Little Falls herald., 1908-10-30
HARs<iNG BACK TO u!

tlAR.l,NG BACK. TO 81.
To Candidate Jacobson's mind The
great heyday Of wise financial man
agenlent, the era of ideal financisrinE
In connection with state institutiensip=
the state Of Minnesota was ten 70
twenty years ago, in the decade from
1887 to 1897, when the old party ma
chine was so sure of controlling the
vote of this state that divided re-
sponsibility" was not feared. Mr.. ia
cobson's Duluth statement on this
point is herewith appended in full
ITO show the difference that exists
when one party is in full control and
when you divide responsibility lot me
show you few figures. The averaGe
increase of expenses during the last
twenty or thirty years has beaa 10
per cent. The increase each year .hes
been 10 per cent. IEhavsj the figures
for the appropriations for the years
1887, 1897 and 1907 In, 18e7sweb aH
propriated for all the institutions ook
the state $1,5so,000; in 1897 We appre
priated $9, ,180, 900, or IN increase Of 10
per cent each year In 1907, instead
Of increasing the appropriation to S.
100000; which. would be 10 psr cent
increase. the appropriation was In
creased to 81; 7;ss4 600, or nearly 81, ,ooe;7
600 more than would have BEEN had
the 10 Per. cent increase been made.
In 1887 the appropriation amounted 70
about 50 for each individual. II 1897
1t was decreased to IS, but In, 1907, II
stead Of decreasing it to 81, 1t was
increased to $13.26, or nearly twice %
much as under 4 Republican, admin
istration.'' r>, "a. ~yt- :
1t takes very little analysis to show
how superficial, far-fetched and ridic-
ulous the above argument is, either as
criticism upon the present state ad-
ministration, or as basis for fair
and just judgment in review, Of the
states financial history.
To compare the decade 1SS7-97 With
that OF 1s97-1907 is not a comparison
Of Republican with Democratic admin.
istration. The legislature which ap-
propriated the funds and the state au-
ditor and treasurer who acted as the
states financial sponsors and advisers
in the matter of disbursements were
Republican during the entire period Of
twenty years. During the last decade,
1S97-1901, the governor and all the ex-
ecutive departments were Republican
one-half the time, Governor Clough be
ing in the executive chair in 1897 and
1898 and Governor Van SAINT during
1904, inclusive.
But, If the intention Of Mr.. Jacobson
IL to show ideal financial management
Of state institutions back in 1878 az
compared with today, it again fails.
What was the financial condition of
the state and it's institutions back In
1878? Has he forgotten? Like every
other state in this country, and sspe-
cially in the West. we were just
emerging from the greatest financial
disaster in the country's history, the
panic Of 1893 and the depression Of
1898: Property values everywhere,
and especially in the cities, we're de-
pressed beyond precedent The city
and village real estate bubble had
everywhere bursted and broken banks
left depositcrs without savings. Tax
able valuations were cut down, tax
levies reduced and state institutions
dared ask for nothing more than bare
existence. Is that the financial ideal
to which Mr.. Jacobson would appeal
as a basis for the support of Mime
sofas state institutions today?
The financial condition Of tho state
was such ten years ago, 1T the end Of
the 1887 paaic and depression, that
the state board Of equalization up
pointed by Governor Clough was com
PEELED to reduce the real estate valua,
tions Of the cities Of st Paul, Mime
apolis and Duluth Is per cent ut q
single cut. Tho total valuNion Of the
state even 10 late a. 1900 had net yet
recovered and was still trihe below
that Of 1890, ten years before.
The STATE banks Of Minnesota
day over eco in number with 3Do,eoe,-
900 Of resources ana not failure or
loss Of dollar to depositors in six
then less than 200 wath
not ons-fourth Of today's rss9uressl
and the department of public ex9aiAsr
h charge Of those banks was 10 D4or--
y supported by the state and slah
lead letter and farce that over u per
cent Of the state banks uhdsr it, ssu-
pervision were In state Of lpsot
81 the insolvsnt instbtu
lions still being Indebted to tie stato
treasury fer state deposits ntvsr r.
covered. ...l.-.,.s.s. -
And now Mr.. Jacobsen pei1ts hls
anrer back to that date as proper
md fitting comparison for the people
II Minnesota to heed In m0nGing
heir state institutions In 1908 and he
asss that cenparissu in preparing his
Of Democratic "extravar
Bancs" during the tsn-ysar period that
has intsrvened!
It is plain that Jacobson has fallen
INTO vast and most ridiculous blum
aer, which in the interests ct his
- he