The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-08-19
A WEIRD PLATFORM
Promulgated by Second Section of the
Reorganizers' State Convention.
NATIONAL ISSUES ARE IGNORED

NATIONAL ISSUES ARE IGNORED
The Framer of Phrases About Ex.
travagance and Waste Has Some
thing of Record Himself as a Tax
consumer-Platform is Character.
ICED by Some PIanks of incompre-
hensibIe LittIeness.
The platform adopted at the Second
section of the Hon. Thomas Taggart's
personally conducted convention is a
remarkable document. 1t is silent on
national issues, except for one para
graph endorsing the work of the ma
tional convention and another eulogiz-
ing Mr.. Taggart, the newly elected
national chairman. Never before in
the history of Indiana has a Demo-
cratic state convention so completely
ignored national issues. 1t is appar-
ent from a reading OF the remainder
of the platform that this was not be-
cause of uesire to accentuate state
issues, for it is doubtful if there was
ever injected into the state platform
of any political party such collection
OF trivialities as are presented in this
declaration Of principles"
Conspicuous for it's absence is any
declaration relative to the refusal of
two Indiana governors to homer requi-
sitions for the return of Governor Tay-
lor of kentucky to the packed juries
and prostituted courts which have
been employed in furthering the pur-
poses of Goebelism. The Indiana
Democracy thus confesses that in this,
as in other essential matters, it's judg-
ment has been hopelessly at fault.
Concerning the State Debt.
The discussion of state issues, and
particularly of state finance in this doc
ument, is characterized either by an
unusual degree Of misinformation, or
q persistent desire to misrepresent.
With respect to the state debt, that
monument to Democratic extravaganza
and mismGnagement which is being so
rapidly reduced toward the vanishing
point under Republican state admin
istration, the statement is made that
under Democratic officials, since the
enactment of the tax law of 1891, the
reduction of the debt was more rapid
ly effected than it has been during the
ensuing period of Republican fiscal and
legislative control, and this statement
Is supported by statistics" manufac-
tured out of whole cloth. The state
debt in 1891 was $3.50, 615.12. During
the four years following reduction OF
$1,310O00 was effected, and of this
amount $723,000 was received from the
government in repayment of the di
rect war tax. In other words the av.
erage annual reduction of the debt
instead of beng $243, 2O617 from cur.
rent revenues" as declared in the
Democratic state platform, was con.
siderably less than 100000. In the
nine years which have succeeded the
retirement of Democratic leadership
from control of the legislative and fis.
cal affairs of the state, the debt has
been reduced $5,608, O00 OF this
amount between 100000 and $780,
eminent as reimbursement for expen
ditures made by the state Of Indiana
for the equipment of troops during the
civil war. Deducting this amount, il
will be seen that under Republican
control the state debt has been disap
pearing at the rate of a half million
dollars per year.
The Question Of Extravaganza.
I'm reality" the Democratic state
platform goes on to say, "the Repub
lican administration of state affairs
has been extravagant and wastefuI.'
The sincerity of that assertion from
this particular source Is illustrated by
the fact that the presiding officer OF
the convention and one of the trainers
Of this platform was the Hon. Alonze
Greene Smith. Mr.. Smith was attor
ney general of the state of Indiana
from November %, 1890, to November
~, 1894. Under a Democratic fee ant
salary law which he helped to pass
Mr.. Smith drew from the state treas
ury, according to his own reports, fees
as follows in addition to his salary:
For fiscal year ending Oct.
81, 1891 1888. n
For fiscal year ending Oct.
81, 1892 Observation-Disclosures 2,OO1 8,
For fiscal year ending Oct.
81, 1893 Observation-Disclosures. 15.811.7
For fiscal year ending Oct
81, 1894 ......... s1,s7s. 7.
From Oct 81, 1894 to Nov.
%, 1894 ................. 1850. L
Total ..................$ 1874, 906. z
The addition of the salary for tn,
| four years brings the sum total of sal
airy and perquisites drawn by the pre-
/ siding officer of this convention from