Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-04-01
An Astonishing Series of:Falsehoods.

greatness of the Reform Assembly
just adjourned, but to make anything
like point, it is forced to the necessi-
ty of resorting to fiction, to most as
tonishipg degree, which is neither
creditable to the candor Of the editors,
nor complimentary to the sagacity of
their readers, the most of whom will
be sure to detect the imposition which
is sought to be palmed off on them.
We lquote FROM editorial articles the
following paragraphs, which we have
numbered, for convenience in our COM
meats, with which we have followed
them:
/, The legislature adjourned at 9 clock
P. NJ, yesterday, after session of forty-nine
days This is the shortest regular session
of the legislature ever he in Wisconsin.
Q. The appropriation bills passed by the
last Republican Legislature provided for a
state tax Of 1921, 40, but that was not suit
Republican administration.
) To meet the current expenses Treas
urer Be;z was Obliged to make forced
of the State This sum the administration
mad TO provide for ic its estimates for next
year
4. The Republican Senate asked for
State tax OF S357.5 525 TO provide for the dis
bursements OF the year, but the Reform
Assembly, after consulting the Secretary of
State, concluded that $257525 would be
amply sufficient. This amount could have
beeu reduced another $lO0 600 if the Senate
had not defeated numerous bils for Topping
off useless and extravagant expenditures.
5. 1t could have been reduced another
500 900 had the Senate concurred in the
action of the Assembly in taxing Insurance
companies and increasing the !iceuse bill
OF railroad. to 5 per cent. The Senate stood
in the way OF every measure for retrench-
ment adopted by the Reform Assembly.
6 1t is the only assembly that refused
railroad passes aud remained at the capital
| attending to business during the en- tire ses-
sion.
7. 1t is the only Assembly that made o
material reduction in all the expenditures
| of the State Government. 1t is the ouly
| Assembly that passed bill TO tax express
and telegraph companies doing business in
| tbe State
8. 1t is the only Assembly that ever
voted to tax lite insurance companies and
| to increase the license fee on railroads TO
| per cent ,...
| 9. 1t is the only Assembly that attempted
to regulate warehouses in this State, and TO
y =. - the charges so as to save The farIne r
one cent a bushel on all the grain he took
to market.
10. |, is the only Assembly that passed a
bill to prevent stockholders from contract
ing with themselves
| Il. The reform Assembly is the only
Legislative body that ever met in Wiscon
sin that knew enough to adjourn when i.s
work was done.
To which we make reply as follows !:
l. The legislature adjourned after
a session of SO days, having previous
ly agreed to adjourn one day later, and
made up the pay rolls of its officers
and employees for 60 days. After get
ting the money in their pockets three
or four senators and as many assembly,
men," in the language of the Demo-
crot, met and, illegally Of course, voted
to adjourn day sooner than that fix
ed by quorum Of the two bodies.
The sessions of 1850. 1857, 1868 and
1869 were shorter than the session Of
1874.
2. The appropriation bills passed by
the last legislature provided for no
state tax whatever. We suppose the
Democrat means they called for sta e
tax Of 1921, ,ll0, but then the editor
ought to know that that tax was lev led
for the estimated expenses Of 1874
and not 1878.
3. Treasurer Betz borrowed not
a dollar from the trust funds to meet
current expenses. He did borrow
from other unemployed fands to meet
drafts on the general fund which had
not been included in the estimates
when the tax-levy Of 1872 was voted,
but the loans to meet the overdrafts
were all added to the tax-levy Of last
fall, as provided by the law Of 1859,
and there was no deficiency whatever
in the revenues that the present legis-
lature had to provide for The defcien-
cy which did exist at the close of the
last fiscal year was occasioned in part
by making appropriations, in 1873,
payable the same year, of the follow
ing amounts, which were not included
in the estimates of the year previous
when the tax was levied:
Madison Hospital for the Insane ......s3l 1875
Northern Hospital for buildings etc.. $4,000
industrial School for Boys, new
bulldln g................ .. Lo,ooo
State prison Indebtedness. ............. O,OOO
Capitol Park ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 26,85G
Total. ,225
AS before stated, these several
amounts were included in the tax roll,
last fall, and The amount in the
treasury, and the late legislature did
not have to increase or provide for
a tax of single dollar, on account of
any deficiency in previous revenues.
By turning to Mayor Martins report
-..bl;ohod h. . mill ha