The Lafayette gazette., 1903-11-14
MURPHY j. FOSTER.

batOn Rouge AuVocate.
The question is being asked,
what claims particular candi
dates have upon the party and
the people to Justify their as
pirations for Office.
The Advocate purposes to give
a few specific and definite rea-
sons that address themselves to
every intelligentdemoc voter
in Louisiana why Senator Muir
ply J. Foster is entitled to not
only the vote and support of the
State democracy, but the con-
fidence, esteem and love of every
man who cherishes his State and
who favors good government.
1t proposes to show what he
was doing and what he accomp-
lished while the gentleman who
now poses as his competitor was
sulking in his tent, and retired
from and dead to the current
issues and obligations that de-
volved upon the real leaders of
the party.
Senator Foster is referred to
as the master of the democratic
party for the past decade, the
Gar, dictator and dominator of
everything in the party from the
greatest to the least. If this be
true. it necessarily carries with
it the other side of the PROPOSE
ton, that whatever of success,
whatever of triumph the party
has enjoyed in the corresponding
decade was by his wisdom,
through his efforts, and by his
masterful genius.
We do not contend that this
is true, but we do insist that as
the head of the democratic party
and the active factor as the leader
of it's affairs. he has a lion 5 share
in whatever may have been the
fruits of it's regime. Other men
and other leaders have joined
with him and with their shoul-
ders to the wheel have pushed
the grand old democratic wagon
along the highways of success,
bringing honor and glory and
prosperity to this proud com
mOnwealth.
Now let us see what has been
done under the administration of
Murphy J. Foster.
In the first place, the assessed
values of the State from the time
he took charge in 1892 were in
creased from $234,616,69S to
$267, 723.5O3 in 1899. This
merely shows an era of general
prosperity and steady advance in
the wealth of the State under the
Foster regime.
But no Governor in the modern
history of the State has had so
definite or so successful a fnan-
cial policy as Governor Foster.
State warrants had been hawked
about at any price, and innocent
first holders of warrants had
suffered at the hands of the
money lenders. The situation
had already grown better under
the previous democratic admin
istration, but Governor Foster
esta blished a new era and a new
system. Without initiating values
or increasing State taxation, he
not only paid the current ex-
penSes of the State government
in spot cash, but he took up and
settled outstanding obligations
of other administrations to the
extent of small fraction less
than $2,OOO,OOO. He found out
standing unpaid warrants of 1885
and 1886 of $318,116 and he paid
and retired them. He paid
coupons 1 to II inclusive, 1857,
165 Baby bonds. 1864, ,295; four
per cent. State bonds were re-
tired to the extent of $91S, 700.
Making a total State indebted
ness retired by him of $1,958,
296.
In the payment of the last item
of this amount he saved the State
perpetually, for all time to come,
annually, $36, 748, in the matter of
interest alone.
But he did more. He man
aged State finances and State
affairs in such a way as to double
the capacity of the Insane Asy-
lum and perfect it's equipment.
He increased the amounts de-
voted to the public schools, mul-
tiplied the teachers and the at
tendance, augmented the State
University in every way, i'm
proved and advanced it as no
other Governor ever did. His
devotion to the New Orleans
Charity Hospital was exemplified
in buildings. improvements and
increased facilities. The State
Normal at Natchitoches became
the object of his special care and
devotion, while the Industrial