The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1913-10-29
RICHARDS IS MAKING
FALSE STATEMENTS
DECLARES GOVERNOR
Asserts Opponents Mis-.
states Facts as to
Finances.
is NO REAL DOUBT
If Capitol Lands Were Sold,
State Would Not Owe a
Dollar Says Byrne.
is NO REAL DOUBT

Pierre, S. Done of the recent
statements of r. O. Richards, pur-
porting to make comparisons between
the cost of state government year by
year for the past ten years was shown
to Governor Byrne, and he was asked
|if he cared to make any statement in
regard to it. After a review of the
statement he said that every phase
OF the statement is false and mislead-
ing.
The impression intended to be
given by the entire statement is false
In the first place, he takes the bi-
ennial periods of former administra-
tions, makes a statement of the state
taxes levied for those years, and COM
pares them to the appropriations of
the present biennial period. in the
hope that readers will consider the
two items as pertaining to the same
thing. or course the appropriations
are always much larger than the
Estate tax levies. The appropriations
|are met partly by state tax and partly
by revenues from other sources.
Then, too the appropriations are
never entirely eXpended-always a
balance carried forward and returned
to the general fund. For instance, the
excess of appropriations over actual
expenditures in the past eleven years
lis approximately $2,000,000, or
100000 year. This gives an idea
of how unfair and misleading it is to
compare the amount of tax levied
one year with the amount of appro-
priations' for another year. If one
wanted to be truthful he would COM
are the appropriations for one period
with the appropriations for another
Quotes Auditors Figures.
Then nearly every item in his
statement contains specific misstate-
ments. He gives the state tax levied
in the biennial period of 1903-1904
as 81 ,269,S87, while the report of
the state auditor plainly shows it to
be 1889, 1867. This misstatement ap-
pears deliberate. Again he gives the
appropriations made for the biennial
period of 1913-1914, at approximate
Nv $3.50, 900 greater than they actu-
ally are, as shown by the session
laws. His reference to the fact that
there are $370,0O0 of revenue war
rants out is clearly intended to give
the impression that this is due to the
insufficiency of the tax levy made by
the tax commission. when in point of
fact the tax raised by levy this cannot
be paid before next January, and has
nothing whatever to do with any war
| no fcf n TTo oil f1n Wv in
tends to give the impression that
these revenue warrants are some.
thing peculiar to this year and to the
present administration, when the
fact is that the revenue warrants
now outstanding are approximately
500, 900 less than when / took of
flee. Also. I may say there were ap
proximately quarter of millior
dollars of registered warrants out
standing when l took office, while
now there is not a dollar.
Capital Fund Tied Up.
"In this connection it might b.
to the Capital Building fund almos
the exact amount of revenue war
rants now outstanding. If the capita
: building fund were today sold TO
enough to ray the cost of the capita
building, the state would not be
dollar in debt.
His statement that the levy mad
by the tax commission for 1913 will
4 fall a half million dollars short O
: raising sufficient revenue for tn
4 year, is also untrue. The only posi-
e. BILE way such conclusion could b
4 reached would be by taking the en-
tire amount of the appropriation
: made available for the year and de
r ducting the tax extended and entire
g lily ignoring the 100000 or $400, 90
revenue that will come from miscel
a |laneous sources. There is absolutel
a no warrant for such a statement eS
t cept to mislead.
4 "The fact is the amount of stat
: taxes raised by the levy taken wit
n the regular income for miscellaneou
n sources. added to the cash on han
at the beginning of the fiscal yeal
! July /, 1913, will more than meet tn
: expenditures for the appropriation
for the year. AT the end of the pre-
sent fiscal year June 80, 1914. the1
will be no registered warrants o,
9 and the amount of revenue warrant
= will be materially less than when
al took office last January. Also, til
j. same tax levy, one mill on the dolla
t. made for next year will be sufficiel
ID to carry the state through the fisc
d-lyear ending June so, 1915, payir
c. all state expenses and more, reducir
le}if not entirely wiping out the wa
Of rants now outstanding"
this morning shot and killed his fat