The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-08-29
Pooling the People.
The Democrats Did it Two Years Ago, but
the People are Wise this Year.

The Democrats Did it Two Years Ago, but
the People are Wise this Year.
To THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL. The
Democrats have been very diligent in
ringing the charges about the, terrible
condition of the State treasury when
they took charge of affairs, and point
with pride" to their remarkable success
in paying so much of the enormous de-
felt" left by Governor Fernald. Sup
pose one of our prosperous farmers had
died in June, 1910, and it was found,
much to the surprise of the "wiseacres'
and the ignorant, that he was in debt
S., 900 for fertilizer, farming tools and a
new barn which he had bought and built
the spring before, what cry would go
up from the knowing ones of II told you
SOP But when at the end of the year
his family had paid off the entire debt
and had good surplus left from the
sale of the crops and other income of
the farm which the farmer had provided
for before his death, what a different
report it would put on the whole situa-
ton. And this is just what happened
during the Fernald administration. He
built and repaired public buildings and
bought land absolutely needed for them
of over million dollars in value. and he
left money enough to pay for them, and to
meet every other demand of his admins
tration, to be collected during the year
1911 under existing law. In other words,
not one dollar OF the expense of Fer
maids administra ton has been paid by
money raised by any law passed by the
Democratic legislature, but every dollar
Of it was raised by laws passed before
they ever came into power, and l will
take the Democratic State Treasurer's
report of 1911 to prove it.
On the very last page of the treas
urer's report for 1911, on which is page
10 of the State Auditors report, in the
last line at the bottom of the page,
read: "Increase in net debt in 1909 and
1910, s1,524, 664.5S." Now they claim
Fernald left this great debt and no money
to pay it with; but every man who
knows anything at all, knows that the
State taxes assessed in 1910 do not come
into the State treasury until 1911. So
we will just look on page % of the same
Democratic treasury report and see
what we can see. "Table number l,
Monthly Receipts in 1911, reads:
Receipts January. 1911 $50 OF
81 February, 445,519 40
Making S2,035, 475.47 paid into the
State treasury in the first two months
of 1911, or enough to pay the whole of
the pretended Fernald debt and leave
$50, So SO to spare Now the total cash
paid into the State treasury during the
year 1911, together with the S135, 1872 left
in the treasury by Fernald, according to
table No. l, above referred to, was
S., 02O, 676 SO. Where did this money
come from? Was it raised by the Demo-
cratic legislature of 1911? Not by any
means. All the money paid in in 1911
was paid in accordance with laws passed
by the legislature years ago, excepting
about $72, 600 railroad tax and S159, 944. sc
State taxes of 1911. making 1921, 1855
paid in which was raised by the Demo-
cratic legislature. But none of this was
used to pay the pretended Fernald debt,
for the State Treasurer says he had
$500. 632 in the treasury Jan. l, 1912, or
more than twice as much as was paid in
under Democratic laws passed in 1911.
So any one can plainly see that all the
talk two years ago about the great de-
felt was made for campaign purposes.
1t will be remembered that the Demo-
cratic legislature passed resolve to pay
certain alleged deficiencies, and among
them was bill for free High schools for
$50, 600. There was due the towns July
/, 1911, over S81,0 for free High
schools, but only 81, 765, of this had been
paid to them up to January l. 1912, and
you cannot tell by the treasurer's report
how much these schools cost or how
much the State owes for them. Why
was not this $4,000 reported as de-
ficiency, as it was in 1911. There will
surely be deficiency in the free High
school bill the first of next January, for
the Democratic legislature did not make
any appropriation for free High schools
for the year 1912, and they told me at
the State House last week, that the bill
will be about $l15, 900, and that the
towns will have to wait until the next
legislature makes an appropriation for
that purpose. But they did not forget
the rum bill That was of more interest
to them than the schools.
The same resolve provides for the pay
ment Of $685., 900 pretended deficiency in
State pensions. By the last treasurer
report one cannot tell how much the
State pensions were the past year; but
they were some 100000; and as there
were only $4,000 paid on them up te
January l, 1912, there must have been 6
deficiency of some $4,000. wonder