The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1914-03-05
So that the amount used for expenses
is materially less, G capita, now
tbo,, IL, TONG
Taxes Paid by Railroads

Taxes lliu <l}y Railroads.
Referring again to 1905. The rail
roads in that year paid s lilo per
cent of til taxes collected for state,
Icounty and local purposes and other
property "a $40 yer cent.
If the 1913 tax collected or all
purposes the railroads will nav IL
per cent and other property SIS pcr
cent.
Cost oil state Gossrnn,cnt.
: What is the, actual cost OF state
governmental p, Why not set The real
truth about cost and increase i'm costY
In response to a request from the
Legislature last winter. MIR. Anderson.
state auditor and stalwart candidate
for governor, issued a statement over
his signature reporting tho cxpendi-
lures for the different purpose of
state government in each OF the Yeats
from 1904 to 1912. inclusive. and
The per capita cost for each g a This
lshows,the per capita expenditure for
1904 as s2,34. 1t varies from year to
year until 1912, when it is given as
S2.66. Thus accordin. to Mr. Anler-
son the cost of the state government
Ito each man. woman and child in
the state is S2.66. Dividing the pop
ulation into families of five. this
would make a cost for each family OF
l$13.3O for state expenditures. And
this question OF state expenditures.
this cost of $3.50 for each person,
FOR S13.3O for each five persons i'm the
state, we are told is the main issue
before the people of the state at the
coming election.
COMPARED with surrounding states
our expenditures are low. In the
statement referred to Mr.. Anderson
shows the cost in adjoining states to.
be materially higher than ours. Gov.
|Glynn of New York i'm n message
read to. the legislature recently stat
ed that ii was costing each man.
woman and child in that state $5.10
to maintain the state, government.
and that in a state with approximate
ly twenty times our population.
.sW.atch Dog OF Treasury"
MANY other false statements have
come from the state auditors office,
but these win serve as samples. In
this way the record is made on which
to base the claim for the state audit.
or that he is the "watchdog of tho
treasury The claim ia made that
100000 has been saved recently to
the state by the auditors Watchdog
ring, the treas,ry This statement is
absolutely without foundation. Let
the auditors office show nv. the act
ual figures II specific Instances
where If ms saved any considerable
amount.
at is the duty of the auditors OF
flee TO carefully scrutinibe accounts.
adjust them and rcfuse payment for
impropcr amounts. That is what tl1c.
office is for. II is its sole duty and
excuse for existence. But the pro-
tense that there has been an ATTEMPT
to raid the treasury is absolutely
without foundation and the claim
that the auditor saved 100000 Is,
absolutely false.
at will be remembered that in the
last campaign some cures were tab
ulated showing an alleged saving by
that department of S35, 600. Upon
examination ii was found that pruc-
~ticaIiy every one. Of such claims we're
lust and right and were ultimately all
lowed by the auditors office. I'm fact,
Henry Anderson himself Mt that time
wrote a letter in sweeping denuncia-
W. - 80
ton of tho charge, saying that he
himself had never charged anything
of the kind.
The BrinIscr Case.
con many occasions the auditors
office did not Watchdog the treasury
but grossly neglected its duties. Take
the Brinker case: Brinker was get
ting from the state zoe Il mile for the
use of his own automobile when us
ing it as commissioner OF school and
public lands. George l.. Gravel was
his driver, the compensation for all.
automobile, driver and expense, being
included in the 20c a mile, which Ger
tainly WIS ample compensation. Very
good SO FAR. But Brinkcr put in
false and forged vouchers for GruueI
as an examiner in his department,
when the auditors office should have
known and might easily lave learned
that he was driving B%rinker's car. for
nllie' ana ma ne was NOT al eAanlla-
d. nI.n. y :. ~, on anal'at
nrama1 hp;,,sale d;h ,nt 1snap ~.
t"AA wv 49," =,