The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1857-01-22
Gov. cha sc,s ptessage-ltsInaSca.
Facy and UnfitfrncsS &

/
In Gov. Chsse's recent message. n 4 Al
legged without auali6cstion. that ssthe trut
amount" Of the current Slaie expenses 10
the fiscal year 1856, was less than those o
the previous year, by S3SO,665 "a.
We neither Know nor care VINO is respon
sible for the appearance OF an assertion o
this character, in the message of the Execu
tive. II is sufficient for our present purpos,
to know that the statement is deceptive il
its tendency, and untrue in point of fact. Al
a specimen OF the perversion Of truth which
was found necessary in order to arrive at the
result which is announced through the Gov
eTnOr, lei us examine what is told us in re-
gard to the New State House. Here VIZ
find that the message states the SUM Of S4s,.
[24 9s, as the total expen nditures for and OF
behalf Of that building during the entire fs
cal year ending on the 18th November, Sc
This statement on the part OF those who
made it, is either an egregious blunder, or II
is something which deserves aharsher name,
We have now before US, &he Report of the
State House Commissioners in which they
state (puge 81 in the plainest possible man
ner, that the sum named by the Governor
includes only the amount d:sbursed between
the 10th OF April and the 18th November
being the last seueR months OF the fiscal year
1856. The amount expended in the first fct
months Of the year, is carried back and ad
ded to the disbursements Of 1855! 1t is BY
this new kink in the science of book.keep-
ing, that the expenses of the last year o
democratic management, are made to appear
much greater than their actual amount, while
those Of the year 1856 are cOrrespoadingly
diminished. ...-.. ...'. ...
But Gov. Chase does not stop where the
above leaves him. In speaking of the pres.
ent Commissioners Of the State House, he
tells the Legislature and the public, that
"the fact that of the ninety thousand dollars
appropriated in April lsst, u FOR this service,
more than fortysix thousand remained un.
expended at the close Of the fiscal year, suf.
tciently tests the economy Of the manage.
ment." So says the Governor in his mes.
sage. But what are the facts! Why sim.
ply these, that although forty six thousand
dollars were allowed to remain undrawn
from the Treasury until after the fiscal yeuI
should be closed (November l5th,) yet in
six weeks thereafter, tnat large unexpended
balance was all used up and expended, ex.
cept some twelve thousand dollars: thus
muking total new expenditure of SIS, ,O0C
in little more than ttoo thirds of one year!
These latter facts, if they be denied, may be
found on page five OF the present State
House Commissioners Report 10 the GoUernor
himself. Nor is this all,--for when consd.
ering the lurge expenditures last noted, it
should neither be overlooked nor pass ed by
ia silerce; that the present Commissioner re-
have been under the necessity OF expendine
little or nothing in the purchase or procure.
ment of material required for their use from
the day they entered on their duties up 10 the
present hour. These had all, or nearly all,
been provided in advance by the old Board
OF Commissioners, and thence arose the State
House debt of which so much has been said
and published during the past year. 50
We might enlarge still further. But for
the present the above must suffice. 1t will
serve to some extent to keep our readers
from being deceived by the b lunders which
have found their way into Sto,c Documen,
which above all others should have been
closed against them.-Ne,oarh Advocate.