Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-09-11
Former State Auditor '>
Callahan Replies to The;
Txplanation" by Curti
Takes Time from Settling up State Fair Accounts to D.
Governor-Ponts to Intimation State Is Not ALL. nv
Bills While Still Showing State Treasury Runninc a..
ance Of $1,000 Month More Than Last Year
The following is from Friday nights

The following is from Friday nights
Lewiston Journal
Friday, Gov. Curtis gave to the
newspapers of Maine the statement
which follows. The Lewiston Journal
has given Mr.. Callahan chance TO
have his reply appended to the article.
as is always desirable In such contrc-
versies.
Mr.. Callahan was found Friday deep
ly engrossed in settling up State Fair
work. He read the statement OF TIE
Governor once over and said:
Provided it requires any notice
whatever by myself. l can not give It
full attention at this moment. EVIDENT
ly Governor Curtiss statement is pre-
pared with more care and with more
choice language than the interview.
which was purported to have come
from him in the Portland Evening En-
press. He has apparently called in
some legal authorities of the State, to
prove what every one knows and what
so far as l knew, everyone always adj
mitted: viz: the item that lands re
served for public uses is liability. L
have always reckoned them as liabili-
ties and my predecessors have always
done the same
THE Governors statement also
gives the impression that the State is
not able OF pay its bills-that it must
curtail in order to pay for a small inn
provement on State institution. At
the same time he gives monthly
statement Of the large cash balances
in the State treasury. to the effect
that it is running 100000 month
more than last year. The inconsistency
in these conflicting statements and
ideas is peculiar. Nobody, trust, takes
the Governors deficit seriously; for
everybody must know that it come 3
from his way of transposing f res and
putting them in such a W., as to
give a wrong impression"
In this transposed statement that
the Governor gives, (Which he says
comes from the auditors report of
1914-Page 114) Lands Reserved for
Public Uses are put as a current LA
bility Of s413.35S.9s, in order to make
deficit of s75,7S7.64. This gives the
impression to the ordinary person that
the s413,35S9S was received and spent
during the Haines' administration The
Governor does not say so. in so many
tended to be conveyed. OF course,
every taxpayer knows that this is not
the fact. This s41335s9S is the ac-
emulation Of many years and is to
be paid out as wild lands or morgan
lied townships become organized. The
State has wisely become the custodian
of those funds. The law requires the
Legislature each year to make an ap-
preparation to provide the payment
from this fund to such places as may
be organized. For that purpose the
sum of $4,000 has been appropriated
each year to take care of this pay
ment but seldom has the $4,000 BEEN
required. And | would say to Gov.
Curtis that in his next interview he
will kindly tell the public whether or
not the Legislature of 1915 appropri-
ated the sum of $4,000 for the year of
1916 to take care of this outlay as is
required by law. The appropriation
bill Of 1915 gives it for that year but
in hastily running over the appropria-
ton bills of 1916 fail to find it. Per-
haps it is there.
I'm giving a statement or figures
to the public either as an official or
otherwise" continued Mr. Callahan,
L make it point to give them as
they are and put them in as plain
reading as l possibly can. have stat
ed above that an impression is given
by Gov. Curtis that the s413.35S9S was
all received in 1924. 1t will take too
long to give the different years that
makes up this accumulation. l will
give just four years to show what
belongs to the Haines' administration
and what to others. For the year
1914 there was received s16,61S.35: for
the year 1918 there was received $16,-
940.93; for year 1912 there was re-
ceived Of this amount s23,295.70: for
the year 1911 there was received SIS
341.02