Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-08-27

oohb men or Prescott men and Cobb men.
we are all for the Republican party.
Two and Two Make Five.
Biddeford Journal)
In the absence of anvtbinr ho.+o
'ne Manie democrats would try ia
iaise "h issue on the proposition that
TWO ana TWO make five, and then
stump the State in an ATTEMPT to make
the people believe it. And because
there are some who are so sin,nle-
minded that they would believe tho
statement, it would be necessary for
the Republicans to deny it. as thew ora
now denying some of the prepostero,,s
assertions made by the Democrats
A Boomerang to the Democrat.
Oath Times.)
certainly no issue could have hean
raised more inadvisedly by the Maine
Democrats than that resulting fron,
their charge of extravaganza .goinst
the Republican Legislators, in the ad-
minlstration of the State finances.
That DwindIins Percentaoe.
cortland Press.)
The Sentinel has already hauled down
its 800 per cent. increase flag, on account
of the revised figures Of its candia.to
showing 233 per cent Some time 400
we had occasion to show if that Nv,
its own figures the increase had hoe,
but LOG per cent. This is proyahla nv,
the State reports. By the report of the
State treasurer for 1882 the total ex-
pendltureS that year were 81, O99. $40. "a
not $640, 999.S9, as stated by Mr.. Davis
and the expenditures in 1902 We're
81 213,S3O.31, not $2,134,026.14, as stated
by Mr.. Davis. He has understated one
total $459,000 and the other s139, OOO If
he handles figures so careIessly. IN
justly and partisanly in respect to one
thlng, what confidence can we have in
his other statements?
AS matter of fact the State expen-
ditures did not increase in the period
specified 300 per cent. or even 233 per
cent, but the actual increase was LOG
per cent, on the face of the figures given
by the official reports. And when the
details are examined it is plain that the
increase was justifiable and necessary
and for the public good. Furthermore
1t appears that at least one item of the
increase was rather nominal than real.
That is the temporary loan of $3.50, 900. a
large part of which was on account of
the Spanish war, but which was not an
actual expenditure of the year 1902.
There was no temporary loan at all in
the 1882 report.
Concerning Valuation.
portland Advertiser.)
One of the most persistent cries Of
the Democratic opposition in the pres
ent State campaign has been that the
State board of assessors under Repub-
lican administration, has locked up
valuations" to an extraordinary de-
gree and has thereby robbed the peo-
pie of the State of Maine and especially
the people from the smaller towns and
rural districts. This is the complaint
they have made and the argument they
have used in the newspapers and on the
stump from one end of the State to the
other and they are continuing to make
use of it although it has been con-
clusively shown that the State valua-
ton of the smaller towns in the State
has decreased in the past few years and
has not increased at all.
But in order that we may under
stand better the true situation in re-
gard to the matter of State valuation
it will be worth while to go back a
little in State history. During the first |
ten years of the twenty year period |
which the Democrats are holding us as
A horrible example, there was no State |
board Of assessors in existence. The |
revaluation of the state up to and in |
Guiding 1890 was accomplished every !
ten years by special commission |
created by law for that purpose The |
law providing for a State board of as
SCISSORS was not passed BY the LegisIa- |
ture of Maine until 1891. Now in 1880
the valuation as returned by the vaIu- |
alton commission for that year was
s2S5, 79s,716. In 1890 the valuation as
by the commission for that |
year was s3O9, .O41, an increase on
s73, III ,32S. The whole Increase for the
twenty ayears from 1880 or as the
Democrats have it from 1882, although