Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-08-29
Mr.. Davis VS.. the Big Cash Balance in
the State Treasury.


nored the great national issues
that enter into the present cam
paign. Evidently he had overlooked
the fact that this is a national cam
'paign and that a vote for Cobb will be
a vote for Roosevelt. while vote for
Davis will be a vote for Parker. 1t is
striking commentary upon the poverty
of the National Democracy that III a
lspeech of nearly an hour the Demo-
lcratic standard bearer in this State did
mot venture to make even single rel
terence to it's platform or its candidates.
Instead he studiously endeavored to
conceal it from public view, by cover
ling it with the charitable mantle OF
his silence. He confined himself TO
State issues, and declared them to be
but two in number, first. the finan-
cial issue, and second, the moral issue.
In opening up on the financial issue
he endeavored to conjTre out OF slGht
| the splendid cash balance of $63I SS3
|
at the close of the year 1903, notWlth-
standing the fact that all temporary
loans had been raised, that every dol
| lar of the expenses Occasioned by the
war with Spain had been paid in full
and that a reduction of $40, 600 had been
made during the year in the bonded
debt of the State. 1t was evident to
| Mr.. Davis that i'll view of these facts
the voters Of the State might possibly
believe that the business like adj
ministrition of Governor Hill had
made notably fine record unless by
| some hocuspocus he could get rid of
that notwithstanding cash balance.
| There is no doubt but that this big
roll of ready cash in the State treas
| ury WAS the source of Il great deal of
| worrinent to Mr.. Davis. 1t haunted
his waking hours and even invaded his
dreams. \ cash balance of that mag
lnitude, was something entirely I'M
known in the history Of Democratic
rule and its presence in the treasury
under Republican rule was annoying
and disquicting to the Democratic
standard bearer
| 1t was painfully evident to Mr. Davis
| that unless he could Jungle away
this record breaking big cash balance
his attempt to make the voters believe
his weird tale of Republican cxtrlva-
| at the very opening of his remarks
ne rolled up his sleeves metaphors
cally speaking-and proceeded to eX
plain it away SO far as he could. for
even the remarkable political necrom-
ancy of MIR. Davis was unequal to
the monumental task of dispOsing of it
900 which he asserts was received from
the United States Government. 1t
might strike the average voter that if
la Republican administration had sue
ceeded in collecting an ancient State
interest claim more than % years old
and against which the United States
Treasury had already ruled-and had
the money i'm cold dollars in the State
| Treasury-that it would constitute Il
very real and satisfactory element in
a cash balance. Mr.. Davis, however
was somewhat in error in his facts.
The actual amount secured by the
State of Maine from this claim was
s2S7 1921. s1O5212.65 of this WAS re-
| ceived during the year 1902 and was
| applied towards the payment of a
over from the war with Spain. and
| every dollar of which was paid that
year Now even MIR. Davis will See
| if he will pause from his political
| legerdemain, to think for a moment,
that money expended for the payment
Of war loan in 1902, could not possibly
form Il part of the cash balance re-
naming in the Treasury at the close
| of 1903. AS a matter of fact the State
|
1882, So. 1t will be seen, therefore,
that Mr.. Davis was just SIT ,15319 out
| of the way in the first statement with
| which he undertakes to explain away
the big Republican cash balance of
Dec. 81, 1903. or course, a trifiing error
OF s171,000 may not mean much to a
political magician like Mr.. Davis;
but the matter of fact voters in the old
Pine Tree State will be disposed to re-
gard it as somewhat important.
The second item which Mr.. Davis has
undertaken to subtract from the big
cash balance remaining in the treas
ury at the close of 1903 is one of "War-