The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-05-21

Five" had absolutely no part In making.
and which contract was the only th>nE
that prevented the natural gas company
from. charging US thirty cents per thop-
sand cubic feet, 1t requires an amazing
piece of impudence on the part OF any
refusing to pay the natural gas company
the price asked They couldn't have
done otherwise without the gTossest sur
render OF public interest and the means
Of resisting the demand We're not created
BY them, but were created By previous
administ ratiQns.
Water Gas Plant.
Another peculiar section, Of this re-
markable pamphlet gives crsdlt 10 inc
city administration for the sale Tor
sl8.000.00 Of water gas plant wnich
throughout this pamphlet the sale of
city utilities, the breaking up of valu-
able property which has hitherto Kept
the city independent Of private cDntr;Lc-
tors. Is regarded by the author as
tlce Is continued. We. doubtless" Will llna
the water plant and the fire department
In g few years sold out TO private ihdl-
viduals. and tho city will be grarely III
forming us that several hundred th9u-
sand dollars have been saved by DC
stroy ing and wasting these. properties
which the city has spent immense sums
on, and which ii ought TO maintain by
m uDlc1pal operation.
Salaries.
The final paragraph deals with alleged
savings In sa!arccS. as TO which not
one or them Is correct. offices have
been changed under the present admin
istratinn, and names changed so that
one Office may be taken and compared
with the record under previous admins
tra,ions 10 claim small saving has
been made in II. II is 4 fact. however
that the city Of Wheeling. during tn"
past two years. spent more money for
office holders and executive positions
OF the citT'S history. Salaries have been
Increased beyond all records. Depart
mental work Of all kinds has boon made
more and more costly, and positions
have been multiplied solely ut the Will
Of the Big Five and thor city mama
ger. without an accounting and without
authorization from the council as Il
council.
Do the people Of hWceling know hat
the council Of the city OF Wheeling. dur
ing tho past two years, has nrE'r iHSS-
ed a regular appropriation ordinance"
Under rcv!ous aGminist ratin!!S no "y-
pcnhiturcS of any Kind could he con-
trncicd for by the Board Of Control or
By The mayor exceeding $Gnn without OK
press authorization ~ In" council.
Under this admintSl ration hundreds nC
thousands 81 dollars nt contracts hay"
nccn made. expenditures. aH'h"r:z"d with
officially OF a single ii"m. and without
a single authorization &c record for any
ono Of these expenditures.
Payment OF Bills.
Under previous hdnli:!I:,; ions n"
bill, even mo smallest. could h" NIid h.
,hn city treasurer until III" Sgiu'. hai
been passed ny IN" fin;Inc" c"r':ni' t." "
council An3 lis Payment had been "u-
thurizrd after due and proper auditing;
by y competent auditor.
For the past Two y"ar9. under iii" H.
rcction Of IN" "ISii- Five" I'm" cay OF
Wheeling had no finance comEnIt'"" Of
council.
NOT a biz has brcn audited or M
proved FOR payment by c"nm'u"" Of
council.
There has boon ABSOLUTELY n" check
non any expenditure lha! Tho executive
, department saw FIT To make. end The con-
dition has been and IS such rs To Invite
tho mort RECKLESS c1lr#racancc md
waste Of public money. if not worse:
The business affairs OF thr city or
Wheeling, amounting to five or six hun
drcd thousand dollars 4 year Of public
money belonging to The taxpayers, are
more carelcssly and more loosely con-
Quoted than any pfiyate Interest cor