Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1912-11-27
D9Ay11611ED 0o110101A98D
financial Journal In 1svisw Of Mime
sota Finances, Corroboratss
Lees Campaign Statements,

Long Prairie Leader: Our readers are
doubtless familiar with the statements
made by VIM. e. Lee during the pri-
mary campaign as to Minnesota finan-
ces and the financial methods Of the
present administration. In speech at
Fergus Falls, during the campaign, Mr..
Lee went into the matter in considerable
detail and Gov. Eberhart gave out All
extended answer denying the Lee state
ments and asserting that the Long Prai-s
rie man did not know what he was talk
ing about .ss- s@E
Curiously it happens that the Wall
Street Journal, one Of the leading finan-
cial journals Of the country, in gen.
eral write up of the finances Of western
states, takes up Minnesota finances AMI
discusses them. It's conclusions are
more or less the same as those arrived
at by Mr.. Lee although the Journal of
course had no knowledge that there had
been any local criticism of the states
finances. Studying Minnesota finances
from the official reports of the state Of
f1cials. the journal has the following
among other things to say:
with regard to the cost of the Min
nesota state government, estimated
year 1911 were $15,612,O49, it was as
sumed that all these had been expended.
The treasurer now acknowledges that
this estimate was also correct, indeed
that it was within the mark. Our Min
neapol1s contemporary quotes him as
saying: The cash disbursements for the
said year were $16,321,065 which is
$4,000 more than The Wall Street
Journals estimate. This sum does not
agree with his official report, which says
that the disbursements for the year were
$16,364,749; but as the small difference
of $4,000 does not appear to be a mat
ter Of any Importance out in Minnesota,
we may let that go.
1.-THE state treasurer objects that these
sums do not fairly represent the cost
Of the state government on the ground
that some of the revenues were derived
from the counties. It is hard to see
what this has to do with the expendi-
| lures, or what the finances of the state
| in 1852 have to do with the current fin
ances, or what bearing the treasurer
rigmarole about the invested funds and
fund account have upon the subject
! 1.-THE treasurer may lead the Mime
|
| costs 1898 per capita to run the state
government, but this is not what his re-
port says. The very first page of his
official report admits that the years ex-
penditure of the state was over $A6..
! 100000. With population Of two mill
ions, this is equal to So per capita OF
$40 per family, to say nothing Of the
county and town expenditures.
| Mr.. Lees immediate answer to tho
governor was sufficient to show thai
Mr.. Lee had studied state finances an6
knew what he was talking ABOUT an6
that there was basis for his conten
ton of gross extravagances in state ad
ministration. The fact that last week
an authoritative financial newspaper pub
lished in New York. knowing nothin:
| whatever about Minnesota campaig1
controversies but studying the state!
finances for the purpose of informing it:
readers, who are financial men, abou
financial conu1lions as affecting tn,
state, should arrive at the same bosi
for drawing conclusions as was arrived
by Mr.. Lee, is interesting.