Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-09-14
MALADMINIsTRATION.
Exposure of Republican Crooked.
ness in Iowa
The Executive Chnrgcable witt,
Gross MismannEcmcnt of State
Finances - Padded
Pay Rolls.

Inc republican po!ltlc!apS are cOnSlQ-
crably troubled over the exposures with
reference to the large state debt ofnearly
S1,oo0,ooO incurred through republican
proficiency, and they are panic stricken
on account of the exposures in regard to
the census scandals and state printing
steals that were investigated by a
legislative committee last winter. An.
other matter that is giving them great
deal of trouble is the facts that are
being unearthed with respect to reduc-
lions in railway valuations for taxation
purposes.
The executive council, composed of
the governor, secretary of state, treas
urer and auditor, possess the jurisdic-
ton to place valuations on railway
property for taxation purposes. Dur
ing the last seven years the valuations
on trunk lines, such as the Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy, Chicago & North
western, and the Chicago, Rock Island
e. Pacific railroads, have been regularly
reduced each year. The valuation on
the mileage of the main line of the
Burlington road was reduced by the ex-
ecutive council $500 per mile at the
session of the council early in this
year when the valuations were fixed.
There was great deal of contention
among the members of the council as
to the figures that should be set down
fer each road. The Burlington road
had friends on the council, and the
Northwestern had friends, and the
Rock Island had n friend or two, but
from developments it appears that the
people had no representative at all in
tn, executive council.
1t now turns out that State Treas
urer Herriott filed written protest
vigorously protesting against the enor-
nous reduction in the tax valuation Of
the Burlington road. This protest, for
some reason or other, is withheld from
the public. State Auditor Mccarthy
says that he doesn't know anything
about such paper, and the clerk of
the executive council is unable to give
any information on the subject. Mr..
Herriott is equally positive in the asser-
ton that he filed such statement, and
that IT was fully considered and dis
cussed and should have been made
matter of record. At the meeting in
1896, when the council fixed these valu-
atoms Mr.. Herriott made a similar pro-
test, and it was made a matter OF record.
1t is quite certain that this protest
will come to light within few weeks,
for there is copy of it in existence. The
record kept of the proceedings of the
executive council of late years amounts
to no record at all. II does not show
the votes of any Of the members of the
council on railroad questions, does not
show the discussions. does not show
who are the railroad friends and who
are not, but simply shows the final de-
eistap of the council in cases like that of
the reduction of railroad assessments.
The republican, weekly papers
throughout the state ara publishing
letters from the pen Of Mr.. Julian RicA-
ards, which set forth the republican
side of the campaign. The Des Moines
Capital reprints portion of one of
these letters from Mr.. Richards in
which appears the following:
During the bicnnia! period ending
June 80, 1893, which was entirely dur
ing the administration of Gov. Boies,
the disbursements for expenses of
state government and the maintenance
of the state institutions AMOUNTED to
$3,7S1, 219.27. This sum, it might be
4 well to say, exceeded the expenses Of
any other previous biennial period and
was reduced during the next period
under Gov. Jackson s$l56. S4o.ss."
In saying that 1.-THE disbupfEsyements
for expenses of state government aud
! the maintenance of the state iRstitu-
tiops amounted to $3,7s1,219.27" Mf.
Richards comnits a serious error. This
error is EXPOSED by Nv. +. L. Maxwell, a
prominent lawyer Of Des M0iRes. Mr..
Richards evidently took his figuGIs
from the auditors biennial statement
Of May IA, 1894, which is found on page
21O of the Acts and Resolutions ct the
Twenty-fifth General Assembly and ia
other public documents. As pointed
out by Mr.. T. L. Maxwell, only part
of the truth is stated by Mr.. Richards.
In one place in his statement it is
shown that the disbursements from the
general revenue" reached the amount
mentioned, but the error consists in
his saying that it was paid for
Expenses of state government and the
maintenance of state institutions"
The official statement contains an item
lied account showing what every war
rant was drawn for; and among others
is this item which some one has con-
1 NJ ant
school fund bonds, $234, 4os.o1." Clear
ly this is neither an Expense of the
state government" nor maintenance
| of the state institutions" yet it is in
cluded in the amount which was dis
bursed, as stated.
1t is generally known that the per-
manent school fund bonds represented
the obligations of the state to the school
fund, and that most of these obligations
were incurred in war times. 1t is also
known that "war tax refund" of $3S4,-
274.s0 was made by the federal govern
ment to the state in 1893. Before this
money was received the legislature, by
chapter 10, Acts of the Twenty-fourth
General Assembly, specially appropri-
ateu every ooilar Oh II 10 the payment
| of the school fund bonds and the cree
ton of the soldiers monument.
Now what is the truth in regard to
Mr.. Richards statement, as shown by
the public records, which are open to
all? Instead of the state expenses and
| support of state institutions under
Gov. Boies amounting to $3,7S1, 219.27,
the true amount is $780, 2L26. In.
stead of Gov. Jackson reducing the