The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1914-10-29
HOWE ANSWERED
state Treas. Deayiti Answers eandi'
date Ho~e's Statements hegsro"s
State Expenses.

candidate for the goycrnorship, has
referred to increased state expenses
and made insinuations that might lead
10 a thought Of dishonesty on the part
of state officials. In the following
letter State Treasurer Edward II.
Deayf,, makes answer to Mr. Howe
statements
"Mr. ]. Rolf Searles, Secretary
Republican State Committee,
Montpelier, Vermont.
Dear SIR
aMy attention has been called 70
certain statements about state finances
which have been made by Harland b.
Howe. the Democratic candidate Tor
governor. In this connection ! desire
10 call your attention to certain iaets'
For the bare statements of Mr.. howe
when unexplained have tendency TO
mislead the voters.
.For instance when il is stated that
the combined expenses OF the of'iees oi
Auditor OF Accounts and State Treas
urer have increased from S4,S53.SO IN
1901 to sl4. .291.33 in 1914 with little
change in population, no attention
whatever is paid to the amount OF
business transacted by the two
Offices in the respective years. Auditor
Graham in his 1914 report has calleo
attention 10 the fact that the cost OF
handling the business for the last MS
cal wear through the Offices mentioned
was only two tenths of one per cent OF
the receipts and disbursements OF that
wear, which showing probably cannot
be surpassed for economy by any
state in the Union. The percentage is
practically the same as in lsol put
the showing is more favorable than
appears for 1914, for in 1901 the state
,,easnrer in addition to the sum paid
by the state for the support OF ms
Office was compelled to pay several
hundred dollars out Of his own pocket
for clerk hire, while in 1914 the state
had made provision for such expense.
1t may be of interest in this connec-
,ion TO know that for the first two
wears | held the office of state treas
urer from 1906 to 1908 | paid out OF
my own pocket for clerk hire nearly
- a
$500, for which have never asked
or received any reimbursement from
the state. In 1908 when ] represented
the situation to the Legislature the
office was promptly provided with
clerk hire and like provision was
made for the Office of secretary OF
state which had been in similar
situation, and am unaware that Har-
land B. Howe as a member OF that
Legislature made any objection to
such provision.
"If may be pardoned another per-
sonal reference Mr.. Howe carries the
idea that the state treasurer and other
state officers devote only a small part
of their time to the performance OF
official duties, and that such Offices are
conducted as a side line to a law
practice. closed my law Office during
my first term as state treasurer and
since that time have devoted practical
ly my entire time to the duties OF the
state Office which hold. And know
that Secretary Of State Bailey and
Auditor Graham have devoted practic-
ally all of their time to the perform
ance of their official duties, and the
records which these two men have
made in their respective Offices render
any statement ! might make in this
connection superhuous.
at is true that there has been
large increase in state expenses IN the
last thirteen years, but there has also
been a corresponding increase in rev.
enues, the corporation taxes alone in
1914 exceeding those Of 1901 by more
than 100000.
In 1908 s2,s00 was turned into the
state treasury by the secretary OF
state. In 1914 such amount was
sl64 .659.79. This latter sum repre-
sents an aggregation Of large num-
bcr of small fees, the automobile fees
alone amounting to sl40,0ss.S3. 1t
requires some Office expense to main
tain such department. Criticism has
been made OF the increase OF expense
in the Office Of the secretary OF state
but not a word is said in commenda-
ton of the work OF Guy W. Bailey,
who almost single handed has worked
out the automobile laws. These laws
are models which are being followed
in other states, and are source Of
revenue instead Of an expense 10 the
people Of this state
Attention is called TO the $4,000
expense Of conducting the Office Of
secretary OF state, bu, attention is not
called TO the further fact that $4,000
of the amount represents the sum the
Legislature has ordered the secretary
10 spend for promoting state develop