The Globe-republican., 1894-09-07
FALSE FIGURING.
Hon. James A. Troutman Replies
to q Populist Figure Juggler.
The False Totals Displayed BY the Assist
ant Secretary Of State-How Modern
Ref0rmers Plunge Into In
ericate Problems.
From the Topeka CapitaLl

Non D3nlei ZercQer- Topeka hdu
Dear Sir:-Your letter of August 25th
reached me two days after its publica-
ton in the newspapers
1t is true, Daniel, that have exposed
some of the absurdities in that little
campaign book. Flexible Fallacies,
which your committee has issued under
the misnomer of stubborn Facts. J"
On page 80 of this book You say the
peoples party has saved the state ST.
AZ, 636.23 As you have been informed,
in speaking of this item have said that
the valuation of property in this state
and the levy of taxes for state purposes
in 1892 and 1898 were approximately
the same, a difference of few
thousand dollars only, an insignificant
sum when you are talking about mil
lions. 1t is true that have said that
if this money has been saved it ought
to be lying around the state house
somewhere and have supported my po-
sition by reading letter from State
Treasurer Biddle showing that after
your party had pursued its methods of
economy and reform until it had saved
the state slap, 636 % there was Sl22.-
ll5.15 less money in the state treasury
than when you commenced saving it.
In other words. 1 show that your re-
form administration during the first
year of its history spent every dollar
paid by the people in taxes and in adj
dition reduced the surplus left in the
treasury by the republicans Sl22. l15. 10
Your book says you saved 1,412,-
$50. %. Your letter to me says you
saved Sa.72l. 332.2l. Both statements
cover the same period of time. You
do not give estimates. but exact
figures, yet there is trifling discrep-
ancy of 81. 306. $3.50. You say. Daniel.
that you have been a teacher for six
teen years and feel competant to give
instructions in tigers" 1t seems to
me. Daniel. that ''figerer" who can
not come within s1,3Os. 695.9S of bal
ancing his books would not command
very high salary as professor of
'.figers" in any reputable college.
Again, Daniel. you say the pOpulists
turned back into the treasury unex-
pended balances at the close of the
fiscal year. June 30. 1893 $3.50. O95. "a and
June 80, 1894. $3.50, 657.OS. A little over
half of the fiscal year ended June 30.
1873, was under republican control and
the savings of that period were the
joint products of both administrations.
/ cannot refrain, Daniel, from calling
your attention to the fact that your
own figures show that when you had
republican assistance half the year.you
L., SO 81 eco &c
more than was turned in the next yea r
when YOU had full swing. Again. Dan
iel. cast your mathematical optics upon
page 45 of your book and read your
own statement that the amount of un-
expended balance turned back into the
treasury in 1891 was S315, 143 Sc. The
money appropriated and not used by
the republicans. according to your
showing, was $50, O4..9 81 greater than in
1898. when your party was in control
half the year and S125.4s6.4s greater
than in 1894. when it was in power the
whole year.
You say: Don't you know that the
populists saved the tax payers S244.65O
in reduction of salaries of county Off
Gals
No. Daniel. don't know anything of
the kind. and neither do you. There
is no way of computing this item. No
records of the fees and salaries of county
officials are kept and many of them
cannot tell themselves what their ag-
gregate compensation is. When you
assume to say that Sai4.65O. or any
other definite sum, has been saved by
this class of legislation you attempt to
deceive the people by palming off the
exaggerated guess of a poorly informed
man for official figures.
You say. Daniel. in your book, that
you saved to the tax payers S1.41:, $780,
g. In your letter to me you admit
that S722 s54.i2. over half the whole
sum. was not saved at all, but was
taken off one class of property and
imposed upon another.
You refer to long list Of items ag-
gregating Sl7O.65O.Ss. which you desig-
nate republican deficiency bills"
Permit me to call your attention.
Daniel. to the fact that you have in
cluded S1s,4l2.50 agricultural college
interest fund. and e6,se1. 80 normal
school interest fund in this list. Not
dollar of this money was contributed
by the tax payers of the state.
It arises from interest on o1tstand-
ing land contracts and is set
apart by the government for this speci-
ic purpose. An error in the appropri-
alton bill of 1891, a legislature in which
your party had large majority, rem
dered it impossible to pay out this
money, and these institutions were de-
prived of its use for two years by rea-
son of that error, and yet you include
this in your estimate of money saved to
the taxpayers of Kansas If you will
examine the statutes of tbs state you
will find that deficiency bills he-e been
necessary ut every session of the iagis-
lature. You will find the same thing
in every state in this union. 1t is i'm
possible for any legislature to antici-
pate all necessary expenses. Emer-
gencies arise and expenses must be in
CURED that future legislatures have to