Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-10-04

A the meeting of the republican
state league held in Milwaukee on the
10th of Septembr, Horace A j.. TAYLOR,
of Madison, delivered a speech in
which he carefully reviewed the work
Of the two parties in managing affairs
OF the state. The figures given are Of
ficiaL and therefore will be read with
more than usual interest by all voters
Speaking about the democrats trying
TO keep out of sight the laundering
and dishonest work Of the democratic
congress, Mr.. Taylor said:
No. the democrats of Wisconsin do
not want to discuss national politics;
they propose to make the campaign
Soley on state issues. The republicans.
while they will not ignore the ma
tiOnal questions, the solutions of
which affect the business, investments
and wages Of every man, are yet quito
willing and anxious TO discuss state
affairs as well.
The democrats are seeking to eStab-
lsh the fact that this administered ton
has been an economical one, more
republican administrations that pre-
coded it. In the effort to accomplish
this they are reckleSSly reSorting to
the most unWalTanted and deceptive
methods.
1T is said that the most dangerous
falSeh0Od is to tell half the truth
This Is the democratic plan of discus
A Il irt of h1 inns
Wall and that accomplished public if
not private tinancier, the editor of The
Milwaukee Journal, both of whom
visited Madison for that purpose, a
secret conference was held with the
governor, secretary of state and
state treasurer, at which the tax
levy for 1894 was agreed upon, and
a manifesto issued forthwith and dis
tributed throughout the state
leave you to judge of the propriety of
allowing political managers. in secret
conferences with state officers to have
a voice in fixing the rate Of taxes. for
campaign purposes. The amount
agreed upon was extremely low, $40
COO or about one-fOurth the usual
levy. 1t is claimed and q more false
claim was never made by any party
or to any people, that this reduction
in taxes is the result of democratic
economy. 1t is declared with brazen-
ness of assurance never surpassed i'll
political desperation, that the admin
istratiOn, by prudent management and
good business methods, had accumu-
lated 50 much money in the treasury
that il was only necessary to levy
about One-fOurth the usual tax Moth
ing could be further from the truth.
| stand here to say to you. Mr.. Chair
man and gentlemen. and to the tax
payers of the state, that this admins
tratiOn has never saved the people Il
single dollar. On the contrary, the
undSputed figures Of the public rec
ordS show that it has been character
ized by extravaganza and waste
rather than by care and economy.
Every department of the state govern
ment, barring the secretary of states
office, has expended more money I'M
der three years of democratic rule
than was ever expended by tile same
departments under three years of re.
publican rule. All of the state penal
and charitable institutions. such as the
hospitals for the insane, the schools
for the deaf and blind, etc, have cost
more under democratic than they
ever cost under republican rule. The
members of the board of control and
regents of normal schools and other
officers have been allowed larger eX~
under republican rule. 1t has been
the same story everywhere in every
branch of the state government. And
expenses have continued to increase
yearly. Each succeeding year since
the pretended reformCrS have been in
power, expenses for like purposes have
been increased.
Now, before l present to you the Gill
cial figures of expenses incurred re-
Spectiyely by the republican and demo-
cratic administrations to SuhStantiate
the statements which | have made, i
wish to call attention to the unfair
ness and mathematical jugglery en-
ployed by the democrats to deceive
the people In the first place they
compare the state tax levy Of this
year, when owing to Il large and I'M
usual income there IS a great amount
-sof money on hand, with the tax levy
of 1890, when there was no money on
hand. and the usual tax levy was
n2aassary This is simply trickery.
If they were disposed to be honest
they would compare the taxes of the
four years of democratic rule with
the last four years of republican rule.
This comparison they make is q
very transparent fraud. But the
most monStrouS effrontery is the pre-
tension that the money in the treasury
has accumulated there as the result
of democratic economy. 1t has come,
not dollar of it, from reducing eN-
penSeS, but from an extraordinary IN
come. The democrats have not by eX-
ercising economy. paid out less money
than did the republicans, but from I'M
usual sources they have received more.
This extra money came from the eX-
treasurerS, 1927 .902.5 SO; the refllnding
of the direct war tax, SS9, 466. 100 the
interest on deposits, S46,644.7S and in
creased receipts from the railroads
and other corporations, $4,000. The
total of these unusual amounts re-
ceived in the last two years is largely
in excess Of the money now in the
treasury, S742, $1,000 Had not these
extra amounts been received. the ta1