The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-10-17

the decision of which their vote will be
cast.
I am amused by the tables of figures
presented by himself and his fellow
orators to show the reckless extrava-
gance of the present Republican ad-
ministration. | hold in my hand
newspaper containing comparative
table setting forth the expenses of the
executive department of the state gov
ernment for the first two years EACH
of the administrations of Governor
Beaver, Republican,; Governor Patti
son. Democrat. and the present admin
istration The table states that the cost
OF the executive department for the
first two years of Governor Pattison
administration was S51 ,05S.30, and that
the cost of the first two wears of the
present administration is $52, 800. show
ing that by the reckless expenditures Of
money I'm the executive department, /
have spent in the two comparative
years SS4t.70 more than Governor Pat
tison spent. These figures If true and
believed by the people of the state,
would show that ! had been derelict In
economy at least to the amount of $S41.-
20 in two years, but the figure man
failed to state that in 1898, in Governor
Pattison's term, the salary of the lieu
tenant governor was increased from
$4,000 per year to $1,000 per year, max
ing for the two years $4,000, which,
under the law, had to be paid in my
administration. Now If this figure man
will give me credit for the $4,000, for
which | was not responsible, and which
was incurred by a Democratic admin
istration. it will be found that the cost
of the executive department OF the
state government during those years or
my administration was S3,15S.3O less
than for the corresponding two years
of the Democratic administration.
| am not calling attention to this to
criticize Governor Pattison but only to
exhibit a sample or specimen of the
statements now being made to divert
attention from the real issues in the
campaign.
RECKLESS ASSERTION RIDDLED.
There has been so much reckless as
sertion about the alleged extravaganza
and enormous expense of the state gov
ernment that I was determined to as
certain the cost per capita per year of
the running expenses of the state gov
ernments of three representative
states. and selected New York and
OHIO to make comparison with Penn
sylvania. Professor Hamilton, of the
State college, to whom / have already
referred as one of the most accom-
pished statisticians in the state or
country, was detailed by me to per-
form this work. He has gone fully
into the detailed expenditures at Co.
lumbus and Albany. as well as at Har-
risburg. The total expenses in Ohio
and Pennsylvania We're assembled for
the last fiscal year. but 1t was impos-
sible to obtain correct figures for New
York later than for the year ending
September 80, 1896, so that. while the
fiscal year of 1897 is used in Pennsyl-
vania and Ohio, the fiscal wear of 1895
is the basis for New York. In each
case the census of 1890 was used to as
certain the rate per capita, and | am
now able to say. on the authority of
| Professor Hamilton, who has furnished
! me with the figures, that
The cost per capita in Pennsylvania
10 Two ttllNS
| The cost per capita in Ohio s.114 cents
| The cost per capita in New York
is Observation-Disclosures. cents