The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-10-20
Republioan Extravaeance

w
opened by Mr.. Berge some weeks ago,
in his opening speech at the Lincoln
park, the charge was made that the
republicans at the state house in the
last four years had appropriated OF
the peoples money, in round numbers,
$1,688,000 more than the fusionists did
in the four preceding years.
One million six hundred and eighty
eight thousand in four years would be
at the rate of $4,000 per annum.
That meant that the republicans spent
$422, 900 per annum more than the flu
sionists did 1t meant that the repub-
lican administration had cost the peo-
pie about 20 per cent more than the
fusion administration had cost. At
first the republican state officers paid
no attention to this charge. 1t was
talked among them at the state house
that the popularity of Roosevelt would
pull the state ticket through and so
the republican candidates rested easy
under this charge, hoping that the re-
publican voters in their admiration for
Roosevelt would either overlook it en-
trey or else forget it when they got
to the polls.
But 81, 68S, 900 excess is a good round
sum. An increase in the expenditures
of public money at the rate OF $422,0O
per annum is worth looking after. The
taxpayers are pretty busy this year,
but they have little time to read the
papers and when they read that the
republicans had used over million
and half more in four years than the
fusionists had used they began to ask
the free pass holding republican bosses
what it meant. The pass holders tod
the snalliring taxpayers that there was
n0tIIiiifnf:,, IL Il cures to callsa alarm.
that they were pop figures. and staaf no
good Roosevelt republican had any
business repeating or even considering
figures that had been compiled and
given out by populist.
This, at first, seemed sufficient an
swer to the charge that Mr.. Berge had
made. The governor and his staff,
with their passes in their pockets went
off on a junket to the Pacific coast,
feeling perfectly easy that the tax
payers were too busy to notice the
$4,000 increase in the annual expen-
dltures OF their government. But an
inquiry had been aroused among the
taxpayers all over the state by the in:
crease of their taxes under the new
revenue law When the farmer saw
that all at once his taxes had been
raised, he wondered why, and right at
this point he read Mr. Berges state
ment that the expenses of the state
government had been increased at the
rate Of $4,000 per annum, and then
he understood that this new revenue
law had been created to raise more
money to meet this increase OF $422 900
per annum.
The republican newspapers which
seemed to have but little respect for
the present republican state admins
tration, frankly admitted that the
showing of this extravaganza was bad
for the republican officials and that ii
these free pass railroad pets at the
state house wanted to hold their jobs
they had better make some effort to
,explain. The republican state commit
tee at CsAsaha protested against this
kind of talk from the aerifhl lean press.
They said it was the business Of tEn-!
republican newspapers to support the |
ticket and ask no embarrassing ques-
,tions. But some of the republican
newspapers went right on demanding
of the state house people an explana-
ton of the $1,6SS,000 excess.
The chairman of the republican state |
committee suggested that it was not |
his business to make this explanation, |
but the business of the state house Of |
ficers who had spent his money to ex-
plain what they had done with it. The !
state house all of a sudden got long /
distance telephone call from Omaha,
whats the matter down there:' said t
the voice from Omaha, why don't |
OF you answer that charge about
the $1,6SS,00 excess?"
There's nobody here but clerks and
undersnappers, said the state house,
"the heads of the departments are all
off on the junket.'
WELL said the Omaha voice, get
up some figures of some kind and fire
'em back at the fusionists.
i. Then the deputy auditor got up some
figures and clerk named Roberts got
up some figures and they gave them
out to the newspapers. These figures
pretended to explain part of the ST.
682 O0O hut thew didn't explain it at