The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-10-21

cred by the remainder. When these
facts are considered II WIN be seen the
present administration made the far
better showing Of economy.
In 1892 the items covering salaries
and expenses Of State officers 0nclud
Ing Supreme and Circuit Courts) anC
clerks, expenses Of the Legislature. eX'
pcIses of State militia, costs OF State
boards. awards OF Board, of State, Audi
tors, etc. aggregated $685., 1852. II
IS : this aggregate was 1904, 16S,41, tbs
Increase being 1886, 742. 90. 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.
thcr service, compilation Of Michigan
statutes, increased force Of State bank
examiners and correspondence 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 assQ
Citations. and the vast Increase In the
amount OF delinquent taxes collected.
When 1t is stated that. the entire
amount Of delinquent taxes collected
In 1892 by the Auditor General VA
but S31, 371.21, whereas for the year
ending June 30, 1893, 1t was S7773,
2G9.30, it will be seen there must have
been n material legitimate increase IN
the cost of collecting these taxes for
the latter year. This Increase. how
ever. was not 2.50O per cent. aS was
the increase In the amount collected,
In 1892. $139,0S3.36 was returned to
the counties while. as above, stated.
the amount returned in 1898 was S501,-
74l II. difference In favor of the lat
ter year Of $685. 1871. There was
refunded. on tax account, $16.575.66 in
1892. and $6S,O97.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 POpocratlc State Central Com
mittce to make the people Of the State
believe that to be the fact
There remains to be compared num-
erous miscellaneous items Of expense.
In 1892 these amounted to 500. 1923
and in 1893 TO So. 441.93. This increase
last year over 1892 was $31. 9S2.G1. hut
as $4,000 Of this was paid for the re-
lief of the Ontonagon fire sufferers,
$4,000 for the Austin Blair monument,
$500 for farmers Institutes. $1,000
for the relief Of Mrs. Margaret Helms,
whose son was killed while In the line
Of duty as a member of the State
militia, $500 for the relief Of Pri7
Yates Kelly and Lent, whose hands
were mangled by the premature, dis
charge Of a cannon at Island Lake
while In the line of duty, and $1,000
for the relief Of Charles Howind, in
jured at 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 popo-
cratic press man because there was
considerable increase In the cost Of
clerk hire in the AUDITOR Generals Of
fee in 1893 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 at all In the Auditor-G 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 1t will be well to
note the total receipts Of the tax de-
partment for each year from 1891 to
June 80, 1898, as follows: 1891, $164,-
227.77; 1892. $31, 37121; 1893, $70,-
5000; 1894. $29S, 174.O7; 1895, $780,
2e2. SO; 1898. 1854, 953.54; 1897, $773,-
2G9.30. 1t will be seen the receipts
for the last year were twenty-five
times as great as for 1892. 1t Will be
readily understood that the correspon-
renee and record-making relative to
this subject increased In the same ra-
ito. and in view Of this fact 1t will
not be wondered at that the number
of clerks about doubled. Had the
popocrats been In power last year this
increase would probably have. been In
the same ratio as the increase In the
receipts Of the tax department.
However the browning folly Of the
popOcratic onslaught on the present
State administration Is found In the
statement that the expenditures for
the State militia. which under Winans
were $61 ,961 DC. were swelled under,
Pingree to $76,96656." The maker Of
this charge was probably ignorant Of
the fact that the military fund consists
OF whatever Is produced by a per cap
tia tax which his remained the Same
for years. The amount raised for NIL
itary purposes from year to year m
ceases only with the increase OF pOpu
latiOn. and IT has never yet been suffi-
cient to enable the military authori-
ties to equip the citizen soldiers as
every one in the State believes they
should have been equipped. Every ,ad-
including that Of Cover:
nor Winans. has done the best Il pos
sibly could with the amount available,
every cent Of which was expended
each year, bur all were OF the opinion
that the allotment was too small TO-
admit Of full justice being done the
boys who this year so nobly demon
strated the fact that they were at any
and all times ready to defend the State
and the country with their lives. INV
In view Of these very positive refu-