The weekly clarion., 1871-02-02
RADICAL WASTE OF PUBLIC
MONEY.
what Ghe Governors Message
Exhibits.

apology with which the facts he bring
out are glazed over, really add to th'
hideousness of the picture of fraud anC
corruption which is held up to the in
dignant gaze of the deeply wrOnged tax
payers.
Let us take his own figures as trans
ferred from the official paper to TIL
CLARION of Tuesday. In a compare
tive statement of the expenses of con
Quoting the State government in the
years 1861 and 1870, the following ex
hibit is made:
LEGISLATION :.... 1851 1870
$569O9 $24ll
Showing that under this item more
than four times as much was expended
by the carpet-baggers and scalawags il
1870, than by the representatives of the
people in 1861. In 1870 there was one
session, but it was long drawn out, and
the public money flowed like water from
the gushing torrent, into the mouths Of
the treasury leeches.
The Governor himself, explains in
part how the thing occurred. FIocks OF
vultures that had swarmed hither, far
and near, were quartered ON the public
crib. Hosts of underlings, such as clerks
of committees, attaches, retainers, wait
ers, etc, were sinecured at enormous
costs. The Governor don't tell us bow
much the per diem of clerks was in 1861.
1t is safe to assume that it was mere
cypher. But he does show that it was
FIVE TIMES as much in 1870 as in 1865
He shows further, that while the mileage
of members in 1870 was $29, ,664, it
was but S22, 12S in 1865"
And now behold these startling figures
Per diem of members in 1865, FORTY
SIX THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND
sIxTY-TwO DOLLARS. In 1870, ONE
HUNDRED AND sIXTY-sIX THOUSAND sII
HUNDRED AND THIRTY-TwO. He does
not tell what the per diem of members
was 1861, but if he had consulted the
Code of 1857 and referred to his own
experience, he might have shown that
the compensation voted themselves by the
Mongrel Legislature was double the pay
allowed by the law in 1861. But the
case is strong enough as he makes it ;
under the extraordinary demand for war
rants and the increase of taxation they
have been run up almost to par rates, as
they were under low taxes and economical
government in 1861, but they were at a
ruinOns discount in 1865 in consequence
of the disturbance of value and the dis
ordered condition of affairs generally.
The following is another exhibit in the
message:
PRINTING: G:....lS 1861 1870
$S,025 1876
What has caused this immense differ
ence? Not by increase of work, or labor
performed, but increase of prices. When
the printing bill was under consideration
at the last session, without extenuating or
setting down ought in malice, we ex-
planned that its passage would be gross
outrage on the public. A slight modif-
cation was pretended but it was finally
manipulated into legal shape by the ring
concerned in the job, so as to produce
the enormous extortion described in the
message.
How has this result been brought
about? In 1861 the law prescribed that
for printing two thousand copies of the
pamphlet acts t1co dollars and eighty cents
per page and one dollar and forty cents pen
page for the number of pages ia one copy
of one additional thousand copies should
be allowed. The law of 1870 by which
the treasury is goughed, according to the
Governor, to the tune of upwards OF
S52, 900, allows SIR dollars and thirty cents
per page for two thousand copies and taco
dollars and sixteen cents for each addition
al thousand per page for as many printed
pages as may be contained in one copy.
pamphlet Acts 1870, p. 622. Showing
an increase of nearly three times in thi.
simple item, under the law of 1870 over
the former rates.
For printing the Journals of 1861, the
law allowed for one thousand copies the
sum of one dollar and hirty-fUe cents pei
page for as many pages as were contained
in one copy. For the same work the law
of 1870 allows four dollars and eighteen
cents per page. Being nearly four times
as much for the same acork.
In 1861, tloo dollars and ten cents per
page were allowed in printing bills, fo1
the number of pages in one copy. For
the same work the law of 1870 allows
from four dollars and ninety cents to sia
dollars per page.
These are but specimens of the way in
which the Mongrel ring is literally rob-
bing the treasury by the use of the power
which they have secured to break open
its doors, and to grind taxes out of the
people. The results are somewhat mine.
ingly stated by the Governor, who ex
postulates mildly with the evil-doers, i'm.
Ploring them to desist, instead of driving
them from the places which they desc
crate, as our Saviour did the money
changers who essayed to convert the holy
temple into den of thieves.
Take the item under the head of
JUDICIARY. 1861 1870
$l44,565 $226,39O
Showing an excess of $S1, ,825 in the
carPet-bag era of 1870, over the year
1861 IN the cost of supporting Judi