WEST VIRGINIA. 



841 



Court of Appeals, Okey Johnson; Judges, 

 Thomas C. Green, Adam C. Snyder, and Sam- 

 uel Woods. 



Finances. The following statement shows 

 the operations of the State treasury for the bi- 

 ennial period ending Sept. 30, 1888 ; Receipts 

 for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 1887, $1,- 

 316,020.58 ; balance at the end of the preced- 

 ing year. $308,001.80 ; making a total of $1,- 

 684,022.38 ; disbursements during the same 

 period, $1,324,116.55; balance at the end 

 of 1887, $359,905.83. Receipts during the 

 year ended Sept. 30, 1888, 1,205,119.71; bal- 

 ance at the end of preceding year, $359,905.83; 

 making a total of $1,565,025.54; disburse- 

 ments during the same period, $1,227,288.98 ; 

 balance at the end of 1888, $337,736.56. 



The balance in the State fund on Sept. 30, 

 1888, was 52,974,^0; in the general school 

 fund, $279,811.16 ; and in the school fund, $4,- 

 950.60. 



During the two years 1887 and 1888 it be- 

 came necessary, in order to meet unusually 

 large appropriations, to borrow 143,000, of 

 which sum $125,000 was borrowed from banks 

 and $18,000 from the board of the school 

 fund, all of which amounts have since been 

 paid, and in addition thereto the sum of $("17.- 

 545.46, on account of claims filed by sheriffs 

 prior to 1885. There has also been paid $7,000 

 on account of the $59,000, which was borrowed 

 from the board of the school fund during 1885 

 and 1886. 



There was expended on account of criminal 

 charges during the fiscal year ending in Sep- 

 tember, 1887, $117,632.46, and for the year 

 ending in September, 1888, $65,882.87. 



The assessment of property in the State for 



1887, was as follows: Real property, $118,181,- 

 936; personal property, $43,978,803; railroad 

 property, $15,185,650* For 1888 the assess- 

 ment was: Real property, $119,414,434; per- 

 sonal property, $44,469,225 ; railroad property, 

 $15,501,670. The past six years have shown 

 an increase in the wealth of the State, espe- 

 cially in railroad property, which has grown 

 in value from $8,458, 904 to $15,501.670. Real 

 property has increased from $106,958,137, and 

 personal property from $39,637.735. 



Education. The number of youth in the State 

 between six and twenty-one years, according to 

 the enumeration of 1887, was 249,178; according 

 to that of 1888, 256,360. The number enrolled 

 in the free schools for 1887 was 179,507; for 



1888, 189,251. For 1887 the average daily at- 

 tendance was 108,293, and for 1888 122,020. 

 There were 4,603 schools of all grades in 1887, 

 and 4,816 in 1888, an increase of 216; 5,089 

 teachers were employed in 1887, and 5,238 in 

 1888. The number of school- houses in 1887 

 was 4,465 : in 1888, 4,567. The average length 

 of the school year increased from four months 

 and nineteen days in 1887 to five months and 

 two days in 1888. The average salary per 

 month paid teachers holding number one cer- 

 tificates for 1887 was $31.52; for 1888 it was 



$33. The same salary was paid males and fe- 

 males for tin: same gradt.- of work. The 

 also supports six normal schools and a State- 

 University. 



Immigration. The first organized movement 

 to promote immigration to the State w, 

 gun during the year. On Febnifiry 29, at the 

 invitation of the Chamber of Commerce of 

 Wheeling, about 1,000 business men of the 

 State met in that city and organized the- West 

 Virginia Immigration and Development ASM>- 

 ciation, said association to have in each county 

 a county auxiliary, to be organized as soon as 

 practicable by the representatives of each 

 county in tm's convention, the necessary steps 

 to be taken to organize the counties not here 

 represented. 



Election Frauds. The Governor says, in his 

 biennial message to the Legislature, in 1889 : 



Keproach has been cast upon our State as never 

 before by illegal, fraudulent, and corrupt voting in al- 

 most every county within its borders. This Ls so 

 palpable that " he who runs may read." The capita- 

 tions of 1884 were 133,522, and the entire vote : after 

 the most active political campaign ever made in the 

 State. 137.5-27. The capitations of 1888 were 147.4ns, 

 and the vote 159,440. The difference in the capita- 

 tions and the vote in 1884 was 4,065, in 1888 it was 

 12,032. This shows an increase of votes in four 

 years of 21,853, which, if legitimate, would indicate a 

 population of 900,000, and an increase in four years of 

 much more than 100,000. It is certain that no such 

 increase has taken place. 



The Governor advises, among other reme- 

 dies, the passage of a registration act, although 

 its operation would seem to be -limited, if not 

 destroyed, by the following provisions of the 

 State Constitution : 



No citizen shall ever be denied or refused the 

 right or privilege of voting at an election, because his 

 name is not, or has not been registered or listed as a 

 qualified voter. 



The Legislature shall never authorize or establish 

 any board or court of registration of voters. 



Freshets. On July 11 and 12, in consequence 

 of heavy rains, an unusual rise and overflow of 

 many of the rivers of the State occurred, inun- 

 dating a large territory and sweeping away 

 bridges, buildings, crops, and other property. 

 The rise of the waters was in many streams 

 greater than ever before known. Scarcely a 

 week later, on July 19, the city of Wheeling 

 and vicinity was visited by a storm of great fnry, 

 though scarcely of an hour's duration, which 

 destroyed bridges in the city limits, eight peo- 

 ple thereon being drowned, and caused great 

 loss of property. On August 21, another de- 

 structive storm swelled the rivers and swept 

 away bridges and property in the northern 

 portion of the State. The homes and entire 

 property of many were swept away, and whole 

 villages were for a time dependent on the 

 charity of their neighbors. 



Political. The earliest nominations for State 

 officers were made by the Union Labor party, 

 which met in convention at Charleston on May 

 3, and selected as candidates, S. H. Piersol for 

 Governor; J. H. Burtt for Auditor, who later 



