words.
ne will have swarm of officeholders
nosing around after the county
courts the justices, c onstables, boards
OF education, and all other public
officers. The worst feature is that
these political henchmen must be
PAID by the people themselves. They
can devote an unlimited amount of
time to examining the affairs OF the
Romney district boards of education
and then the cost of the Job must be
paid by the taxpayers OF the district.
The board or other tax levying body
is required to pay the bill out of the
money collected from the people. If
th's rs not species of lrgal'zed
graft, then we don't know what to
call 1t.
When did the people of Hamp-
shire county and the respective dis
uicts become incompetent to run
their own affairs without the assist
ance of some political messenger
sent out from Charleston TO tell
them whether they are honest1
Then. if this political agent think
the peoples representatives. on the
county court, the board of educa.
ton, or in a Justices office are not
doing things just according to HoyIe
this political knight can set the
wheels of justice in motion to have
that county or district Official fired
aud can subpoena Witnesses and do
almost any other old thing necessary
to put him out of office.
IL looks like the Republican state
machine in West Virginia has come
to TIE conclusion tho, the people Of
This state are Incapable Of self gov
eminent and that they need a guar.
dian. Their program seems 10 be
to wipe out local self government
and center everything at the state
house to make our state govern
ment a"governmeut Of the machine.
Tor the machine, and by the ma
chine. "-Hampshir. Review