The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-03-03
MATTE MATiCS
OF CAMP IGN
Official Comparison Between
City Administrations.
CLEARLY FAV0RS M'LEAN
Some See-Saws and Zig-Zags
of Former Collections.
ANALYSIS OF FIGURES
Nuts to Crack for the Street
Corner Politicians.
CLEARLY FAV0RS MLEAN
ANALYSIS OF FIGURES

The urSt OF series OF figure tables rel
alive to the business affairs of this city
under the administration of Mayor Ben
K. Mclean, compared, or rather contrast
ed with the administration of former
Mayor Finlay Ross, who is now opposing
Mr.. Mclean, and other former mayors
as occasion necessitates, is given in the
Eagle this morning. They are given be-
cause the people want honest informa-
ton instead of statements from irrespon-
sible curbstone politicians. The correct
ness of the figures are vouched for as
taken from the official municipal books.
by Mr.. Jesse L. Leland, city clerk, and
Geo. E. Harris, city treasurer, two public
officers who are known and trusted by
every man, woman and child who know
them in Wichita.
The first series of figures relate to the
police department and there is not a fair
minded business man in Wichita who will
not be convinced by them that Ben Nc
Leans police officials have done better in
the inCreasement of the revenue from po-
lice supervision than the police officials
of any other administration in the history
OF the city.
In studying the figures from the police
department the reader should analyze
them thoroughly, for without a close
analysis their full significance cannot be
obtained. For instance, they Will see that
the figures given under the Ross admins
tration are very irregular as to months
and lack that logical harmony which the
reader can see in the figures given I'M
der the Mclean administration. There is
IL, G r11 .4xar.ea aF,
months in the Ross administration, while
no such discrepancy exists between
months of the Mclean administration.
The month preceding Mr.. Ross last cleo
ton the receipts of the police department
as shown by the treasurer's books
amounted to only 81 12l-00 while the re-
ceipts three months later were 5000 more
and the receipts for the corresponding
month in Mr.. McLeans administration
were $500 more. The second month before
MI. Ross last election the figures fall
more than $1,000 short of the next to last
month of MIR. McLean's first term.
1t cannot be claimed that Mr.. Mclean
could collect $1,000 more for February.
1905 than Mr.. Ross could collect for Feb
ruary 1S99 by reason OF more sources
from which to collect for every record of
the city will prove that there are under
Mr. McLeans administration less slot
machines and resorts and not more sa-
looms than under the administration of
Mr.. Ross. 1t is clearly the case that the
police department under Mayor Mclean
ferreted out more places subject 10 fine
than the police department under Mr..
Ross. and collected the money more nearly
on business principles. II doesn't make
any difference what street corner pOliti-
clans may say, what the taxpayer wants
is results in figures and results is what
they have gotten under the administra-
ton of Ben Mclean.
Making a reasonable estimate of the
collections for the current month the po-
lice administration under Mayor Ben F.
Mclean will have collected in twenty
four months ELEVEN THOUSAND
THREE HUNDRED AND ENTITY
THREE DOLLARS AND FORTY -FOUR
CENTS l1,3S3.4D more than did the po-
lice administration of Mr.. Ross on the
basis of average.
The average collections per month made
by the police administration under Nc
Lean have been thirty-one hundred and
two dollars and four cents; the average
collections per month BY the police de-
partment under Mr. Ross were twenty
six hundred and twenty-seven dollars and
seventy-three cents. The average diner
SnCe IN favor OF r hcl-San IS S-44-Sl. OF
about fourteen dollars every day.
If a bushes man should appoint two
agencies TO collect fer him and one col
lects Si7s.91 per month more than the
other which agency would he place in
charge of his collections il he decided to
have but one agency? Wouldn't any
school boy tell you that he would retain
abe agency that collected the most money?
Then why not retain the agency of Ben
Mclean in the management Of the affairs
OF the city?
The police commission was abolished by
Governor Leedy on July s. 1895 and Nn-
lay Ross as mayor obtained fun control
Of the department Everybody was glad
OF ii. The following is q complete state
ment Of its financial affairs since then.
and the readers of this article are asked
again TO make a thorough analysis of the
figures-month by month--in order 10
clearly understand their significance. TWO
much stress cannot be placed on the re
quest to examine the figures. for great
deal more win be heard about them be
fore the campaign closes. They viii be
kept before the public and since the street
politicians have said So much about them
they ought 10 be held IN before the eyes
or people till the people see what they
ought to see in them and which they will