The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-09-01
$S7S,O72.24
LEAVING NET STATE
EXPENSES $739, .e5

l. <
EXPENSES .......... $738,368.95
Any last-moment attempt to alter
or modify these figures will be an at
tempt to FOOL THE PEOPLE.
This is likely to take the form of
statements showing how much is
paid out for these institutivs with
out taking any account of their in
come. Any citizen can readily de-
tect their falsity by consulting the
tables at the end of Mr.. Bacon's BIZ
ennial report for 1902.
Where the money has really gone
is illustrated by the amount of sal
aries, $61,759.35, official expenses"
$16,454.45, and commissioners of
them of the kind in which Daniel
Webster we'll said civil government
always tagnates-S32, 1869. Total,
$110,344.49, while in 1866 all these
items took just $15,37O,73. The single
item of official expenses" postage,
etc, took $1,000 more than the whole
executive department took then,
when there was vastly more work to
do because of war business and when
a dollar was not worth over two
thirds what it is now.
The postage and stationery account
alone, analysed, means that every one
of these officials and commissioners
J has been writing $500 official let
( tiers a year.
A legislative investigation a few
| years ago found that 100000 had been
expended by officials without war
rant of law; but the investigation
did not stop the practise and C. j.
! Bell as cattle commissioner collected
! for 364% days work in 1901 and 374
! days in 1902.
Justice fees, when prohibition was
| in full swing. took $43,s0352 in a
! year-of which $2O426.77 was in the
4 counties of Rutland and Franklin,
where prohibition was at its rotten
est. Anybody can see why these fell
lows are so desperate to get prohibit
ton back again.
So we might go on illustrating.
The Free Press does not deny that
state expenses have increased 289
PER CENT, while population has In
creased only 81 per cent and wealth
only 1lA per cent,--does not
liz 'h n issa to $7ss ses 5ro
! 1903-does not deny that these fig
ures. taken together make the
WORST SHOWING OF ANY STATE
IN THE WHOLE UNION, whose
! wealth increase has been 11Ia times
faster than the narrow, prescriptive.
stagnating policies Of immense Re-
publican policies have permitted to
Vermont-does deny what is plain to
any man of ordinary common sense.
that a more nearly equal division of
parties would bring a very different
condition of affairs by developing
real and progressive craftsmanship
and effort to win by promoting public
good in place of the petty politics
and personal intrigue that now af-
hict the state.
The Free Press undertakes to deny
this by citing the cost of care
of insane, which 1t claims to
be" only transfer of ex-
pense from town to state. The truth
Is that the net expense of $149 975. so
under this account represents an in
crease of about 100000 over what
either town or state paid in 1882, and
the bulk of 1t Is for support as state
paupers of people who ought not to
be public charges at all, simply be-
cause Republican legislation has
| made no adequate provision for de-
termining whether they have rela-
tives able and legally and morally
bound for their support. Every law
| ger in the state knows this and Gov
| ernors Page and Fuller pointed 1t out
| In vain
The Free Press cites the Soldiers
| Home-without mentioning that I'm
Gle Sam gave us $6,04S to support H.
| the State Neutrality-suspicious. cos
| was less than $10,000-and the State
| Board of Health-only about $1,000
as explanations of the enormous in.
crease. The truth is that these items
granting them to be all right, repre-
sent hardly ONE-TWENTIETH o.