Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-07-17
Democratic Statements Exposed
and Refuted.
From the Somerset Reporter. !

From the Somerset Reporter.
Mr.. Dana of Portland, chairman of the
Democratic State Committee, better stick to
his apothecary shop, his pills, pukes and
plasters unless he can keep a little closer to the
truth than he did in his opening speech in
the Democratic State Convention at Bangor.
July LIST.
His first gross misstatement that we pro-
pose to notice is that the Opposition to the
republican party which came into power
last January, secured a saving in State cx-
penditures Of nearly $500, 900" In our is
sue of June 10 we demonstrated that in order
to make a big showing of savings, sundrv
papers made sl50,00O, temporary loan and
other items TO do double duty by adding the
amounts to the appropriations of 1873 and
also deductlng them from those of 1879. We
the appropriations Of 1873 and 1879, throw
ing out the item of temporary loan, viz
Sll7 ,G0f, which is but trife greater than
the average for the three preceding years.
The appropriations foot up 1924 935 less than
of 1875, showing an average annual rcduc-
ton of Sl0S,3l2 and this without the great
cry of economy and reform raised by the
democracy of last winter.
He says: 'we have been raising by State
tax more than Sl,0O0,000 every year for State
purposes. when 1874 is the last year the
State tax was above that amount. In 1915 it
az GSnu
Us and in 1873, $500, ZIP, but the msstatc-
ment to the amount of few hundred thou
sand dollars is small to the party he repre-
sents and was doubtless intended to prepare
his hearers for the whopper he tells when he
gives the state debt at nearly 1000, 900
The correct statement of the matter is as fol-
lows:
Bonded debt less sinking fund, sisiG o0l a,
trust ihhd Tor which state Is liable, 53o, OIL. 10
Making the Indebtedness of the State ------
bonded and otherwise, S5,554 900 Q5
instead of nearly 1000 900
The DR.. must have had help in getting off
falsehood of this magnitude or rather we
may say it was "stolen thunder" originated
in the House of Representatives last winter
by no less parsonage than Mr. Pickard of
Bangor, and paraded In the National Demo-
crat under startling headlines. The Repor-
ter exploded the thing then by incontroverti-
BILE facts and figures, it was copied into all
the leading papers of the State. but still the
same old coon appears in chairman Dana's
speech at Bangor with all the freshness of a
new discovery.
The perversion of figures about the appro-
priasions of 1896 and 1873 is ingenious He
does not state the fact that the appropriations
Of 1886, S5i4, 463, WAS reduced each year un-
der republican rule until 1861, when it
amounted 10 but 1889, 729; nor does he at
tempt 10 tell his hearers that the principal
items. the 1851, 900 interest on public debt.
$50, 479 for the sinking fund; S2G, 900 for
the public debt, S25. 900 for soldiers pen
sions; and $4,000 for orphans of soldiers.
total Of S496,019 of that increase is direct
ly attributable to the war forced upon the
country by the democratic party South sus-
tanned and prolonged by the democratic party
North, nor does he mention the item of s23O.-
o36 mill tax for the support of schools that is
merely transferred from the towns to the State
sggregatiDg s726,ll5 Of the increase which
brings the usual appropriations below $780,
600. There are other matters, such as the
establishment Of three Normal Schools, the
Agricultural College, the Industrial School
for girls, ETC., but Of course Chairman Dana
did not have time to allude TO these things al