The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1909-01-23

tenor Of the Governors messags;
.iarge appropriations, Is the splea Of
institutions and departments; ''ws#
can't stand the tax gan any deeper"
/ Is the wall Of the corporations. And
there you have 1t. To make iegisla-
| tive swipe that might cut of In a lump
one million dollars. nearl third OF
the total revenues. Is really some
thing that hot prohibItionist ceases
heating over when it is put up to him
squarely. And that one million Is
oply the states, bit OF the liquor IL
cehse business; it doesn't include the
towns and cities where license pre-
IVAN. Alone, without the help of cor
porate and individual business inter
ests. the sentiment. of thousands Of
conservative property owners, tn
urgent need Of the government for
more revenues and the demand of
officials for them in their biennial
reports. the anti prohibitlonIsts prob
ably would not be able to stem the
prohibition tide, But these powerful
factors appear to be working very eff
fectually as tide-temmers.
As forecasted in these dispatches,
State Tax Commissioner Towsend
appointed L. S. Echols, OF Point
Pleasant, his chief clerk. and the pen
itentiary board at meeting, held in
Moundsville. which was attended in
person by Governor Dawson. elected
Joseph Matthews, of Huntington,
warden, and put Acting Warden 9.
G Dawson back in his old place rs
captain of the guards. Ii reduced
the warden's salary from $500 TO
$4,000. and Increased the captain of
the guards salary to $1,000 per an
mum. Some of the members of the d.
rectlng body made a stubborn fight
for the permanent election of Daw-
son, stirring up strong sentiment
for him in the northern part of the
state. But Governor Dawson paid no
heed, and forced the board to elect
Matthews. The leading party paper
in the state charged tine governor
with forcing on the state and the
board man who was rot desirable.
and whose cfIicieny was doubtful.
From developments the following day
in the House o. Delegates here. III
seems that the governor knew pretty
Well what he was doing and that he
was doing the better of the twoI
things. For. on that day, Delegate L.
+. Moore. of Marshall county. intro
duccd u resolution to appoint COM
mittce TO further investigate the pen
itentiary especially. and getting unan-
imous consent for its consideration,
delivered two hours speech which isl
the sensation of tho legislative session
up TIL now. In his speech he deliv-
cred himself % serious charges
against the directors. He alleged
graft usurpation OF authority. mis-
appropriation of funds. perjury gross
neglect and criminal negligence. andI
reclted number OF cases to prove
his allegations. ofefing at the same
time certifd copies of accounts. afi-
davits, etc. 1t was scratching ar
raiEnment. and according to his.
charges the malfeasance began back
under the term of the late worden
C. E. Haddox. He directly charged
one director, John Bloyd, of Mounds !!
vile. who has been resident director
of the penitentiary for twelve years, i
with the most serious offenses. l !
what Moore charges can be proven
there are sure to be indictments and
possibly some one or more prison .au-
thoritIes may languish as convicts in
the institution they were appointed toI
manage. The action Of the House inl
tabling the resolution offered byl
Moore was due to the fact that the
joint commission. which was apI
pointed two years ago TO investigate
all public institutions. is still at work
and is expected TO make its report to
the present Legislature. and 1t wasl
thought advisable to let the commits
sion take up the grave charges made
by Moore. He refused to go beforcI
the commission and lay before them
his mass of evidence till after he had
formally made his charges in thel
legislature, because he said he hadn't.
much faith in having justice done his
side of the case. Now, however. he is
ready and willing. h. says. to appear
before the commission and let it have
the benefit of what information and
facts he has collected.
Governor Dawson, it would seem,
had knowledge of affairs at the pen
itentiary which the public did not
have 1t seems that the Governor,
in the final days of his administra-
tIon, did not desire public exposure,
but a quiet probing into the matters
at the prison. The fact that Captain
Dawson was retained in the service, |,