The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-10-23
The Republican Howl of Ex'rava-

All the Republican campaign orators
from their .up to date" candidate. JOHN
w. Griggs, dow tc the erratic and fooi-
ish Max Salinger. make it a point IN
their to arraign the Demo-
Gratis for what they cali their extrava-
gance and willful waste of the states
money. 1t is true hat they present no
figures, nor do they go into any detailed
statement of lust wherein or to what
exact amount the Democratic party has
wasted the peoples money. But they
make their statements in such a reck-
lessly assertive manner that many who
did not know the composition of the Re
publican campaign orator might look
upon The accusations as true bills.
The plain truth of the matter is that
all the charges of financial corruption
and waste of the public funds are the
most glazing mendacity, and, what
makes the matter worse. is that every
one who utters them. from Griggs down,
knows that what he utters is untrue.
The facts of the case are these:-In
1890 when Colonel William c. Heppen-
heimer as Comptroller and George r.
Gray of Newark as Treasurer took pos
session of the States funds, they were
the first Democrats to control the fnan-
cial affairs of New Jersey in seventeen
years. Their immediate predecessors were
those particularly bright and shining ex-
ample of Republican reform and econ
omy, Colonel John j. Toffey and Major
Edward j. Anderson. When Messrs. Gray
and Heppenheimer received the financial
department of the State from these gen
tlemen they found on their hands a float
ing indebtedness of $500, 900 and a paltry
balance in the treasury of $33, 76O.S7.
BY dint of careful administration of the
funds and economy, at the end of their
first year these Democrats had cleared
off the entire floating Indebtedness and
accumulated a balance of S402, 1884, 6. An
other year of Democratic administration
brought that balance up to $619, 701. IL. and
the next year when Colonel Hepper-
ment of the finance over to Messrs.
Swain and Hancock, the present Treas
urer and Comptroller. they handed over a
balance of s724. O3S.12 and no floating debt.
While they were thus carefully husband
ing the States resources and accumula-
ting a surplus in the State treasury
Messrs. H-eppenheimer and Gray reduced
the war debt from 1904, 700 in 1892 to $s3S,
900 in 1893, a reduction of 500, 800. Nor was
this all of the RECKLESS manner in which
the Democrats squandered the States
funds as the Republicans put it. So
recklessly did they "~sQuander'' the school
fund that when they left Office the Sc
~curities in that trust had increased from
{, 43o, 455.S7 to So, 438. 411.1o. a net gain OF
s7.s55.25.
This increase in the school fund was
made Notwithstanding very large ex-
%penditures for purely educational pur-
poses. and for rmane improvements
made to the Normal and Deaf Mute
schools. Notwithstanding that the war
debt was reduced ss6. 1900, without a dol
lar of floating Indebtedness; with every
just account fully paid as soon as pre-
sented: with disbursements for perma-
nent improvements and past appropria-
lions paid during the last fiscal year to
the amount of 1864, GAG. 36. the Democrats,
after three years management relin-
quished the management of the States
funds with a balance 10 its credit in the
bank of s724o5s.12; the largest balance a
the close of any fiscal year in the his.
tory of the State. And all this wa ac'
complished during a period of CONNER
ciaI depression which prevailed all over
the country
1T is another remarkable fact whicf
seems to escape the attention of the
campaign orators who are trying to
n the people into voting for Griggs
BY parading the dishonesty and genera