The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-01-29
HOW THE PARTY CAN WIN.

Max Pepper, who is chairman OF
the Democratic State Central COM
mittee. has outlined plan of campaign
by which he believes the Democratic
party can carry the next election in this
state.
He truly says that the expense OF sup
porting the state government OF Cslifor-
MIA is away out of proportion to the ex-
penses that have to be met by any other
state in the union. That our public ex-
penses are monstrously large only re-
quires to be made apparent by COM
parison of ours with those of some of
the other states. California expended
in the year 1891, with population OF
l,20S, $50, $7,946, GIG; per capita, 1857
New York state, possibly one OF the rich
est and best able to conduct state gov
eminent literally, of all the states in the
union, expended during the same year
for the maintaining of it's state govern
ment, $l0,0lS, 1894, the population being
5,997 1858; per capita, s1.65. Neither of
these states being in debt at the present
time. therefore requires NO revenue
for the extinguisnment of any
past debts. The great state OF IL
linois expended in the same year
$4.9O7, 543; population 1925 3l1; per
capita. 81 20. Indiana, $4,471 ,946; pop
ulation, 2.192. 404; per capita. $2.03. In
some of the other states the per capita
falls astonishingly low. In Missouri,
for instance, it il "a low as 40 cents for
each inhabitant.
The expenditures OF this state are
made colossal by the extremes to which
we 60 in our charitable institutions and
the aid we extend great variety of
quasi-public ssylums and homes. In
the case of our insane, we outrank all
the states in the union. In the year
1891 our expenditure for the maintain
ing OF the insane was $685. In 1892
it was $9l6,5S7. 1t is true that come of
this money was expended for construc-
ton purposes, but when all the institu-
tions are in running order, the full
amount OF their maintenance will be
100000 or more per year. The great
state of New York, $117 800. In 1892
we paid out $4,000 for the support of
the INDECENT in this state.
Then We are overrun with
commissions of all kinds that
are literally supported out of the
pockets of the taxpayers. Our salaries
to puolic officers are too liberal for the
times, and compared with those obtained
for similar services in private life, they
are far too great. Yet this is not the
worst feature of the high salaries we
pay our officials, not only state, but city
and county. The prizes hung up for
public officers in the shape OF large sal
aries spread so iuordinate a desire
among the people to achieve Office that
it is demoralizing in it's effect. The rush
for nominations to lucrative places is sc
great that it carries corruption into our
conventions, and the disease extends
itself into all the methods customary in
this country to get into public Office.
But the grand fact before the people
40 VIZ oRoOiOso AcOObulbJ w Cub QOWU
very materially the cost of maintaining
our state government. The party that
will make an earnest movement to Sc
cure this result-thst will show de.
termined desire to retrench public ex-
penses in every direction, lop off USE
less offices and commissions, bring our
charitable institutions down to reason
able figure, reduce salaries OF public
officials sufficiently to curb the lust for
Office, and relieve the taxpayers of the
enormous burthen which they are now
forced to bear, will win in the next ca m
paign. But it must be a sincere, earn
est determination, and the people must
believe it to be SO, or it will ignobly
fail.