The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-10-19
per pound, equal to sss. 600.

|
Further than this, the managers Of
the prison Irvine plant during the past
1 year succeeded in spending balance
of SOS. 1854 on hand on July 81, 1899.
and their expenses were $65S, 190.61 for
the year, as compared with 1915, 10
Tor the previous year. The outstand-
| ing accounts of the farmers who
bought this expensive prison Irvine
amount to $375,S65.34, and as most of
them have large amount of Irvine
| left over, having been unable to use it
owing to short crops, it is not probable
| that the prison managers will find COL
lections for Irvine very brisk
More Misrepresentation.
In spite of these facts and figures,
which are absolutely true, being taken
| from the books in the state auditors
Office and from the monthly expense
| list sent into that office by the warden
of the state prison, some of our politi-
1 cal opponents are trying to make the
| people believe that the prison Irvine
| plant has, under Democratic admins
| tration, been conducted in a business
| like way, and that the fund will have a
surplus of profits of 100000 at the end
of the year; and that the managers of
the plant have actually saved the state
| some $4,000 on the years business.
Their statements are untrue, and they
are proven to be untrue by the state
auditors books and by monthly ex-
pense statements of the prison man
ayers themselves.
This is not a matter over which Re-
pubIicans exult. We do not rejoice
over the death of a sinner, and we see
no cause for congratulation because
our political opponents have succeeded
in Gripping the state institution so
useful and so valuable to the agri-
culturists of Minnesota. The prison
Irvine plant in the past has been the,
means of relieving our farmers from
an odious monopoly, aand it is to be
sincerely deplored that it's usefulness
has been impaired and hts popularity
lessened by the ignorant mismanage-
ment of politicians overeager 20 make
political capital at the expense of the
Ignorant of the Art of Government.
| farmers and of the state.
1t is a remarkable fact that the art
CO government is incomprehensible to-
the Democratic party The Democrats
have never discovered the secret of
successfully managing the affairs of
| the state or the nation. The principles
of good government are to them en-
known, and even the brightest minds
| in the Democratic ranks fail to grasp
the fact that in the conduct of public
affairs honesty of word and purpose
accuracy of thought and intelligence in
action are absolutely essential. The
present campaign has furnished an eX--
ample of that peculiar urfitness and
narrowness of perception so character
istic of Democracy. I refer to the
singular hlunder made by my political
opponent in a speech delivered early
in the campaign in which the follow
ing statement was made:
'"The only difficulty with our finances
at the present time is the large surplus
in the treasury. At the end of the
fiscal year, Aug. l, the state treasurer
had in his vaults and on deposit in the
various banks $2,169,337.52. This sum is
largely in excess of the amount actu-
ally needed for the requirements of
the state. And I cannot help but ex-
press my regret that the last Iegisla-
ture did not cut down the tax levy, as
1 advised in my message"
Any person possessing the faintest
conception of the financial system and
condition of the state would have
avoided making such a blunder as is
made by the speaker when he states
that there was a large surplus in fHc
state treasury. AS a matter of fact
there was
No Surplus at All. d
On the contrary, there was barely
enough to meet the current expenses
of state government for the remainder
of the year. OF the 81, 169, 337. so referred
to by Gov. Lind, $1,425, 225.7S belonged
| RI dc
diverted from the purpose provided by
the constitution and the statutes.
About 81, 900 of this remnant formed
part of school, university and state
institution funds, part of which be-
long to the permanent fund and the.
remainder to- be distributed to aid the.
educational and charitable institutions:
of the state as provided by law
|. Only $744, lila belonged to the gen.
eral revenue fund and was raised by
taxation; two-thirds of the amount
was derived from the sale of school,
university, internal improvement and
swamp lands and the interest on land
contracts, and in place of being ex-
tracted from the pockets of the tax
payers, greatly aids in lessening their
burdens. The amount in the general
revenue fund is for the purpose OF
meeting the cost of state government.
and by the end of this year it will be-
exhausted. AS to the
Reduction of the Tax Levy
in his profound regret that the legis-
lature failed to reduce the rate below
LIS mills the speaker overlooked the
important fact that the state auditor
in accordance with the power vested in
him by law, reduced the rate last year
one-tenth of a mill and this wear will
reduce it another tenth, making the
rate of the state tax levy only 1.3 mills,
which is nine-tenths Of mill below
the rate levied by the fusion legislature
! of 1891.
OF course we all know that many
wild statements are made during the
heat of political campaign simply for
the purpose of producing political ef-
feet, and the statement have quoted
may have been of that character We
know that during The campaign of two
! years ago Democratic candidates and
/ speakers made many statements when
were not borne out ny facts, and made
numerous promises which have not
been kept. They promised 10 reduce
/ the taxpayers burdens and 10 IeCuc6
the cost of maintaining the stata gCy-