Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-09-08

treasury, for school purposes, s95s p.
10 other words, my friends, YOU received
from the State s36a .55 more than You
paid iato il treasury. think yoR will
agree with me that if all the Affections of
life sltomld come in this form they couht be
borne .ith resignation and even with cheer
fulne-s.
note that my friend Hon. Nelson Dingley,
Jr., the able representative from the Second
Congressional District, in recent speech.
stated that in no Democratic state of the
MON are taxes 80 low as they are in the
Republican State of Maine. In the light OF
DemocraIic precedent, my friends. believe
YOU will tieem il wisdom for Maine to leave
its affair in the hands of the great party
which has 20 successfully administered them.
so mach for the sources of the State
income and Its hearing upon the pockets
of the people Now let Us consider brief
Is. the manner of its expenditure. Thi,
j. -uhiec: upon which MIR johnson
has dweh at great length, endeavoring to
make his hearers believe that the Republic
can party. although it has decreased the
rate OF state taxation nearly one-half dur
ing the past decade, has vet been guilty of
all manner of reckless extravaganza in its
the expenses of the State government in
some of lis departments have increased since
lss2 This is 10 be expected That wa, ten
wears ago. and, incomprehensihle Il. it may
seem to members of the Democratic party
who never appear To take into account such
i thing ~ progress, We have male very
gratifying growth during the decade, both
i'll popul dion AMI in wealth The business
largely augmented during thar time, | know
from PERSONAL observation that there is not
a single one of the departments whose work
has not largely increased during this time
and IN some of them it has more than doub-
led Zach succeeding Legislature has i'm
posed rev duties upon some or all of them
asile from the natural growth attending
their 3bors.
TAX for instance, the secretary OF
state, office. In 1878 the State department
paid into the treasury revenue TO the
amount of S3219.oo. Last year the same
department paid the State S;3, 1900
gain of S29, ,j2I .u0.
Despite the great growth of business
shown by these figures, the State depart
ment, under its present able and accom-
plished secretary. has but one more clerk
to.lat than it had in 1873. The gain III
revenue in this single department which. as
a result of laws passed by Republican Legis
Iaturrs, comes very largely from wealthy
corporations doing business in other states.
is nearly enough to pay the salaries of all
the State officers, and yet the speeches of
Mr.. Johnson. which ostensibly give an ex-
haustyc review of State finances, contain
no mention whatever of this important
item.
In iss2 the Insurance Department turned
into the State treasury revenue to the
amount of sl627 @. In 1891 the same
department. under the alhe management of
u son of troostook, Hon. Joseph q.
Smith, paid the State S92G2 90 gain of
,>16.ii :}3, which comes chiefly in fees from
rich Insurance companies located in other
states. Notwithstanding that the work of
this department has considerably more than
doubled in the last decade it has only one
clerk.
Asa result of laws passed during the past
decade the work of the school department
has been more than doubled, but notwith-
standing this fact the department has had
no increase in its working torcc-the pres
cnt able secretary employing hut one clerk.
The addition to the State House has fully
doubled the duties of my friend, General
b. F. Harris, the efficient superintendent of
public buildings. and has rendered abso-
lutely necessary the employment of some
additional help, but Mr.. Johnson in his po-
litical addresses makes no note of
the fact that such an addition has been con
structed.
In u similar manner has the labor of all
the departments increased during the de
cAde You, vino have listened to, or read,
the campaign speeches of the Democratic
gubernatorial candidate, will doubtless he
surprised TO learn that the aggregate sala-
ries of the State officials are M higher to
day than they were in lH1a. ask your
attention to a table of such salaries for
ISIS aud ISo2 which will read YOU and
which shows that there has actually been II
decrease in the total of such salaries. Note
the comparisons