Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1902-08-20


initial speech of the campaign CT
1902, at Holt, Mo-, last Thursday
and during the course of his
speech he uttered a mass of pre-
varicative and contradictory re
marks. Among other statements
made by the Governor was one to
the effect that "the books of the
state are correctly kept, as shown
by the sworn statement of the audi
tor and confirmed by experts Of
admitted integrity in their chosen
profession" Here the Governor
fatty and knowingly contradicts
his words as they appear published
in the financial exhibit issued last
spring to the effect that the books
in the auditors Office do not show
all the financial transactions of the
state. Furthermore he contradicts
his experts, ''of admitted integ-
rity," who compiled that exhibit.
The experts state that they could
not bring the accounts to balance
without going out of the state for
''other data," upon which to base
their figures, which in many in
stances could not be verified by
vouchers on file or by entries in the
auditors books. These experts in
an interview with a st. Louis
newspaper, expressed thier aston
ishment at the condition in which
they found the books, and yet the
Governor claims they have been
correctly kept.
In connection with the pending
amendment to the constitution re-
lating to the certificates of indebt-
edncss the Governor says: ,,As
friend of education and loyal
Missourian, l oppose the efforts of
Republican leaders to drag our
magnificent school system into
partisan politics" Here he gets
entirely away from the object for
which the Republicans are con-
tending. The latter are not drag
ging our school system into
partisan politics, that was left for
Superintendent of Schools, Mr..
Darlington, when he proposed to
marshall the teachers in the inter
est of the Democratic party. The
Republican contention -wellsustain-
cd by facts-is that the school fund
has been juggled from cash asset
into an unconstitutional interest
bearing debt, and that the money
taken from this school fund has
never been all accounted for.
Auditor Allen has admitted that
the certificates do not represent
corresponding amount of state
bonds cancelled, as the Democrats
have claimed was the case. The
Republican claim is, further, that
the certificates are unconstitutional.
which is supported by the proposed
amendment asking the people
to make them constitutional. At
every point in his speech the Gov
ernor is at variance either with his
own previous statements or with
abundant facts concerning the
Democracy's financial conduct,
with which the people Of Missouri
are thoroughly familiar. Shall
campaign oratory be permitted to
overbalance the sensible conclusion
arrived at through the facts!
1t would have been more becom-
ing in the Governor instead of ar
raigning the Republicans as liars
and vilIifers to have stated that
since the reliability of the books
has been questioned, he would re-
commend the next legislature to
appoint Il bipartisan commission to
give the states finances complete
and impartial investigation. Such
an act on his part would have gone
farther in creating public conf
dence in the reliability of the books
and Democratic protestations of
honesty than his whine over what
he terms Republican SANDER Of the
state.
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