The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1904-09-16

at washington? There the postOfice,
the land Office and other great depart
ments are permeated with confessed
corruption and fraud, which the Re
publican party dares not even allow
a friendly congress to investigate for
fear of the damaging revelations
which would certainly follow.
The last report of the treasurer Of
the State shows that more than Is per
cent. Of the States entire income goes
to pay three general items, towit:
Charitable and educational institu-
tons, interest on the State debt and
the sinking fund, and less than 20 per
cent is expended in maintaining the
whole judicial, legislative and execn-
tive departments of the government,
while only IL per cent OF its income
IS spent for salaries outside of the jrl-
dietary. Excluding the sinking fund,
1t costs less than 81 per capita to run
the State government, while under the
present profigate and wasteful adj
ministration of the Republican party
1T costs 1910 per capita to run the
national government. This illustrates
the difference between old-fashioned
Democratic honesty and economy and
Republican extravaganza and dishon-
esty.
Mr.. Roosevelt's administration is
the most extravagant. wasteful and
corrupt that ever afflicted the Ameri-
can people in their more than a CEN
fury and quarter of existence as
nation. 1t costs more than double the
money to carry on the government
now than it did during the last Demo
cratic administration. 1t cost to run
the government in 1896, the last year
of Cleveland's administration, $685.
100000, or S4.65 per capita It cost
last year under Roosevelt 1888, 05S,-
5O6, or $40 for every man, woman
and child in the United States. How
much of this vast sum wrung from
the people by taxation. for every dol
lar that finds its way into the national
treasury is paid by the labor and toll
and sweat of some American citizen,
is annually souandered and stolen we
can only guess from what we know
of the rottenness of the postoffice and
other departments. The taxpayers of
America are entitled to an honest and
al economical government. They are
not getting either under Republican
rule. The time has come, my fellow
citizens, when the rascals should be
turned out and the books overhauled
But my competitor complains that
there was on July 1 last a surplus of
$1,290,0GO in the state treasury |
wrung, as he says, from the people by /
taxation and deposited in favored !
banks over the state. The gentleman |
does not appear to know the differ
ence between a surplus and a balance |
A balance is what is on hand at .
given time. subject to be paid out on .
the current obligations of the state. !
A surplus is the amount on hand, over |
and above all outstanding obligations. !
Only few years ago Candidate
Fowler and Candidate Mccall of the
Republican party were criticising the
Democratic party for not having a sur
plus. This year Candidate Littleton is
criticising it because it has sur
plus. II the treasury is empty they
want it full; if it is full they want it
empty. There is really only one way
to satisfy Republican politician, and
that is to give him free and unlimited
access to the pie counter.
AS everybody knows, under our sys-
tenn in Tennessee, most of the taxes
are collected in the first part OF the
year and the balance then on hanc
must be enough to run through to
the end of the year or there will be a
deficit. Against the balance in the
treasury on the 1st of July comes the
current expenses, which from then on
greatly exceed the collections; the
semi-annual interest on the public ;
debt and the semi-annual interest on
the school fund, the sinking fund, and
at the end of the year the surplus to
be turned into the school fund. To
do as my competitor advocates, and
leave this $1.290,000 uncollected and
IN the pockets of the taxpayers wouln
force the state to repudiate its debts,
default on its interest, lose It's credit !
and become a borrower to pay its cur !
rent obligations. / leave YOU to say
whether man who advocates such a Y
financial policy would be a safe and
prudent man to place at the head of )
your state government.
Let me tell you where this balance ]
which he talks so much about comes
from. It does not come out of the !
pockets of the masses Of the taxpay-
SISs the IdEIueIS ana producers OF len
nessee, but from the great corpora !
tions and the earnings of the peniten- }
tiary. During the last Republican ad- s
ministration in Tennessee, in 1881 O
and 1882, there was collected from the {
railroads, telegraphs and other cor ]
poratiOns and the penitentiary $751; j
1883. During the last two years,
under Democratic administration, q
there was collected from these same &
and the penitentiary ST. {
800, 117.O7. or just about the healthy {
balance that was in the treasury on S
the first day of July last. This bal I
ance was placed there by the care and f
the economy and the sound business f
of the Democratic party, and