The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1899-10-25
STATE ISSUES
ARE BOLDLY MET
State Treasurer Beacon Talks
About His Office Right
Among the People.
EVERY DOLLAR ACCOUNTED FOR.
Democrats Demoralized Over the Frank
Action of Republicans in Discus
sing the State Issues.
(specIal Correspondence.l


leaders and their sympathizers havu
been amazed and chagrined at tn
bold and defiant manner in which tn,
Republican candidate and other orator
in this campaign have met every at
tack made upon the administration o
the state treasury. The Democrac!
have been banking upon the though
that with national issues properly t.
the front of the canvass, owing to thu
fact that Bryan and his followers hav'
been assailing President Mckinley
that Republicans would confine theil
speeches solely to topics bearing upor
the war. But there has not been s
single utterance from a Democrat
worthy of replying to that has not met
a prompt and vigorous response from
the Republican camp. A novel feature
of the canvass is the appearance or
the stump of State Treasurer James S
Beacon, who meets the people face tC
face to discuss the condition of the
finances of the commonwealth with the
taxpayers.
In the platform adopted at the Re-
publican state convention it was de-
clared:
We favor an economical admin
istration of state affairs and de-
mand the prompt settlement and
collection of all claims and taxes
due by individuals, companies and
corporations. We also favor the
prompt payment of school war;
rants drawn upon the treasurer,
so that each district shall be paid
as soon as the appropriation is
needed and demand be made for
the payment thereof
We believe in reducing the ex-
penses of the judicial, executive
and legislative branches of the
state government to the minimum,
so that the public expenditure shall
not exceed the annual revenues. 1t
is a source of qualification to re-
call that our state has never lost
a dollar by reason of the negli-
gence, default or dishonesty of any
of its accounting officers, and we
especially commend the business
like and efficient administration of
the retiring state treasurer, James
s. Beacon.
Upon these two planks of the plat
form the Republicans of Pennsylva
MIA are making an aggressive canvass
Colonel Barnett. the nominee for state
treasurer, stands pledged to carry ou
the policy therein outlined
BEACON ON THE ISSUES.
State Treasurer Beacon, in com
menting upon the important issues O
the canvass. had this to say:
During this campaign statement!
have appeared in the Democratic ant
sorehead newspapers that the Repub.
licans dare not go to the country this
year on state issues; that we are afriC
to discuss the management of the
treasury department, and are endeav.
oring to throw dust in the eyes of the
people by keeping up hurrah on ma.
tional questions. So far as | am per.
onally concerned | think the very
strongest issue of the Republican party
in this campaign is the management
of the treasury department for the last
S5 years under successive state treas
uTeTs."
MIR. Beacon then entered into q
minute explanation of how the money
of the people is managed by the treas
ury department; how it is collected
how it Is cared for, and how it is paid
out. He showed that every cent OF
money paid into the state treasury is
traced to the hands of the treasurer
not only by the receipt of the treasurer
countersigned by the auditor general,
but also by the detailed annual report
of the state treasurer, and by the bocks
OF the auditor general. 1t would be
impossible, he held. for a state treas
urer to receive the smallest sum of
money without the public knowing
that he had so received II.
Continuing, he said: There is some
difference OF opinion as to the best
method of caring for public funds. A
distinguished PennsylyaDian argued in
a speech made in Philadelphia during
the last campaign that the money
should be lept in the vaults of the
treasury department and paid out over
its own counters | do not pose as a
great inancier, but | believe express
to you the conviction of the best finan-
ciers Of the world when | say that this
would be most primitive and vicious
system.
Just now, when business is flourish
ing and new enterprises are springine
up all around us. furnishing an un.
paralleled demand for money and la.
Dor, the business world is confronted
with the fact that several hundred
millions of dollars are absolutely with.
drawn rrom the channels of busines.
and stored up in the vaults of the Uni
ted States sub-treasury, whence it car
only come for the purpose of payinf
claims against the government. Now
suppose every state treasurer and ev
cry county treasurer-for if good fol
one it Is good for all-should lock III
the balances in their own valuts, what
would be the result? Such an argu
ment, reduced to its last analysis
means that every man ought to carry
his money in his own pocket, and tha
the whole banking system is an evi
that ought to be abolished, which /!
to reduce the argument to such obvious
absurdity that nothing more need b.
said about it to an intelligent audi
ence.
According to my humble view it il
the right thing to keep all the money
OF the country in the channels of bust
ness, which is the same thing as saying
that it ought to be kept in the banks
In addition, it is an undeniable fact
that the money of the people of this
state has been so well safeguarded
that the taxpayers have suffered abso-
lntely no loss whatever. and it will
Tie "Plow Bow Preacher-n Rev /