The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-09-03
Upon It.

met contains this declaration: eve in
vite the attention of the people of the
State TO the clean, able, and economic ad-
ministration Of our State government by
tie Republican and Populist parties from
1897 to 1901, and challenge a comparison
of it with the present reckless manage
ment of our affairs by the Democratic
party" It will be noticed that the years
1895 and 1896 are omitted from this ten
der of comparison, although it was in
1895 that Senator Pritchard was first
elected to the United States Senate. The
reason why Senator Pritchard asks the
voters of North Carolina to confine their
examination into the affairs of Republi-
can rule, to the administration of Gov
ern6r Russell, is not apparent to those
who have not investigated the financial
affairs of the State and the conduct OF
the Fusion party during the years 1895
and 1896. The inclusion of these years
would have answered his own argument
and refuted his comparison, as we. shall
presently see.
In Senator Pritchard's speech he draws
e parallel from the receipts from all
sources and the expenditures for all
purposes fer the years-1S96, 1897 and
1S9S-calling them Republican years, with
the years 1899, 1900 and 1901, describing
them as Democratic years. He states
that it appears from the Auditors report
that in 1896 there was a surplus of re-
ceipts over expenditures amounting to
81, 540S3; a deficiency for the year 1897,
amounting to $11,356.44: and surplus
for $685. amounting to $50, 111.13 and
claims that there was a surplus in these
three years of Fusion rule amounting to
$40, 1852.
AN ADROIT OMISSION.
1t is a little curious that Senator
Pritchard should have begun with the
year 1896. and it is only explained on
the ground that the Senator is an adroit
politician If he had eschewed all judg-
ling and manipulating of figures and had
begun with the year 1895. the beginning
of Fusion rule. and read from the re-
port of Mr.. William II. Worth the Flu
sion Treasurer of the State, he would
have found and would have been obliged
to have informed the people of North
Carolina, that for the year 1895 there
was an excess OF expenditures over re-
ceipts amounting TO 1912 ,23374 and that
for the four years-1895, 1896, 1897 and
1S9S-during which time the Fusionists
held the Legislature and through it the
purse strings of the State, there was
deficit Of expenditures over receipts
amounting to $158,93S.22 According to
Senator Pritchards own figures the ex-
cess of expenditures over receipts for the
year 1899. 1900 and 1901 amounted to
Sf54. S3S.O2. SO we see that the Republi-
can deficit for 1895 alone was more than
$4,000 greater than his alleged Demo-
cratic deficit for the three years he de-
scribes as Democratic rule.
Senator Pritchards figures for the year
1896 show a surplus Of revenue over ex-
penditures. 1t may be that he is correct,
but the report of Treasurer Worth to the
Legislature of 1897 shows that instead
Of surplus there was an actual deficit
Of $2,057.27 for the fiscal wear 1896 This
same report shows that at the beginning
Of the fiscal year 1895 the Democrats had
left in the State Treasury and that there
came into The hands of Fusionist Treas
urer Worth the sum of 1903, 239. SO, and
that on November BOTH tfe end of the
fiscal year 1896 he had on hand only $685.
S53.03, and he turned over to Treasurer
Lacy the next year, according to Sena
tor Fritchards own figures, the sum of
time to have turned over the funds which
had been stolen by his clerk. Major w
H. Martin, he would have turned over to
Treasurer Lacy $53 5S3. 40.
A PREsPOsTERoUs CLAIM
and yet, in the face of these figures,
Senator Pritchard, the great leader of the
Republican party of North Carolina, who
dictates it's policies and names its candi-
dates, attempts to claim that during the
Republican regime the receipts of the
government were greater than the ex-
penditures. l expect to demonstrate be-
fore l have concluded that not only did
the Republican administration expend
practically all of the three hundred thou
sand dollars which came into their hands |
from the Democrats, but that they left |
debts from their mismanagement, and
worse, which the Democratic party had |
to meet and to pay, amounting to $283, |
934.90, and that this is the prime cause
of the present embarrassment in the |
financial condition of the State.
Senator Pritchard states that it will |
be observed from the table of figures |
which he published with his speech that
in three years of Democratic rule which |
we have just had they collected in taxes
from the people $3.50 419.77 more than the
Republican collected under Fusion rule
for the same length of time. IN order
that there might be no mistake as TO this
charge the Senator wrote it into the
Republican platform as follows: They
promised to reduce taxation and instead
of doing so they have legislated so that
cur taxes have increased with three years
in the sum of $3.50, 41977''
THE TRUE CONDITION.
If the Senator had made such thor