Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1911-02-16
WASTEFUL EXPENDITURE.

We nave Oeen OOCn amused ana
edited by recent controversy that has
been progressing between our contem-
poraries, the Lynchburg News and the
Roanoke Times. The subject of con-
troversy is the reckless extravaganza"
that has prevailed in the management
of the financial affairs of Virginia under
the new constitution Our Lynchburg
contemporary has at last awakened to
the fact that the revenues of the State
have been squandered recklessly, if not
corruptly. Though the News is some
what belated in its cries for reform,
we are pleased to have it enlisted in the
righteous undertaking, even, though
its motive be as selfish as the Roanoke
Times has endeavored to make it ap-
pear.
The Roanoke Times, which assumes
to be the advocate of progressive gov
eminent, but which really appears to
be the champion of machine rule in
Virginia, is trying to discredit the eff
forts of the Lynchburg News by sscrib-
ing to that paper a purely selfish mo-
tive. This is a matter with which we
will not interfere, but will permit our
contemporaries to settle controversy,
which has verged upon the personal,
among themselves.
But the Times has sought further to
discredit the efforts of the News by
artfully insinuating that the News is
now pursuing lines that have for the
past SIX years been occupied by the
Tazewell Republican. In other words,
the Times tries to make the endeavor
of the News unpopular and ineffective
with Democrats, by calling attention TO
the fact that the Tazewell Republican
has persistently called notice to the
wasteful and corrupt expenditure of the
revenues of the State by the Democratic
party. And the Times in its discussion
of the question treats the allegations of
the News just in the same way that it
has previously avoided meeting fairly
the charges of the Republican. 1t has
become habit with the Times to call
for specifications and bills of particu-
lars, and when they are presented to
sportively put them aside as only few
thousand or few hundred thousand dol
lars that had to be expended under the
present reign of progressive govern
ment in Virginia. The Times is now
calling upon the News for specifications,
and the News has responded by citing
the wasting of the six hundred thousand
dollars of surplus that was found in the
treasury when Mr. Swanson was sworn
in as Governor.
In the past we have furnished the
Times with many particulars of waste
full extravaganza, jobs and legalized
lootings of the treasury. We can and
will supply these again for the Times,
and add thereto, if our Roanoke con-
temporary will consent to print them in
its columns and undertake to answer
them.
The Times no longer undertakes to
hide the fact that within the past eight
years the expenditures of the State
have been doubled. 1t tries, however.
to explain this away by saying that:
"a considerable part of the increased
expenditure was made necessary by the
new constitution.
This is a confession that the Demo-
cratic party has wantonly deceived
the people of Virginia by forcing upon
them new constitution, upon the pre-
text that it was made for the purpose |
of reducing the expenditures and the
number of State officers, but that the
expenditures and officers have been
doubled in eight years.