Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1894-10-04

Our distinguished senior senator devot-
ed a couple of hours before the Demo
cratic state convention the other day IN
telling what his party had promised to do
and had not done, and arguing that there
fore it should be continued in power TO
give it a chance to redeem its broken
pledges. 1t is the first time that L ever
heard the theory advanced that party
ought to be trusted in the future because
it had proven false to its promises III the
past.
No. the Democrats of Wisconsin do not
want to discuss national politics.; they pro-
pose to make the campaign solely on
state issues The Republicans, while they
will not ignore national questions, the So
lutions of which affect the business, IN
vestments and wages of every man, are
vet quite willing and anxious to discuss
state affairs as well.
The Democrats are seeking to establish
the fact that this administration has
been an economical one, more saving Oh
the peoples money than the Republican
administrations that preceded it. In the
effort to accomplish this they are reck-
lessly resorting to the most unWarranted
and deceptive methods.
1t is said that 1.-The most dangerous
fasehood is to tell half the truth" This
is the Democratic plan of discussion. At
the dictation of Chairman Wall and that
accomplished public if not private hnan-
cer, the editor of the Milwaukee Jour
nal, both of whom visited Madison tor
that purpose, secret conference was
held with the governor, secretary OF state
and state treasurer, at which the tax
levy of 1894 was agreed upon, and o
manifesto issued forthwith and dlstrlb-
uted 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 rates of taxes for cam
upon was extremely low, $24O,OOO, or
about onefourth the usual levy. 1t is
claimed, and a more false claim was
never made by any party or to any peo-
pie, that this reduction in taxes is the
result of Democratic economy. 1t is de
clared with brazenness of assurance
never surpassed in political desperation,
that the administration, by prudent
management and good business meth
DDS, had accumulated so much money
in the treasury that it was only neces-
sary to levy about one-fourth the usual
tax Nothing could be further from
the truth / stand here to say to YOU,
Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen, and to
the taxpayers of the state, that this
administration has never saved the peo-
pie single dollar. On the contrary,
the undisputed figures of the public
record show that it has been character
lied by extravaganza and waste rather
than by care and economy. Every de
partment of the state government, barring
the secretary of states Office, has ex-
pended more money under three years of
Democratic rule than was ever expended
by the same departments under three
years of Republican rule. AL 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 MEM
bers of the board of control and regents
of normal schools and other officers have
been allowed larger expense accounts
under Democratic than under Repub-
lican rule. 1t has been the same story
everywhere, in every branch of the state
government.
Now, before / present to you the Off
cial figures of expenses incurred respect
lively by the Republican and Democratic
administrations to SubStantiate the state
ments which l have made, / wish to call
attention to the unfairness and mathemat-
zeal jugglery employed by the Democrats
to deceive the people. In the first place
they compare the state tax levy of this
year. when owing to a large and unusual
income there is a great amount of money
on hand and so only small tax is re-
quired, with the tax levy of 1890, when
there was no money on hand, and the
usual tax levy was necessary. This is
simple trickery. IT they were disposed
to be honest they would have compared
the taxes of the four years of Democratic
rule with the last four years of Repub-
lican rule.
This comparison they make is very
transparent fraud. But the most mon
strous effrontery is the pretension that
the money in the treasury has accrmulat-
ed there as the result of Democratic econ
omy. 1t has come, not dollar Of it from
reducing expenses, but from an extraor-
binary income. The Democrats have
not, by exercising economy, paid out less
money than did the Republicans. but
from unusual sources they have received
more. This extra money came from the
ex-treasurers. 1927 ,902.55: the refund
ing of the direct war tax. $50 1861 the
interest on deposits, SAG, 644. IS: and in
creased receipts from the railroads and
other corporations, $4,000. The total
of these unusual amounts received 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 re-
ceived. the tax levy for this year would
have been fully up to the average for the
past three years of Democratic control.
and much larger than the average under
the last years of Republican rule
The Democrats are not entitled to any
credit for this unusual income. except for
that received from the ex-treasurers But