Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-10-14
FACTS IN FIGURES
FALSE STATEMENTS BY DEMO-
CRATIC CANDIDATE FOR GOV
EENoR EASILY REFUTED.
PEOPLE DEMAND THE TRUTH
Voters of Iowa VIII Not Allow Mis-
leading utterances of Hungry Office
seekers to Affect Their Action When
Ready to Cast Their Ballot.

The" people of Iowa have a right
to inquire as to what manner of man
1t is that seeks to have them honor
him above not all others, not alone as
to whether he has been a successful
banker but whether he is truthful
spoken and honorable in his dealings
with them. John T. Hamilton has
paid to have published in newspapers
OF the state assertions which make ii
easy to obtain his measure.
He gives what purports to be a
statement of the tax levy for state
purposes" followed by figures as to
Expenses of state government" and
asserts that this is an average state
tax of 1855 for every man, woman and
child in Iowa" He then adds that
assuming that one in five of the en-
tire population are taxpayers, and this
is considered a liberal estimate, the
taxes for state purposes average about
$19.25 to the individual"
Now Mr.. Hamilton is not an ignO-
ramus. He has been speaker of an
Iowa house and long time Office
holder at the state house. He knows
the facts, or knows where they can be
had.
Mr.. Hamilton knows that the 35th
general assembly decided how much
money should be raised by the tax
levy for state purposes for this year
and next He knows that the amount
actually levied and in process of col
lection for this year for expenses of
state government" is $2,724,693. If he
does not know it, lie knows exactly
where the facts can be ascertained ii
minutes time.
And he knows that this is every dol
lar of the money collected from the
taxpayers by reason of a state tax
levy for general purposes Of the state
government.
He knows, or can easily ascertain,
that the total of al! taxes raised by
levies fixed by the legislature, aggre-
gates about $4,600,000, and that this
includes money not for Expenses of
state government" but for expenses of
the State University, the State college,
the teachers college, the college ex-
tension work which goes into every
county and for land and buildings at
all the state institutions.
If John T. Hamilton's statement Of
s265 each for the 100000 people of
Iowa had been correct it would have
meant that the state tax levy produces
over $4,000 goo year.
He mis-stated the facts by over
THREE AND A QUARTER MILLION
DOLLARS.
Even II he should include as sex
penses of state government" the mill
age taxes for state, educational, char
table, reformatory and other institu-
tons and all of capiol extension and
everything for college extension work
and all land and new buildings-still
he has deliberately falsified by over a
million four hundred thousand dol
lars.
Mr.. Hamilton also asserts that "the
levy for state purposes under Clarkes
administration is 40 mills" Mr.. Ham
ilton knows the fact to be that the
levy for state purposes is just 2.9
mills.
One who goes to the people asking
their confidence should go with clean
hands and truthful lips. Mr.. Hamil-
ton should be judged by what he says
for vote catching purposes compared
with the actual facts as he knows
them or can get them from public rec
80 e he chooses to be honest.