The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-09-07
FALSE FIGURING.
Hon. James A. Troutman Replies
to a Populist Figure Juggler.
The False Totals Displayed by the Assist
- ant Secretary of State-How Modern
Reformers Plunge Into In
tricate Problems.
From the Topeka Capital.l

reached me two days after its publlca-
ton in the newspapers.
1t is true, Daniel. that have exposed
Eome of the absurdities in that little
campaign book. Flexible Fallacies,
which your committee has issued under
the misnomer of stubborn Facts.
On page 80 of this book you say the
peoples party has sa-ed the state ST.
4l2, 63623. As you have been informed,
in speaking of this item Ihave 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 living around the state house
somewhere and have supported my po-
sition by reading a 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. $50. % there was Sl22,-
1I5I5 less money in the state treasury
than when you commenced saving 1t.
In other words. l 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
eiition reduced the surplus left in the
treasury by the republicans Sl22. lis. 10
Your book says you saved Sl,4l2.-
636. o. Your letter to me says you
saved s.. 721. 332.2l. Both statements
cover the same period of time. You
do not give estimates, but exact
figures. vet there is a trifiing discrep-
ancv of 81. BOG, 695.9S. You say, Daniel.
that you have been a teacher for six
teen wears and feel competant to give
instructions in tigers" 1t seems to
me. Daniel. that a ''figerer" who can
not come within S1.30S, 695.9S of bal
ancing his books would not command
a very high salary as professor of
'efigers' in any reputa BILE college.
Again. Daniel. you say the populists
turned back into the treasury uneX-
pended balances at the close of the
fiscal year. June 30. 1898. $3.50. 095. "a and
June so. 1894. S1s9.657.Os. \ 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.
j 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
turned back into the treasury 500. 43s. SO
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 1915. l4S. 56. The
money appropriated and not used by
the republicans. according to your
showing, was $50, O47.91 greater than in
1893. when Your party was in control
half the year and SIPS. 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 S244,650
in reduction OF salaries of county Off
Gals"
No. Daniel don't know anything of
the kind. and neither do You. There
is no -ray 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 S244.65O. or airy
other definite sum. has been saved b.
this class of legislation you attempt to
deceive the people by palming off the
exaggerated guess of a poorly informed
man for official figures. Besides. this
fixing of the salaries of county officers
by special legislation is a republican
precedent. More than this. every act
under which you claim this sum was
saved was passed by the concurrence
of republican house and a populist
senate and the credit. whether large or
small. must be divided between the
two parties.
You say. Daniel. in Your book. that
you saved to the tax payers S1,4l2. $780,
%. In your letter to me YOU admit
that S722. S54.42. over half the whole
sum. was not saved at all but was
imposed upon another.
You refer to a long list OF items ag-
gregating s170650SS. which you desig-
nate republican deficiency bills. =
Permit me to call your attention.
Daniel. to the fact that you have in
cluded SlS.4l2.50 agricultural college
interest fund. and $40. sell 80 normal
school interest fund in this list. Not a
dollar of this money was contributed
by the tax payers of the state.
IT arises from interest on outstand-
ing land contracts and is set
apart by the government for this speci-
fic purpose. An error in the appropri-
alton bill OF 1891. legislature in which
Your party had a large majority. rem
dered 1t impossible to pay ont this
money. and these institutions were de-
prived OF its use for two years by rea-
son of that error. and vet You include
this in your estimate of money saved to
the taxpayers of Kansas If you will
examine the statutes of the state you
will find that deficiency bills have been
necessary at every session of the legis-
lature. You viii 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
provide for. =
Relative to the charge that the adj
ministrarion is collecting Doodle for
campaign funds from disreputable
sources. permit me to say, Daniel. that
] have not made this charge. The adj
ninistration of your party is on trial
and the electors of the state are the
jury / have simply put upon the stand
a number of populist witnesses who
have testified concerning this charge