Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-10-01
Uniform Increase.

This table was made up from the stats
tics compiled by the non-partisan Board of
State Charities and is absolutely reliable.
1t tells the story with more eloquence and
force than any orator can express it. 1t
will be observed that at the Cleveland
asylum there was a decrease of 1881 per
capita and at the Soldiers and Sailors
home at Sandusky there was decrease of
seventy-three cents per capita, while in
every other institution except only the
Girls Industrial Home at Delaware, there
was an increase ranging all the way up
ward from 81 20 at the Athens asylum to
S1S03 at the Deaf and Dumb asylum at
Columbus.
The Cleveland asylum remained in
charge of DIR. Strong until after the close
of the year, while in like manner General
Force remained at the head of the Soldiers
and Sailors home at Sandusky.
In other words, in every institution of
which the Campbell administration took
charge, except only one, there was an ex-
travagant increase of expense e, while in the
only two not disturbed during the year
there was a decrease. But for the changes
made by Campbell there would have been
decrease in all, since supplies were
notably cheaper in 1890 than in 1889, and
good, economical management would have
shown a corresponding and uniform de-
crease in the cost of management The
account is not yet closed for the second
year, but enough is known to justify the
statement that the per capita cost will be
found to have been still further greatly in
creased; but if it should be only the same
shown by the table for the first year. the
cost to the State of Governor Campbell's
management of the public institutions,
over and above the cost of the manage
ment he criticised and succeeded, would
be, on this account alone, for the two
years of his administration, S142, 600, to say
nothing of the incompetency, demoraliza-
tion and scandals that have disgraced that
management.
Extravaganza All Along the Line.
The significance of these figures is in
the fact that they are only typical. All
along the line, in every institution, branch
and department of the States service there
have been like extravaganza and misman-
agement until the expenses of our State
Government for these two years have ag-
gregated the unprecedented sum of ST.
1876, 2O5, or S7S5,475 more than the cost of
my second term and S96S, ,9O2 more than
the cost of my first term. During my ad-
ministration we finished and fur
nished the Toledo asylum, rebuilt
an important portion of the Cleve-
land asylum that was destroyed by fire, |
built and furnished the Soldiers and Sail
ors' Home at Sandusky, continued the con-
struction of the intermediate Penitentiary
at Mansfield, and established and equip |
ped the Working Home for the Blind at
Iberia. These were all extraordinary eX-
penditures, amounting to nearly 81 600,
900, and on these accounts our aPpropria-
tions were necessarily largely increased
over what they would otherwise have
been.
During Governor Campbell's administra-
ton no institutions have been either built
or rebuilt, and, except the construction OF
the intermediate Penitentiary, which has
been continued, no occasion has arisen for |
any important extraordinary appr opria.
tions. His expenditures should therefore |
have been considerably less than during
either of my terms, but instead we see
them swelled to almost million dollars in
excess.
How to Avoid Bankruptcy.
In his speech of acceptance, Governor
Campbell, defending on this point, stated
that $780, 600, had been appropriated in one
item to provide farmers with the results |
of agricultural experiments; that $500, 900
had been appropriated for the Soldiers
and Sailors Orphans Home; that his ex-
penditures had not exceeded his income,
and that he had reduced taxation more
than 100000 per year by the repeal of the
sinking fund levy.
The first two of these statements are ut
terly unwarranted No such appropria-
tions we're made At least diligent search
has failed to discover any such items. In
stead of SEQ, ,0G0 for the benefit of farmers,
only 81, 600, all told, can be said to have
been appropriated on that account;
and for the Soldiers and Sailors
Orphans Home not one dollar was
ever appropriated, except to defray
its current expenses and to make ordinary
repairs and less than the usual improve
ments and additions. The other two state
ments have some color of truth, but not
any of the substance.
In no way can it be shown that his in |
come has exceeded his expenditures, ex-
cept by counting as a part of his income
the s., 100000 refunded by the United
States government on account of the direct
war tax; and the repeal of the sinking fund
levy was solely due to the fact that
100000 of the direct tax money was
placed to the credit of the sinking fund. |
And yet such defense, worse than none
at all, is the best he can make. If the peo- |
pie of Ohio would not have their State |
Government bankrupted, they must ex-
cuse Mr.. Campbell, as they excused each
of his Democratic predecessors at the end
of one term.
Last year the United States paid
Great Britain SCI, ,726, ,7O7 for tin plate,
and during the last nineteen years it has
paid England $2S3, ,671 ,246 for tin plate
The Mckinley law proposes that this
country shall produce the tin plate 1t
consumes. Why shouldn't it2
Governor Fosters second term cost
the people of Ohio, all told, $5,6S9,67 |
Campbell's 80 far has cost then ST.
S5,2O5, or ST. ,4o5, ,532 more.
How does the taxpayer like it? The
way to inaugurate great reform is to
vote for Mckinley.