West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1914-01-15
Kingwood, w. Va,
January ~. 1914

fftttts hfkuss"
With yo1r permission / desire to pre-
sent some facts TO your host Of readers
concerning the remarkable effort made
by Glover Hay" to wool gather the
taxpayers OF Preston county through
malicious articles appearing recently in
the Preston Republican (the machine
organ OF the county, wherein the weak
and contradictory attempt was made to
discredit our present efficient and nou-
partisan county court. IL appears from
a perusal of the articles in question
thai the particular grievance is against
the county court.
We had thought that lax reform had
been thoroughly analysed and committed
TO its iniquitous grave as the greatest
fake that had ever been foisted upon an
unsuspecting public. The Clover Leafs,
however. attempt to ressurrect it as a
slogan with which I solidify the G. o.
p. in the hope that they might elect a
court which will hear the voice of the
dictators. In order that the reader
might better understand the position
taken by the Clover Leafs it is necessary
to quote something to show their contrary
opinions regarding the methods they
propose, in order to reduc taxation; and
at h same time, to maintain better
roads with a saving Gas they think to be
gained. The first plan is to reduce the
salaries OF the county officers. In this /
will admit that some saving could be
made in the peoples interest, excepting
the members OF the county court, how
ever. But pray what has the county
court got to do with making such a
change? The county court can only
curtail expenses along this line by re-
ducing the salaries OF the deputy assess
ors, the clerks of the court a id tue
prosecuting attorney. The compensation
OF the sheritfs and of the members of
the court is fixed by statute which fixes
a maximum or minimum allowance.
The court can allow either or q medium
between. Ii is possible that the court
has been liberal in this respect but no
more so than former courts who we're
OF a far different faith politically.
Clover Leaf among other things, Just
as inconsistent and childish. says that the
county court has spent, in the last six
months, on a worthless audit 5 $500 but
never mentions the fact that this expendi.
ture, which is considered lavish, has al.
ready brought a return of 81, o /
cave it to the unbiased taxpayers al to
whether they do not think that is a
pretty fair investment-two dollars for
one. But this is not all. With one
swoop of Clover Heads pencil he says,
after producing a volume of figures,
which no one could obtain unless he was
in or about Kingwood, and which com
pletely f~alsifies his assertion that the
roads in the county have not been i'm
proved for the past ten years. The fin.
bridges which he says the court has had
constructed means more Improvement
than we have ever h adj heretofore in the
time stated.
Clover Bud, following his line of in
consistent rot, proceeds to say that hr
does not think the salaries of the county
officers are two large. In speaking OF
salaries L would like to call the attention
oil Clover Stem to the notorious graft
which has been committed by those in
charge OF the state government and the
acts of our Legislature in legislating an
additional regiment of Off GERS ranging i'm
compensation from So. 900 to $4,000 with
expenses, which means as much more
Who has done this? Is it not charged
10 the once honored and revered Republic
can party? Then what about the cos
OF trying and convicting the purjured
members OF the legislatures and above
and beyond all else how about the half
million spent in the Glasscock- Elliott
war? Is it any wonder, while laboring
under all of these indictments, that our
X are and will continue to increase
so long a. the old state house gang is
held in power?
While a county court would not be
composed of mortal men, unless it made
some mistakes we do think that the
present u has reduced error to a
negligible quantity. They handle about
half the amount of the money collect
ed by the sheriff and they annually ac-
count for h same in a published finan-
cial statement which the people can
read and understand. But how about
the school boards who handle the other
halfP Have you ever read a statement
showing their accounts? mol And what
is more you never will until you succeed
IN electing a Legislature that will respond
to the will of the people instead Of being
under the ban Of Bill Dawson, Jim Lakin.
Charlie Elliott, and to borrow from the
elegant vernacular of our worthy Cover
nor, those Of their ilk. This is the same
old gang that devised the nefarious tax
laws 70 burden the taxpayers and there
By brought the good old party of Lincoln
into ~disrepute.
As a lite long Republican I tender the
independent element of the Republican
party in old Preston my heart felt thanks
for the noble stand which they have
taken to wipe out corruption and graft
which our party leaders have been fatten.
ing on In this state and county for the
past twenty years. And ~ for you
Clover Pod 1 will cav that you are bark
ing up the wrong tree. The good, sober
and intelligent people Of this county are
too smart TO consider your feeble efforts
70 draw them away from the true situa-
ton by attacking the county court, large
", If not altogether, for political effect.