The Red Cloud chief., 1900-08-17
AN INCOME TAX
A Corruption Fund Raised by the Appli
cation Of Fusion Principles to Fusion
O~fficeholders.

the public service In the state govern.
ment, and particularly In the manage.
ment Of state institutions, than the es.
tablished practice Of the fusion leaders
of compelling all persons on the pay.
roll Of the state to give up never less
than 3 and often 8 per cent Of their sal
airy monthly for use as a corruption
fund.
That this is the fixed policy Of tho
fusionists is fully established and
proven, both by statements made by
fusion officials, who have been com.
PEELED to co tribute, and by the letter
of the "poultice" committee of the tri-
umvirate TO Superintendent Lang of tho
institute nj Beatrice, published in the
weekly newspapers of the state a week
or so ago.
There are few people, perhaps, who
fully realize what this means in dollars
and cents, say nothing Of the evil re-
suits attending it. The last legislature
appropriated for salaries and wages
e579,800. This, however, does not in.
clude the appropriations for salaries OF
wages at either the university or the
penitentiary. In this compilation these
two institutions are not included. be-
cause 1t Is assumed that with all the
rapacity and greed Of the fusion leaders
the university would be spared and the
appropriation for the penitentiary is
merged with other fands In the audi
tors report, thus making 1t impossible
to determine how much was appropri'
ated for salaries and wages.
However, to determine how much
money is gathered in by the "poultice"
committee ut is termed 'poultice" be-
cause II draws) for use as a corruption
fund one has only to take 3 per cent or
8 per cent of the $572, 600, the amount
appropriated, as all Of it will be paid
out before the close of the year. On
the 8 per cent proposition the amount
realized by the committee is 7,I78.
On the 8 per cent, it amounts to $685.
$50. In either event the fund Is large,
and, taken with money received from
other sources, il runs the corruption
fund away up In figures. 1t is this
practice, more than any other a
thing. that has caused 20 much wrsng-
ling and discord at the various state in
stitutions and that has so severely
shaken these establishments.
Managed From Lin col..
With the single exception Of Cover.
MOI Poynter. no governor, not even
Silas A. Holcomb, ever attempted to
manage Or direct the affairs Of the pub.
lo institutions throughout the state
from the capitol at Lincoln. Until
Poynter assumed the executive chair
the un~varying custom was to appoint
ofaoisls to manage the institutions, give
them full authority aud hold them re.
sponsible for the proper conduct Of af.
fairs. Experience had demonstrated
that this was the only way satisfactory
results could be attained.
Governor Poynter appointed the Of
fcials, but he used the appointive power
and the public patronage to reward his
political supporters irrespective of their
fitness. with the result that in many
instances, he was compelled by reason
Of the latter's incompetency to take a
hand in the management himself. In
no instance is the fruition of the
"double standard" more accurately and
deliberately depicted than in the man
agement Of the state institutions. For,
under Poynter. nearly every state insti
tuition has had two heads (the superin.
tendent and Governor Poynter) and
often three. four and five.
After having appointed unfit persons
Governor Poynter frequently had t.
intervene to help them out, so that al
no institution and at no time has the
management been free from interfer
ence from the executive department a
Lincoln. Being rather poorly qualified
himself to give advice, for Governor
Poynter has had absolutely no expert
ence in teaching the blind, caring fOl
the INDECENT, the insane, the feebl,
minded and kindred wards. his inter
ference was more often attended by bad
than good results. II has frequently
been said that 'too many cooks spoi
the broth" Viewing results attained
at these institutions the logic of this de
duction can hardly be questioned. Gov
ernor Poynter's policy Of rewardinl
politicians by appointment to otfic,
without questioning their fitness ha
been attended by deplorable results
has, in fact, crippled the management
of nearly every institution in the state
A Fallen Prophet.
II is an old adage that "a person
chickens come home to roost." Mr.
Bryan should have thought of this
when four years ago he was predictinI
all sorts of dire disaster in the event o
Republican victory. Like the fable
chicken, Mr.. Bryan's prophesies hav
come home to roost, aud, what make
it embarrassing for him, is, that the
are roosting on the memory Of q larg
number Of Nebraska voters. who wer
deceived ind fooled into following tn
advice and believing in the prediction
Of the hoy orator" In 1893. 1t Is sai
Of q Missouri Democrat who voted Il
Cleveland and free wool In 1888. wo,
dropped 70 low In price that when b