The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1888-10-19
That Lying Circular.
Gen. Alger On State Taxes and that
"Fatherless' Circular.


The democrats are circulating in Shia-
wassee county and all over the state, a
lying circular regarding state taxes
While at Adrian on the 4th Gen. Alger
held one of them up and thus referred to
il:
"The old devil himself couldn't exceed
this for prcvarication." he said Elf /
am little plain in my words, you must
excuse me. generally say what mean. !"
"Give em -, general!" shouted some
one in the crowd, amid great daughters
II only wish l could. Laughter.
circular when he got it out? 1t is y cow
am going 10 read you some of the things
in this circular. 1t makes Gov. Begoie
out one of Michigans greatest governors
1t purports to show that the rate of tax
alton has increased alarnlDgly since he
went cut of office. The only thing about
Gov. Begole's administration that pleased
me was the fact that he had TO give up to
me. who succeeded him. Applausel
The circular says that in 1884 under Gov
Begole the sum levied in state taxes was
SS93, 1888. Under Alger the next year
it was 81 ,665,361 You sec how extrava-
giant was. [Laughter.l Under Gov.
Luce, the circular says, the state tax
reached some 81, 100000.
while the governor of Michigan has
little more to do with the amount of the
expenditures than the humblest man in
the ranks Of either party, the circular
doesn't tell all. 1t says that the state tax
under Gov. Begole was some 5000, 600, but
1t dosent say that that WAS the last year of
his administration The first yearMr. Bcgole
was governor the tax was 81 ,474, 600, or
about six hundred thousand dollars more
than it was the last year. 1t doesn't say
that The 81, ,665, ,361 collected under my
administration was during the first year
was governor. 1t was but about one hun
dred and eighty thousand seven hundred
and sixty one dollars more than during the
corresponding year of Gov. Begoles adj
minis,ration. The circular doesn't say
that the Luce tax of $1,000, 600 was col
lected during his first year as governor.
Is 1t fair play to compare the tax in the
last year OF democrat governors admin
islralion with that of the first year of Pc
publican governors? Every man in
Michigan knows that we have biennial
sessions of the Legislature. The larger
portion of the amount needed to defray
the expenses of The state for two years is
collected the first year. Then the cxpen,
ses of the Legislature itself swell the
amount. If the man who got up the cir
cular had been an honest man, wouldn't
he have given all the facts?
The state tax has increased, although
vastly less than The rate indicated by the
circular. Where has the money gone to?
When was governor we built II $500, 900
soldiers home at Grand Rapids. During
a1,n; n;,sa
peninsula prison was started. cottage
was built here at the state institution in
Adrian. Money has been expended te
increas the capacity of the asylums in the
state that the increasing number of the
insane might be taken care Of
Michigan is growing more rapidly
than any other state In the northwest |
Her public institutions are going to keep
up with the general progress Michigan
takes care of her old soldiers, and she is
going to keep 1t up. Don't you believe IL?
Applause and cries ''yes."l Then there
are certain things, the conveying of con-
victed persons 10 the penitentiaries, for
instance, formerly paid for by the coun-
ties, which the state now pays for. Then
there's the mining school, too, and in
creased appropriations for the university.
The aggregate of needed improvements
made would account for the increase of
the state lax since 1888"
Gen. Alger paid high compliment to
Gov. Luce, saying that he had governed
the state as well as any man ever did or
ever can do. Taking up Don M. Dickin-
sons disparagement of New England, he
said he had received Wednesday night a
telegram from the secretary of the Home
Market Club in Boston, saying that New
England farms produced enough to feed
only 271, 900 of her 1000, 900 people.
The rest buy their food of the West He
told why, as lumberman. he did not
think the duty should be taken off lumber
and closed with reference 10 another cir
cular which seemed to to think that the
General was candidate this year. 1t
alleged that he employed men in his lum.
Der camp, paid them only 66 cents day.
and made them take store orders.
There is not single fact in the state.
ment,' said Gen. Alger, Except the fact