The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1902-09-04

NNeu amount anu fnDS.StS III tti tdlu
definite items. Any business man
will at once confirm the accuracy of
this statement. This fundamental
fact. however. seems tn have been
owe, looked by these political experts.
who have submitted exhibits ahSo-
m'cly contradictory each nj the other
These Republican expert doctors
sharply disagree. The ludirrous alb
suraity of their Sn-Callcd exhibits is
manifest in the fat that II each of the
exp RS is correct then II follows thar
the Democracy ot the state has stolen
practically thirty-tuur millions If dol
lars collected to pay the public debt.
We venture to suggest to Republican
organs that It wuuld he well to as
s"mble" these financial curios and pre-
sent an agreed exhibit" with
semblance OF plausibllity, IL not Of
truth. Ii il is not practicable TO as
semhle" the experts It might be
well for the organs 10 elect on which
one of the Ave disagreeng exhibits
they propose 10 rely.
Reduction of the Debt.
III lllS 'hHutNllpH I may say lUul
the Iavorite Republican misreprescn-
tation is the assertion that the Demo-
cratic party has used "fOrty-fo m |
liens of money To reduce the public
debt from twenty-one millions TO five
millions. and I. AZ at this rate f1ur,ern
millions will yet he required To cN-
tnguish the debt" The transparency
Ct this falsetood IL so obvious that it
hardly requires answer These Re-
publican partisan papers deliberately
ignore the interest on the bonds and
other expenses pad in connection
with the public debt, which ms have
Just shown. exceeds the principal OF
the debt Their mendacity and by
pocrisy. however, are concmslv'ly IL
Illustrated in the following exhibit OF
the reduction of the national debt;
The bonded debt of the national
government on the LIST of july, 1870
was s2,0i6, i55,722 80 On the LIST e
July of the present year it had been r..
duced to s93l ,070.3iO During tho
20 years 10 which | have lust advert
paid on this debt s3Sl3.ilili0.U7
Now. then. il | were disposed 10 emu
late the example of an unsCrupul ms
Republican press | could make a ia s"
showing by stating only part of the
truth and declaring that the treasury
department at Washington had Us Il
3. 500, coo. eco of money to reduce IT,"
national debt from s. 5000 600 Ia
1891 900 600
II were to follow the examplr Of
the Republican press Of this state AVID
make such declaration ii would b.
absolutely false, because it would ho
failure to tell the whole truth.
Il is true that the amount of money
to which have referred was used b.
the general government to reduce the
national debt but 1t I, also true al
during the thirty-twO years TO which
| have referred the nat cn1l trea ury
paid s2,lil. 420,G9S2S interest and
premiums on bonds purchased. \
failure to take into account tho in
terest and premiums paid. either on
government or state bonds. is dis
honest debt statement, whether il is
state or national This simple CX.
UlUll, IlilNtNfl, VI lllf ltAlu' ll'li W
the national debt during the last 80
years is a forceful illustration OF the
false charge that we have used 50.
600 GOO to reduce the state debt from
$2l 600 000 to s. Gao 600. and Of ct
equally brazcn falsrhOods which ar"
daily appearing in the columns OF IT,"
Republican press.
school Fund Amendment.
As a friend of education and loyal
Missourian. | oppose the efforts Of Re
publican leaders tn drag our magni-
fcent school system into partisan poll
tics. & The education of our children
is sacred duty. and should forever
be divorced from petty craftsmanship.
The proposed amendment To the CON
stitution. providing for the reduction
Of the state interest tax rate from ten
cents on the hundred dollars tn not
exceeding three cents: for the future
investment Cf school moneys and the
continuance Of the existing system of
school certificates has my most cor
dial approval. This amendment d cs
not contemplate a perpetual debt as
tnaTHeu ny hppUDiltdiS, Uut tNII S~lN
states that the certificates may be re-
newed from time to time, for such
periods and such rates Of interest rs
may be provided by the Legislature.
The investment Of school moneys
in our own securities has for more
than thirty years had the solemn sane
ton of the most eminent officials IN
public life # 8ll parties. The lie
publican leaders have heretofore been
its most ardent supporters. and the
utter in inceriy of the present ii
tude of the Republican party is dem
onstrated In the further fact that
Judges Higbee and Whybark were re-
Gently nominated by the Republican
state convention as candidates for the
supreme Court both OF whom sup
ported and voted for the issue of tho
school certicates when they were
members of the legislature.
If. as alleged in thu Republican
| state platform. these certfi ates are
unconstitutional. why then. were TWO
| candidates nominated fr,r-the supreme
bench who ayow Their constitution
| atty?
IL q