The true northerner., 1898-10-19

In 1892 the items covering salaries
and expenses Of State officers includ-
ing Supreme and Circuit Courts, and
clerks, expenses OF the Legislature. ex-
penses OF State militia. costs of State
boards, awards OF Board OF State Audi
tors, etc. aggregated $637 ,426.12. In
1898 this aggregate was $9s4, ,lHS4l. the
increase being 1856, 1920. Numerous
worthy objects and departments were
cared for and maintained in 1898 that
did not exist in 1892. Among these
may be enumerated the naval brigade,
travelling library, factory inspection,
dairy and food inspection, State wea-
ther service, compilation OF Michigan
statutes, increased force OF State bank
examiners and correspondingly In
creased efficiency of this department,
Inspection of orchards and nursery
stock. State Pardon Board. tax home
stead department, beet sugar industry,
examination Of building and loan asso-
Citations. and the vast increase In the
amount Of delinquent taxes collected.
When II Is stated that the entire
amount of delinquent taxes collected
In 1892 by the AuditOr-General was
but $31 ,371.21, whereas for the year
ending June 30, 1898, it was S773,
269.39. Ii will be seen there must have
been material legitimate increase in
the cost of collecting these taxes for
the latter year. This increase. how
ever. was not 300 per cent, as was
the increase in the amount collected.
In 1892. S139, ,9S3.36 was returned 10
the counties, while as above. stated
the amou..t returned in 1898 was S5OI,.
al II, n difference in favor OF the lat
ter year of S36S. 1871. There was
refunded. on tax account, S16.5I5.66 in
1892. and S6S097.Jl in 1898. However,
as all these amounts were simply taken
from the State treasury and paid TO the
counties, or to parties To whom they
belonged, they have nothing TO DO with
the expenses of the State government,
Notwithstanding the deliberate attempt
Of the Popocratic State Central Com
mittee TO make the people of the state
believe that To be the fact.
There remains TO be compared nrm-
erouS miscellaneous items of expense.
In 1892 these amounted To 500, 1892,
and in 1898 to So. A 93. This increase
last year over 1892 was S3l .9S2Gl. hut
as $1,000 of this was paid for the re-
lief of the Ontonagon fire sufferers.
$1,000 for the Austin Blair monument,
$1,000 for farmers institutes. $1,000
for the relief of Mrs. Margaret Helms,
whose son was killed while in the line
of duty as n member of the State
militia, $1,000 for ,ne relief of Pri-
Yates Kelly and Lent, whose hands
were mangled by the premature dis
| charge OF cannon at Island Lake
while in the line Of duty, and $1,000
for the relief of Charles Howind, in
! jured at Jackson prison. ii is doubtful
if our pOpocratic friends will care to
dispute the justice of any of these
claims.
Much stress is made by the popo-
cratic press man because there was
considerable increase in the cost of
clerk hire in the Auditor-GenerafS Of
! flee in 1898 over 1892 That gentle
man carefully refrained from mention
ing the fact that. under the law passed
in 1891, whereby the county system of
collecting delinquent taxes was return
ed to, there was scarcely any need of
clerks ut all in the Auditor-Generals
office in 1892. greater part of the
work previous to and since that year
done in the tax department having
in that year been done in the county
treasurers offices throughout the State
In this connection it will be well tO
note the total receipts Of the tax de-
partment for each year from 1901 tC
June 80, 1S9S as follows: 1891, S164,
227.77; 1892. $31.37121; 1893, So.
$40. %; 1894. $29S, 174.07; 1895. S162
262 .5S; 1898. $1S4,953.54; 1897. S773
269.39. 1t will he seen the receipts
for the last year were twenty-five
/ Wi la
readily understood that the correspon
renee and record-making relative tC
this subject increased in the same ra
ito. and in view of this fact ii vii
not be wondered at that the number
of clerks about doubled. Had tht
popocrats been in power last year thi:
increase would probably have been IL
the same ratio as the increase in tn,
receipts of the tax department.
However. the crowning folly Of th'
popocratic onslaught on the presen
State administration is found in tn,
statement that the expenditures 70
the State militia. which under Winan
were SGl .9Gl 26. were swelled unde
Pingrep TO S76.96G. 90" The maker o
this charge was probably ignorant o
the fact that the military fund consist
or WnateNtf Is prOuuctu ny per CdI
ita tax which has remained the sam
for wears The amount raised for mil
itary purposes from year 10 year in
ceases only with the increase of popu
lation. and II has never yet been sutfi
cient TO enable the military author1
ties TO equip the citizen soldiers a
every one i'm the State believes the
should have been equipped. Every ad
ministration. including that Of Cover
nor Wnans. has done the best II pos
sibly could with the amount available
, every cent of which was expende
each year, hut all were of the opinio
, that the allotment was too small
admit Of full justice being done til
I boys who this year so nobly demon
; strated the fact that they were at an
: and all times ready 10 defend the Stat
, and the country with their lives.
; In view of these very positive refl
! tations to the reckless charges mad
. by our opposition friends, II would al
} parently be wise for them TO contin
their assertions TO the general issue
81