Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-08-07
Nr. Clement on State Expenses.

While the boiling candidate for governor !
is running his campaign chiefly on the is
sue of high license he has coupled with it |
a gross and groundless attack on the Re |
publican party Of Vermont, in the matter
Of State expenses If his statements on
this subject have received comparatively
little attention, except from the democrats,
who, with some honorable exceptions, arc
apt to welcome any SANDER against the Re
publican party or its representatives in the
State government. it is not to be inferred
that there is no effective reply to them For
the mass Of intelligent republicans no re-
ply is needed. They will not take Mr.. Glenn
erts word as proof that the government Of
Vermont has been rotten for twenty years
past, nor believe that the men they have
elected to the responsible offices in the
State gov ernment have been thieves For
the sake of some others, for the most part
outside Of Vermont. who may assume that
everything undenied is established AS
truthful and correct, it may he well to ex-
anime some of Mr.. Clements statements,
on the financial question.
In his speech in this city accepting the
nomination, which as arranged by himself
and in pursuance of his orders was tender
ed to him by his mass meeting of demo-
Gratis and high license republicans, Mr.
Clement charged that the large increase in
State expenses in the past twenty years
was due to the misuse of State funds by
the State officers. He said, in so many
words THE State has nothing 10 show for
these tremendous annual expenditures
The money is used by the machine and a
good share Of it finds its way into the
pockets of these men who undertake to run
the republican organization OF the State"
Mr.. Clement is nobody's fool. He docs not
believe his own statements, He knows
that he cannot name the men who have
corrupty pocketed tremendous amounts of
the public money. His charge is a SANDER
OF his State, and is made to catch the ears
and excite the prejudices Of unthinl(ng
voters who are so often ready to believe
any charge, however unfounded, against
a state official
| 1t Is true that State expenses have heav-
lily increased. Until Mr.. Clement explains
what items he includes In State expendi-
lures, 1t is difficult to verify or question
; his figures. As they stand they do not
appear to correspond with the amounts
drawn by the state auditor. But any
figures approaching accuracy will show
! large increases In State expenses. With
> the towns relieved from the care of the
insane, and the cost of such care place
upon the State treasury. with heavy out
lays for the construction and maintenance,
of State asylum. with large State outlay.
, upon the highways with the care of q
state soldiers home; with largely increas
ed expenditures upon the State militia, anc
3 the expense of responding to the call o.
L the United States government for troops
! for the Spanish War, with the mainten
I ance Of State laboratory, which is savinl
e lives worth more than money; and viii
, the cost of other institutions and organiza
n lions for the public welfare, there coul,
h rot but be large increases of appropria
5 tions. Much of this, however. has been no
e actual increased of expenditure, but ex
L penditure through new channels. Thus tn
e figures given in the biennial reports Of tn
n supervisors OF insane show that for the las
e biennial period before the State was com
J. PEELED by law to maintain the town insan
J. by the passage of the POLAND law" IN
: State paid for the support of town patient
1886, $50, and the individual towns $24. SOFA to
tai of s6l $40. During 1887 and 1855 when tn
= new law went into effect the State paid 70
s. the support Of town patients s6S, 055 in 1885,