St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-12-05

| this large expenditure on the 1ourI
house has been an unnecessary, I'M
called for extravagant piece OF ousi-
ness from start to finish, and IS on
par with the extravagant manner IN
which the affairs of the state are now
and have been for the last few years
| conducted.
We do not believe that there has
ever been a time in the history OF the
state when money has been so reck-
lessly appropriated and extrava-
gantly spent as within the past few
years, and thai too when the great
| farming industry on which a large
majority of the people of the state
depend for living, has been in de-
pressed condition, fairly struggling
as you might say to keep out OF
bankruptcy. While the income OF
every farmer has been growing less
| from year to year, the salary of near
| lyevery state officer has been increas-
ed, useless commissions have been
| created, unnecessary offices estab-
lished with salaries ranging from five
to eight dollars a day, and money
has been appropriated for almost
| every conceivable object, from build
ing bridges in Grand Isle county to
paving the tuition of students at
Burlington college.
The last two or three sessions Of
the Legislature has been SO lavish in
appropria ting money for different
objects that it seemed as though the
easiest way to get bill passed was
to tack an appropriation to it. The
large amount of money raised under
the corporation tax law, so called,
which ought to have been sufficient
to pay the expenses of the state un-
der an economical management, is
spent, and q state tax nearly as
large as we had a few years ago be-
fore the corporation tax law was
passed called for, and the lnd1ca tons
now are that the two combined will
not be sufficient to pay the expenses
of the state for the last two years
and that the next treasurer report
will show that the state is running
into debt.
The most important question for
the people of this state to decide at
this time is, how much longer this
state of affairs is to continue. They
may make up their mind to one
thing certain, that it will continue
and probably grow worse unless
they wake up and give this matter of
state expenditures a thorough over
hauling from top to bottom. The
whole tendency of the times is to-
ward extravaganza in town, munich
pal and state expenditures, and moth
ing but eternal vigilance on the part
of the tax payers will prevent it.
What can the people do to correct
the present state of affairs and bring
the state back to an economical
management? They can elect a clean
business man for governor, who has
sufficient knowledge of state affairs
to know where the leaks are and
disposition to do his level best to
stop them, and a Legisla ture that has
sand enough in it to put the salary
of state officers to correspond with
the income of the people,; to abolish
the useless commissions, unnecessary
offices and refuse to appropriate
money for any but necessary and
legitimate state expenses. The vO-
tiers of the state can do this if they
have a mind too, and this is all that
is necessary to do, and we are glad
to say that the indica tons are that
they are about ready for the job.
When you vote for members of the
next Legislature do not vote for any
man for senator or representative
unless he is squarely for an econOmi-
cal management and a thorough
overfauling of the affairs of the state,
and do not question a mans politics
as much as you do his disposition
and ability to do good work III the
cause. If the republican party of
this state is wise i'll its generation
and wishes to retain the confidence
of the voters, which it has SO long
held, it will give assurance before the
next election that this extravaganza
in state expenditures shall be cor
rected and that the affairs of the
state shall be brought back to q pru-
dent and economical management
If it does not do this it is likely to be
treated to a surprise party, like that
which the party has lately been treat
ed to in Iowa.
The democratic party has not had
so good an opportunity within the
last generation to appeal to the
voters of this state and be listened
to asst will have in the next election,
and if it will make an active canvass
of the state on purely state issues, it
will give the republican party the
hottest fight it has had within the
memory of the oldest inhabitants.