Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1898-10-28

clerks expenses Of the Legislature. ex-
penses of State militia. costs of STATE
boards. awards Of Board of State AUDI
tors, etc, aggregated SG5I ,42G.l2 In
1888 this aggregate was $J9i, lGS.4l. the
increase being S3j6. r. %. Numerous
worthy objects and departments were
cared for and maintained In 1898 that
did not exist I'm 1892. Among these
may be enumerated the naval brigade,
travelling library factory Inspection,
dairy and food inspection, STATE wea.
Their service compilation of Michigan
statutes, increased force Of State bank
examiners and spondmgly iY
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 ASSOC
Citations. and the vast increase in the
amount Of delinquent taxes collected.
When it is stated that the entire
amount Of delinquent taxes collected
In 1892 by the AuditOr-General was
but $31.311.21, whereas for the yeaf
ending June 30, 1898, it was $1735
26939, il will be seen there must have
been material legitimate increase id
the cost OF collecting these taxes foE
the latter year. This increase, hOM
ever was not 300 per cent, as waS
the increase in the amount collected. II
In 1892. S139, 9S}36 was returned IL
the counties. while. as above, stately
the amount returned in 1898 was $5O7,&
141.17 n difference in favor of the laQ
ter year Of $3GS, 1871. There waa
refunded. on tax account. S16.515.66 i1
1872, and S6S,O3I.J1 in 1895. However;
az 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.
mttee TO make the people Of The State
believe that TO be the fact
There remains 10 be compared mum.
erous miscellaneous items Of expense.
In 1892 these announced 10 $40, 1892,
and in 1895 to $J2.44l.93. This increase
last year over 1892 was $31 .9S2 81. but
as $1,000 of this was paid for The re-
lief Of the OntOnagon fire sufferers,
$1,000 for the Austin Blair monument,
$J.jG9 for farmers Institutes. $1,000
for the relief Of Mrs. Margaret Helms,
whose son was killed while in the line
of duty rs Il member Of the State
militia. $500 for the 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 5000
for the relief Of Charles Howind in
jured AZ Jackson prison. it is doubtful
if our popocratic friends will care to
dispute the justice Of any of these
claims. \
Much stress is made by the popos
cratic press man because there was
Il considerable increase in the cost OF
clerk hire in the Auditor-Generals Of.
flee in 1895 over 1872 That gentles
man carefully RETAINED from mention
ing the fact that under the law passed
in 1891, whereby the county system of B.
collecting delinquent taxes was retu' y.
ed to, there was scarcely any neee -
clerks at all in the Auditor-Gener ltu
office in 1892. IA greater part of theal
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 thie connection ii will b. well to
note the total receipts Of the tax de-
partment for each year from 1891 to
June 30. 1898. as follows: 1891. S164,I
221.7I; 1892. S31 .371.21; 1898. S10,-
j2O.29; 1894. $29S. l74O7; 1899. $162,-
2G2.5S; 1898. SlS4.953.54: 1897. S773,J
2D.39. 1t will be seen the receipts
Tor the last year were twenty
times as great as for 1872. 1t will be-
readily understood that the correspOn.
renee and record making relative to
his subject increased in the same ra-
10. and in view Of this fact il will
not be wondered ut that the number
IF clerks about doubled Had tie
)opocrats been in power last year a.
Increase would probably have been in
he same ratio as the increase in the
'eceipts Of the tax department.
However the browning folly Of the
onslaught on the present
State administration is found i'm the
statement that the expenditures for
he State militia. which under Winans
we're SCI .9il.2G. were swelled under
'ingree 10 S769GG.J6." The maker Of
his charge was probably ignorant of
he fact that the military fund consists
# whatever is produced by Il per cap
Ia tax which has remained the same
or years. The amount raised for mill
tarN purposes from year TO year in
eases only with the increase of popu-
alton. and ii has never yet been sutli-
lent 10 enable the military authors
les 10 equip the citizen soldiers as
very one in the State believes they
hould have been equipped. Every adj
including that Of Cover
or Winans. has done the best il pos
IDLY could with the amount available,
very cent of which was expended
ach year. but all were of the opinion
hat the allotment was too small to
Omit Of full justice being done the
oys who this year 80 nobly Demon
trated the fact that they were ut any
nd all times ready to defend the state
nd the country with their lives. y
In view Of these very positive refx
atoms TO the reckless charges made
v our opposition friends il would ap-
arentiy I've wise for them to confine
leir assertions 10 the general ISSUE"
then they undertake TO quote statis-
cs. and give only such rs they think