The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-11-02
IS ]. WAL TER BARNES
A COMMON GRAF TER
ACCORDING TO THE DICTIONARY
HE SEEMS TO COME UNDER
THAT CLASS.
exPLopEs HIS SPLEEN AT OPERA
HOUSE MEETING AGAINST ED.
IToR oF3WEsT.VIRGlNlAN.
OVER OFFICIAL STATE
MENTS HoWsALARY GRAB is
OVER $50 900 PER YEAR.

Is ]. Walter Barnes, the four.hour.a.
day Member of the Big Four Bi-Pa.ti-
san farce Commission Government,
common CRATER?
According to the dictionary the def
milton for graft is obtaining pay for
work not done or services not perform
ed
Does Mr.. Barnes do the work he is
l;paid to do? Is he performing the SER
vice the charter provides he shall per
form? 1t has been charged that he
,does not. In a speech at the opera
house Saturday afternoon he made a
severe personal attack upon the edt-
tor of the West Virginian for show
ing up his salary grabbing scheme at
the City Hall, and tried in an I'M
potent manner to reply TO the charges
against the city officials.
He stated that the city had collected
few dollars interest from
the city deposits. The West Vtr-
sinian has never stated that
the commissioners did not collect
this money. This paper stated that
the charter provided that it should be
collected, and II it was being collected
the statement of estimated receipts as
published over the signature of the
CITY clerk did not show, it, and that
statement is true, and was true when 1t
was made.
He also attempted to explain the
81 900 meter expense In the same man.
',ner. The West Virginian stated, and
again asserts, that not one dollar of
money received from the sale of me.
tiers vas shown in tho, estimate as pub
Ilished. Mr. Barnes states that the city
lis furnishing meters to factories with.
out charge, and that they are selling
meters TO private citizens. The West
IWirgfnian is a manufacturing plant and
the West Virginian bought its own me-
Ter and paid for it.
MIR. Barnes charged that the editor
of the West Virginian did not go to the
city hall to get his figures. That was
mot necessary because he had the fig
ures as certified and published over
the signature of the city clerk in his
own office. and why waste time going
It othe city hall for the same thine
iWhese figures were denied. They show
that the wage and salary list has been
increased from $4,000 TO $4,000 in
one year, and the editor of the West
kkVirginian offered to forfeit 800 in cash
/ IL 1t could be shown that the figures he
fused were not taken from the publish
led estimates for levy for the years 1913
land 1914 as they were published and
certified to by the city clerk. No one
seemed to want that money bad
enough to point out a single error.
That offer still stands and there will
|bc no takers.
Mr.. Barnes processes to be Chris
Nian gentleman, and there are many as
good men in the city as he processes to
.Ibe who cannot understand how he
squares his conscience with his oath
when he is sworn to make no appoint
Iments favoring any political party and
when he has done nothing else since
be has been in office. They cannot uni
derstnnd how he can take the money
of the tax payers OF the city and con-
Itinuc to hold his position with the tele.
phone company, drawing $4,000 or
more for that service. They cannot
see how he justifes his plan OF work.
ling four hours day as he himself
Stated lie worked. when he knows the
law recognizes no day in the state
shorter than eight hours and many are
working as much as twelve hours per
day. They cannot understand how Mr..
Barnes can square his prohibition
speech making with his winking at the
Ilawlessness I'm Fairmont nv letting