The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-31

venting the democrats of that state from
making a very thorough canvass. The in
dications are that they will have large
majority for their national and state ticket,
and that they will elect their local ticket In
about all the countie' The impression is
that their sta e and county tickets will re-
ceive more votes than tueir national ticket,
because there are republicans who, while
they will vote for national republican
candidates, will cast their ballet for demo
Gratis for state AID county offices. Indeed,
about all tie better class of republicans
would greatly regret to have the state pass
into the control of the republican party
again. They have not forgotten the burden
of taxation which the republicans imposed
upon the people when they were in power,
and they are not quite willing to have that
burden imposed again.
A few weeks ago Mr.. W. D. Chipley, the
chaii man of the democratic executive COM
mittee of the state, issued an address which
should be read by every citizen Of Florida
who wants to see the state prosperous. In
that address he pciuts out few OF the dlf-
feYences between democratic and republican
| control of the state, and shows that the re-
publicans, when they were in power, were
| guilty of the most reckless waste and ex-
travagance, ard that they increased the
public debt from $685.. $50 IS to 81, $50, 564 GA.
In other words, in eight years the repubh-
cans, beside the enormous taxes which tEey
| collected and spent, piled up an additional
debt of 81, 132, 707 so.
What did the republicans do with this
vast amount of money! They did not make
any public improvements, and they did not
spend it in maintaining schools and in
building school houses. A glance at their
legislative proceedings shows that the repub-
lican legislators squandered it in ways cal
culated to benefit themselves and their
followers. For instance, in eight years
they appropriated $l47 $3.50 "A for printing
for the legislature In the eight subsequent
years the democrats appropriated only
$40, 543 81. For stationery in the same time
the republicans spent nearly $4,000, though
many of them could not write. The demo-
Gratis in the same number of years spent
little more than 81, 500. in eight years the
republicans spent for expenses of the legis-
lature 1924, llS II, while in the following
eight years the democrats spent only S24O,-
10S IL
Figures like these make thinking repub
licans hesitate to vote the republican
ticket. They want good, honest and
economical government. and if experience
teaches them anything it is that they can
not have such government under republican
rule.
Mr.. Chipley makes the statement, and
there is no doubt that it is correct, that If
the republicans had remained in power in
Florida the people of the state would have
had to pay, i'll all probability, at least ST.
900, 600 more in taxes than they have paid.
The statement is reasonable. The tax rate
under republican rule was 81 p on the
800; under the democratic rule it is only
40 cents on the 800. But evea with this
reduced rate the democrats have steadily
reduced the states debt
The democrats have now been in power
eleven years, and they have effected an
annual saving of about $3.50, 900 year, and
have made reduction in the debt of $685.
764 GA. Is not this record to be proud of,
and does it not justify every republican
taxpayer in voting to keep the democrats
in power!
The republicans claim that they are the
friends of progress and education, but are
they, What is their record in Florida2
When the republicans were turned out of
power there were 700 schools in the state;
now there are 5000. The standards of the
schools are now higher than they ever were
before, and the teachers are better. The
school funds are honestly applied to the
purposes for which they are appropriated,
and the schools are thoroughly organized
and conscientiously and arefully managed.
The democrats of Florida should, and
they doubtless will. make every effort to
get out big democratic vote. Some of
the northern republican leaders are boast
ing that their party will carry Florida. The
boat is an idle one, but the republicans
should be so thoroughly overwhelmed that
they will never have the courage to try to
carry the state again.