Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-09-28
thousand. And like benefits were


certained what items have been taken
from the supply department at the cap
itol, or the value of such items.
The executive council dropped from
the paper in the supply department in
the capitol the water mark Iowa." SO
that not piece of this paper can be
traced.
The executive council placed no
check upon the legislative committees,
clerks and newspaper reporters, draw
ing materials from the supply depart
ment at the capitol.
The executive council provides for
and paid double salaries to political
favorites, and employees who were On
large salaries in the state department
were also placed on the janitors' roll
and paid salaries as janitors.
The executive council placed political
workers on the pay roll who were not
performing services for the state.
| The executive council has increased
the general tax levy 40 per cent.
The executive council has reduced
| the assessed valuation of the railroads
| of the state. For example, the Chicago,
| Burlington & Quincy railroad was as.
sessed by the executive council in 1893,
on 1924 miles, $6,150,57S; and this
year, on the same mileage, that road is
| assessed at $5,354,9s5-a reduction Of
nearly $1,0O0,O00.
| The executive council has abstracted
from the files or suppressed protest
that was made by one of its members
| against the increase of the taxes of all
the people and diminution of the taxes
| of the railroads.
All these things and many others
the executive council. composed of the
| governor, the auditor, the treasurer and
the secretary Of state, has done. What
more could ring of political scoun-
drels do in the way of Systematically
| looting the state treasury?
It has also been learned that in 1893
a number of gentlemen, railroad man.
ayers and capitalists, in the east con-
ceived the idea of placing themselves in
control of the political organizations in
several of the western states. Nebraska
and Iowa were especially marked by
them.
It is known that Frank Jackson, then
secretary of state in Iowa, and president
of large insurance company, and pos
sessing an accurate knowledge of state
affairs, was selected by these men, and
that Mr.. Jackson went to New York,
and was there at the time he was NOM
mated for governor. 1t is known that
almost the first thing he did after his
inauguration was to propose, among
other schemes, that of changing the
method of taking the census. Know
ing persons are also aware that every
time any member of the executive
council has objected to any of the va
rious plans proposed he has been
threatened sufficiently to drive him into
submission, to avoid political extinc-
ton.
1t will be remembered that when Sen
ator Waterman told Auditor Mccarthy
that the legislature had cut the allow
ance of janitor service for the capitol
building from $4,000 to $4,000 Nc
Carthy smilingly said: "0h. we (mean-
ing the executive counciD can get
around that" And the executive coun-
Gil did get around it by simply trans
ferring useless employees to another pay
ROLL When Auditor Mccarthy wanted
to educate his sons, but didn't like the
idea of paying the expense from his
own bank account, he thought: well,
can get around that" So his boys
were put upon the pay roll, and drew
full pay while they were attending
school. When Auditor McCarthy's at
tention was called to the fact that the
looting of the treasury had put the
state in debt 100000 beyond the con-
stitutional limitation, he tried to get
around that" by saying the constitution
meant bonded indebtedness. But the
auditor failed to make his point, and he
has not yet got around that" While
1t has been shown that thousands and
tens of thousands of dollars have been
wrongfully taken from the state treas
ury, anyone who will examine the fig
ures Gun plainly see that but small
portion of the crookedness has yet been
discovered. That the members of the
executive council should have done the
things which have been proved against
them is indeed startling; but If The
proved wrongs are startling, the frauds
and crcokedness indicated by the fol-
lowing figures are appalling:
AT the end of the year 1893 when Jack
sons administration as governor be-
gan as nearly as can be ascertained by
, the official report there was in the state
treasury $4ss,05s.95. During the en-.
tire administration of Gov. Boies, he
was calling the attention to the fact
} that the expense of state government
; was too great, and urging the general
assembly to enact laws looking to great
! err economy. During thelast twoy years. Of
: Gov. Boies' administration the state
, revenues derived from taxation amount
ed to $685., 044.41. Subtracting the
amount left by him in the treasury, ant
. 1t will be seen that the amount Of taa
money expended beyond his last two
years was 81 ,6o4, ss5.46. With the state
institutions all paid for, and the declara
ton of Gov. Boies that extravaganza
was resulting from then-existing laws
a it was to be expected that the Jackson
j administration would be able to conduc
: the affairs of state for much less sun
> than had been expended during Boies
last term. Yet, in the face of thes'
facts, and by direct act Of the legisla
ture, to be found on page ITO, Acts OF TIL
l hi