Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-09-10

nadded his figures in the most bare
faceJ m,nna, ma that the enormous
increase" when closely hsNes''S" ''''''
appears to he vastly less alarming than
he tried to make the voters believe
Instead of being a 800 per cent increase
as he at first claimed. it becomes ~
per cent increase in his Later speeches.
and that result is reached 'iiiy ny ''''9'
peculiar mathematical rr"c' Sses.
AS a matter of fact, tho year l">-'
with which the Democratic c'ii'i'''''''
saw fit to make compariSon' was Se''i
in which the current EXPOSES l" ti''
amount Of several hundred thous''l''
dollars, went over TO d" I''il" ny ''ie
state government OF the following year
The year 1885,. which is taken as the
other wear for The comparison, had as
a part Of the state expenditures s"'iie
$3.50, 000 temporary loan on account Oh
the Spanish war expenses, az ll'hi
which really formed no Part OF the cur
rent expenditures of the state. but
even with tNo wears Of this kind com
pared, and the most persistent Juggling
indul%ed ir, the Democratic c'la!dlt'
has not been able to show any increase
in the State expruditur s which alarms
or worries the taxpayers of Maine.
The Opinion wants to see a few items
in the increase justified, does it? Well,
let us look at some of these items a
moment. The increase in State eX-
penditures in the past 20 years, from
1882 to 1862. was $50, 499. Some of this
is merely apparent, as SOS, 900 of it does
not form any part of the real eXpendi-
lures for 1907, but is merely money
collected by the State which goes back
again to the counties and to the towns,
as the dog license. railroad tax related,
etc. OF the remainder, So. 900 is money
TO the towns in 1862 more than was re-
turned il 1882 There was SSG.927 more
telegraph tax in 1902 than in 1882; there
was S62 600 more paid for State pensions
in 1902; $4,000 more for free High
schools; $21,4S0 more to academies;
$4,000 more for the care of the insane;
$4,000 more for the support of State
paupers. mainly as the result of
changed laws; $12S4 more paid in
stipends to agricultural societies; $4,000
more paid for free libraries, and travel
ing libraries; $4,000 more paid to the
University of Maine, and over $4,000
more paid to various hospitals. Now
greater part of the increase in the
State expenditures, and Mr.. Davis has
intimatcd that he would have it Topped
off the total of the State expenditures
of the present time. Which does the
Opinion care to hold up as gross eX-
travagance" and treasury looting?"
In the face of this array of figures, the
300 per cent. increase in State eXpend-
lures claimed by Mr.. Davis dwindles
away to about Is per cent, and it is no
wonder that the people of Maine are
now laughing at the Democratic Can
paign of bluff and buncombe which was
inauSurated in such vociferous fashion.
Tho panlr1,lio1nc Of
met the Democratic attack with simply
a plea of general issues, as the Opinion
charges, but have met and answered
fairly and sQuarely every fact and
figure put forward by the Democrats.
They have shown that the taxpayers of
Maine We're never 50 well off as they
are today, so far as the State taxes are
concerned. The towns of Maine, in
spite of their increased valuation and
the State treasury in 1903 than they
paid i'll 1882. while receiving 100000
more out of it. In 1882 the towns Of
Maine contributed "A per cent to the
States revenues; in 1908 they con-
tributed only "a per cent. Wild lands
banks, raill Dads and other corporate
interests contributed the remainder
No part of the increased State eX-
Tcnditures, made necessary by the in
creased needs and demands of a great
and growing State, has fallen upon the
towns or the tax payers Of Maine. On
the contrary. the increase in revenue is
contributed by the great corporate in
terests and the greater part Of this
increase is given promptly back to the
towns, so that the great majority of
our towns now actually receive more
out Of the State treasury than they pay
into it each year.
This is getting down to the details
and "justfying the items of the In
crease" and if the editor of the Rock
land Opinion will read the columns of