The true northerner., 1898-10-19
AT THEIR OLD TRICKS.
oARBLiNoTHEP PUBLIC RECORDS
TO CATCH THE UNWARY.
Nat Here are Given the True Figures In
the Financial History of the State
since Ises-A showing of Which
We May Justly be Proud.


woefully ignorant of the subject he
is endeavoring TO inform the people
about. or foolish enough to believe that
anything he sees tit to stare In this
connection will be accepted by the in
telligent voters of Michigan as the
gospel truth. We rather suspect the
latter to be the case for having neces-
\ sarily had access to the reports of the
AState. Treasurer In order to procure the
statistics he Is sending out for publ
cation, he must know the idea he is
so diligently seeking 10 Impress upon
the public mind is wholly erroneous
and misleading.
The burden of the ''tiggerer's' song
is that the cost Of maintaining the
State government was greater for the
year ending June 30, 1$S, than 1t was
for the year ending June 30. 1892
when 1.-The first purely Democratic gov
ernor of Michigan for thirty-seven
years" occupied the executive chair
In view of the fact that the world
has moved trifie. ana the State has
grown materially since Governor WI
mans administration. the Republicans
->Of Michigan have no hesitancy in ac-
kpowledging the entire truthfulncss of
thN general charge, but when de-
siglkg statistician, hose sole aim is
to &ceive the public. undertakes TO
make il appear that this increase in
expenses amounted to nearly S15OO,-
600, il is proper that his duplicity he
exposed. Just TO show how readily
more than one-third of this entire al
legged increase could have been ac-
counted for had the popocratic press
man been desirouS of informing rather
than deceving the people, it may be
said one item which entered into the
total disbursements for the last fiscal
year of S4.690, ,534.79, represents de-
linquent county. township, city and
village taxes collected by the State and
paid back TO the counties. This item
amounted to $507.141.11. AS fast as
these delinquent taxes were collected
the sums were deposited in the State
treasury by the Auditor-General. In
order to pay the counties the amount
due each IL was necessary TO withdraw
this money from the State treasury.
This fact was well known TO the popo-
cratic press man. yet he deliberately
sought to make the people believe that
this item of S:07, 741.17, which the
State collected for and returned TO the
several counties, represented n dis
VI lltlli VI NAlNhSS VI
carrying on the State government for
that year.
Having thus exposed the absolute
rotter ness of the statistics which are
being sent out over the State in the
hope of working up sentiment IN
opposition to the present State admins
tration, it would seem unnecessary to
make further reference thereto, but
the administration invites the closest
inspection of all its acts. and in order
that the exact truth may be known
an analysis of tine cost of maintaining
the State government for the two
years. mentioned has been made and
attention is invited TO it. Every figure
given below is absolutely correct, and
can be verified from the same reports
which have been so wilfully and fright
fully distorted by the opposition.
In 1892 the cost of maintaining the
asylums of the State amounted 10
-S693. 800. 10 this total including the eX-
penseS of the Soldiers Home, State
School for Dependent Children. trans
portation of children TO and from the
latter institution. etc. For the fiscal
year 1898, this item amounted 10 S9l2,-
903S0 This is an increase for the lat
ter year of S249,39lGl, but IL should
be borne in mind that we now have
a Woman'S annex TO the Soldiers
Home. the Newberry Hospital for the
Insane. and the State Home for the
Feeble Minded and Epileptc none OF
which were in existence during Cover
nor Winans boastcd administration
Aside from this. it is fact well known
20 the citizens of Michigan that The
number of insane in the State has con
stantly increased during the past few
years. and that now. even with the
increased accommodations for thcil
care in proper asylums the county
. iails throughout Michigan are full OF
this unfortunate class of citizens WHIT
are being held TO await an opening ii
an asylum. so they may be placed
where they properly belong. Thes,
items which had no place in the eX
pense Of the WinanS administration
fully account for the increase uOteC
above.
Now TO show what was accomplished
by the Democratic and Republican
administrations when the conditions
were anywhere near similar, attention
is invited TO the cost of Maintaining
the penal and reformatory institution
OF Michigan during the years unde
COnSlleIHllOu. III l0b- llilS lON'li We
amounted TO S30j. .951 40. while in 1S9
it was but $249. HIP, or n decrease o
S56.927.34 Although there were n
new penal or reformatory institution
in 1898, the population Of the State ha
Increased 1000 since 1892, and ther
had been a more than proportional
increase in the population of the pris
Ons, yet they were maintained at
smaller cost, Notwithstanding the nc
torious fact that the Democratic off
cials turned them over to their Repul
ucan successors with scarcely enoug
provisions TO feed the convicts da!
and without sufficient clothing to a
ford the latter change Of shirts.
In 1892 1t cost $30S.69392 TO maiI
tain the educational institutions of III
State. In 1896 this item was S42s
5s7.47. an Increase Of Sll9,S93.55. /
kbe latter year there was the Centri
t.~bfah f1i1 ief