South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-07-20
6. O. P. Orator Explodes on
Extravaganza; Betty Blythe
Quotes a Few Cold Facts

from 1894 to 1903 left the state q
staggering load OF unpaid bills
The present Auditor OF State O'Bri-
en- found EN- all neatly piled up on
his desk
Neither did he mention anything
about the fact that in that period OF
republican domination the states ad-
vance calls, negotiated by republicans
amounted 10 fifteen million dollars.
Furthermore Maxwell's basis of
comparison is not an honest one.
He cites the specific case OF the Of
fice OF the secretary OF state, making
his comparison Of the years 1908 when
the expense was S14,293.S9 an in
crease OF $23.953.75.
He says not a single word about the
fact that the printing and distribution
Of the acts Of the 1913 legislature by
the secretary OF state as provided by
law. cost S23,667.5O.
But OF course the Hon" Maxwell
did not intend to deliberately mislead
the people by that comparison.
Now the real facts-and it's q funny
thing that no matter what you may do
TO a fact, why il still remains = plain
fact-the facts are:
The democrats had promised BUSH
ness administration. Moreover hon
est. capable business men of unques-
toned ability were at hand.
There was that stack OF unpaid bills.
More disheartening still. the auditor
and treasurer faced that old, custom,
practiced, Of course, by the republi-
cans during their long tenure of Of
flee. of anticipating payments.
That meant. in plain terms, the state
made advance calls on the counties,
and that the money which should have
tided over the last six months Of the
fiscal year was used to pay bills dur
ing the first half. Tt meant constant
financial embarrassment and-more
sericus-that bills were chucked aside
unpaid when the money ran out.
Ny guess is that the Hon" Max
we'll would not have howled so loud.
about the citizenship of our state
being Inundated by the fact that our
state institutions are kept open and
our state government is being run on
money borrowed of Chicago bankers"
if he had remembered about that
flock of unpaid bills-and the fifteen
millions of advance calls.
Well. to go back to Auditor of Stat
O'Brien and Treasurer of State Voll-
mer As business men-nobody in the
state will deny their conspicuous abil-
ity-they found the situation intoller-
able. Iney determined that the al
fairs of the state must be put on a
business basis.
The tax levy was too low to provide
sufficient sums for the legitimate eX-
penses of the state. So it was revised
and a system of perfect equality work
ed out. The wisdom of the system
which they inaugurated is proved by
the fact that the state debt has not
only been paid, but there remains in
the treasury nearly $1,000, 600. With
the fall adjustment of taxes the fl
nances of the state will be put on an
Independent basis and the temporary
loan will be a thing of the past.
Now here is a fact to think over.
OF every dollar paid into the state
treasury, fifty-four cents is devoted
to educational purposes.
Here's another little fact to cogi-
tate-Indiana's tax rate is lower than
other states of it's population and it's
total disbursements Of the general
fund are way below Wisconsin. Mime
sofa, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois and
Ohio.
The total expenditures of the state
are only One-fOrtieth of the sum re-
quired TO run the city of New York