The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1910-11-03

The Charge of EsttraVasanee.
There has been good deal Of talk
this campaign Is tn gance
OF the Repabltca9 ca Hon In
fact. this has been III tfnclbal Demo
cratic arGment The ety they make
IS d general charge with few particu-
lar items alleged in which they at
tempt TO denonstfate n leta actual fact
;oflextrsvas snca q ne fasTorfte method
Of proving the case Il to compare the
expenditures at present with those Of
the years Of Democratic rule The
last Democratic sthte administration
was something like ten years ago.
Since That time thee State has In
creased tremendously In both popula-
don and wealth. THE general cost
or things has ailsb risen greatly. So
that q simple comparison, dollar for
dollar, OF the RESPECTIVE expenses of
the state then and now would, not be
fair. In fact, 1t is absurd. Yet that
is what is being done right along.
Come to think of it, what is ex-
travagance as a matter of fact? Is
it the mere spending OF large sums of
money? Is it the building of large
struc lures. or the increase OF salaries,
or the creation OF new Offices? With
in themselves none of these things
constitute extravaganza. All these ex-
penditures may be needed. Would 1t
not be proper to say that II is extrav-
agance only when money is paid for
unnecessary things or when too large
prices are PAID for necessaries? Now,
il we start from that premise and
scan the expenditures of the Republi-
cas- administrations the fact can be
neither proved nor disproyed to the
satisfaction OF our common sense
II would be useless to take up sepa-
rately the Individual cases Of the vari-
GUS state oficers Their salaries are
about the same as before the Repub-'
Ncans carried the state. One of the
greatest reforms Instituted by the Re-.
pubIicans was the abolition of the fSe
system for some of the higher officials,
notably the Secretary of State and the
Auditor, which had been making these
officers rich, and which, under Repub-
lican good times and the wonderful
development of this state, would have
resulted in making these Offices verita-
BILE gold mines.
About the only instance one can lay
the finger upon fnt'which a definite
case OF extravagance is alleged. is in
the payment to Ex-Governor Dawson
of SIS 900 per year us assistant council
in the Virginia debt case. This selec-
ton Of a particular man is easy. No
Republican is so cordially hated in
the state by the Democrats as the
man in question. And it is for tho
reason that he has succeeded so many
times in turning the well-lald schemes
Of the Democrats to naught by dint OF
good political strategy. Against a
man who has handled the affairs Of
the state for many years with the
greatest success It would appear no.
to be an enormous salary to pay. Sui
in the greatest court In the world al
ways result in good fees being paid
to attorneys. Many lawyer has been
paid fees many times as large to han
die a case in n lower court involving
smaller amounts and much less Impor
tant questions than that involving tw'
sovereign states.
1t is well to think how deep Is the
foundation OF any real charge of ex.
travagance. And remember the mere
spending of money is not Of itself ex-
travagance.- Republican.