The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-04-20
State Difcit
Continued from page one.)

cratic machine controlled the minority
in the Senate. and the seven Republi-
cans who lined up with that minority
frankly announced through their floor
leader. Senator Rosenbloom, that they
were opposing revenue bills as a
means of protecting certain interests
from any increase of taxation. The
claim that the state did not need the
revenue was advanced as an after
thought, and General Lilly seems to
have been converted to that view of
the situation since he signed the state
ment. along with the Auditor and
Treasurer, asking the legislature for
additional revenues to the extent of
$2.000.O00.
The fact that the figures submit
ted by the Attorney General in de.
Tense of his opinion are the same as
those previously published by the coal
operators association, or their lobby
lists. does not tend to increase public
confidence in those figures. The Off
cial audit of the states accounting de.
partment is pretty generally accepted
by the members of the legislature as
authoritative. | have not heard of
any members who are disposed to pre-
fer the coal operators compilation as
an authority on this matter of the de-
felt, even if the figures made by the
gentlemen of the lobby do look good
to the Attorney General
Does the Attorney General mean
to imply that he has a commission TO
decide what portions of the appropria-
ton laws shall be obeyed and what
shall be nullified? Is 1t his official and
professional opinion that law enact
ed by the legislature setting aside
definite amount of the public money
for specific purpose may be deliber-
ately ignored by those agencies of the
state government whose duty it is to
execute the laws?
is the Attorney General SO isnor-
ant of the laws and customs of West
Virginia as to be unaware of the fact
that appropriations made by the legis-
lature of 1913 will regularly have the
right of way and prior claim to con-
sideration out of any funds available
in the treasury from now till this time
next year, when the balances uneX-
pended at that time will lapse? The
attempt of the Attorney General to
treat the outstanding appropriations
of more than 100000 unexpended bal
ances as a negligible quantity-not
even paper" liability-in consider
ing the question of a deficiency or a
sufficiency of revenue. Is really an af-
front to the people of West Virginia
IT not 10 the lntelllgencs OF the fiscal
officers who had asked his opinion on
the matter of the states power to bor-
row money.
Il find in the Attorney Generals
opinion two statements of alleged
fact which l would like to have dis
played alongside of each other in par
allel fashion If possible. Here they
are:
There was in point of fact no de-
ficiency in the revenue OF this state
in any year preceding the last session
of the legislature.
The available revenue being insuffi-
cient, it necessarily followed that
some of the improvements and Incl
dentals contemplated by the legisa-
ture must be abandoned.
What Is deficiency in the rev.
enues of the state if 1t is not the con-
dition of the available revenue being
insufficient to meet the appropria-
lions? How does General Lilly har-
monte his statement that there has
been no deficit with his own explana-
ton of the necessity OF regulating
the 100000 of outstanding appropria-
tons of the session of 1892"