The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1914-09-25
SPER, INDIANA. FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 1914

way into the .zcrs, and no one ever
heard of anyone of the Republican
papers demanding the defeat of their
party, or criticising any of the Re
publicans of the legislature of 1907,
because of the mysterious history of
that bill. But what monstrous crime
the history of that bill would have
been had the legislature of 1907 been
Democraticl
Again, the Senate Journal of the
Republican legislature of 1907 at
page 1924 shows that an important
amendment affecting the rights of
citizens in their dealings with foreign
corporations, offered to Senate Bill
127, was defeated. Yet the Acts of
1907 at page 287, contains this amend
ment as passed. What convincing evil
dence this would have been of the un-
fitness of the Democratic party to be
entrusted with power, if the legisla-
ture Of 1907 had been Democratic in
stead of Republican,!
Comparison of Expenses.
The Honorable Howard Maxwell,
who presided over the recent Republi-
can State convention, INDUCED in GER
tain comparisons for the purpose of
showing that Democratic administra-
tions are more expensive than Repub-
lican. He dealt with certain items of
expense under the Marshall and Raj
ston administrations, comparing them
with similar items in the Republican
year of 1908. He pointed out that the
increase in the Offices he chose for
comparison had been respectively %
per cent, A per cent, As per cent 70
per cent, and as high as 361 per cent
the latter being an increase of $11,-
1886 in the Office of State entomolo-
gist..
Had this versatile gentleman gone
further into State expenses, he could
have shown that the Republican ex-
penses in 1907 over Democratic ex-
penses in 1898, the last year the
Democrats were in full control till
1911, was 245 per cent In the Gov
ernor's Office, 153 per cent In the Sec
retary of States office, 248 per cent
in the Auditors office, 249 per cent
in the office of State Librarian, 274
per cent for the Board of State Chari-
ties, 514 per cent for the State Board
of Health and % 60 per cent. In the
Experience has shown that the only
thing the average Republican could
conscientiously do when called upon
TO give an account of his official con-
duct was to respond, 81 have got the
money and what are you going to
do about it." He could not explain.
The Republican press of the State
has been complaining about certain
increases of salaries by the last Cen
eral Assembly, in such a manner as
to mislead the public. The General
Appropriation Bill passed with only
two votes against it in the House and
six in the Senate, all Democrats; so if
any injustice was done the public In
its passage Republicans and Progress
sives must assume their part of the
responsibility for the wrong.
A few Of the items going to make
up the charges laid against the pres
ent administration and the last legis-
lature largely show the character of
the whole bill of particulars filed
against the Democratic party in this
campaign.
1t is claimed that there was an in
crease of $500 in certain salaries of
clerks in the office of Secretary of
State, made by the General Appro-
priation Bill. What are the facts?
Instead of an increase there has been
a decrease in the operating expenses
of this department, and saving to the
people of $940 a year, by Mr.. Filing
ham, the Democratic Secretary of
State, transferring an $1,000 clerk to
the automobile bureau, self-support-
ing department But the business of
that office has greatly increased. For
the two years ending September 80,
1894, under a Republican secretary,
the total receipts of the department
were $76,48720 and it required four
employees to take care of that bust
ness; while for the two years ending
September 80, 1913, eighteen years
later, the total receipts amounted to
$415, ,124.43 and but one more employee
was required to take care Of the busi-
ness than in the former year.
Republican papers are also crying
out against the appropriations for the
office of Attorney General under the
present administration, although there
has been an actual saving of $1,100
per year since Honan came into office.
Another charge is made that a
salary grab of $500 was made by the
Reporter of the Supreme and Appel
late courts through the last legisla-
ture. What did occur was readjust-
ment of salaries in this Office with the
appropriation remaining the same as
before. Mr.. Zoercher has in fact
saved $500 per year, while giving
notably good service to the public.
And we are told that the Demo-
cratic legislature of 1913 committed
a wrong by increasing salaries in the
office of Superintendent of Public In
struction. The total increase for this
Office was S2,470, fifteen hundred dol
lars of this amount being added to
the salary of the superintendent, max
ing it $4,000 a year. This increase
was recommended by the visiting
committee, was in the original appro-
priation bill, and was based on sound
business policy. The ability required
to meet the duties of this Office could
no longer be commanded for $4,000.
In eight years two Republican
Superintendents reported and col
lected in teachers license fees the net
sum of S693.40; while in a period of
five years the Democratic Superin-