American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1916-10-05
GOVERNOR ALEXANDER
A GOOD ENTERTAINER
Amuses Audience of Four Hundred i'm
Lengthy Address Not Marked by Ac-
curacy of Statements.

Governor Alexander, always anus
ing on account of quaint expressions,
and always inaccurate in his state
ments of alleged facts, entertained
crowd of about 400 at the Auditorium
tonight He materially modified
statements that he has made else
where in this campaign, probably be-
cause he had in his audience persons
whom he knew could convict him of
ntruthfulness before the same audi
ence, If given an opportunity And
there is another reason that will ap-
pear later, when the man selected by
the Republican state central commit
tee to follow him, answers his ad-
dress.
The governor was modest enough to
claim a saving of $4,000 during his
administration. At Paris, three weeks
afo, it was more than Million" and
at Montpelier the night following he
placed the saving at exactly $685.
600. Two years ago he promised to
save "a million a year" LACK of
time prevents an analysis of his claim
at this time. He has some saving to
his credit, but most of the savings
he had no control, and were due to
sothers and not to himself. Part OF
his vetoes, whereby he claims to have
saved about one-third of the alleged
SS30,000, has proven an expensive saw
ing; another part was merely the post
ponement of the payment of just
claims against the state, which must
sooner or later be paid. Among these
g., tf,,fr
S37,206.79, ordered in the regular way
and used during the Haines a,lminis-
tration. This was not saving, only
a postponement of the payment of just
debts. There are a number of Others
like these that add many more thou
sands to the alleged savings OF the
inaccurate Moses. These may be TAX
en- up later.
The talk of the governor was a CON
tinuous series of gallery plays. His
greatest applause was when he USED
the word "swipe" in connection with
an alleged saving at the Blackfoot
asylum. His heart bled for the un-
fortunate inmates, so much so that
he wanted to eXpend the alleged saw
ing to build a building and accused
the attorney general of playing poll
tics" because he ruled that the unus-
ed money must be used for the pur-
pose for which 1t was appropriated, or
GO back into the state treasury, The
law requires the use of budget sys-
tenn for all state departments and in
stitutions. Appropriations are made
for certain purposes--so much for
stamps, so much for stationery, so
much for travelling expenses, etc, and
tbo nf nf
so appropriated for any other pur-
pose whatever, felony. Only two
years ago the governor was denounc-
ing certain state officials, and demand
ing that they be punished, for doing
exactly what he condemned the al
torney general for not doing. The
people can not forget that one OF the
charges against the pure food com
missioner two years ago, which re-
suited in the imposing OF fine OF
$500, was using money appropriat'
ed for his office for office expenses
to pay the travelling expenses of one
of his deputies And further on thi:
point, Governor Alexander applaudet
the attempt of the prosecuting attor
ney of Ada county in his attempt t'
send the state auditor to the peniten
y,
ment being that the auditor drew
warrant on the office supplies fun
to pay an item of travelling expense
Can the governor be sincere in thi
instance? Let the reader, in view o
these facts, answer for himself.
The governors sympathy for tn
unfortunates at Blackfoot does no
extend to the unfortunate feeble mind
ed children He vetoed an appropria
ton for the maintenance of an inst
tuition for the feeble minded, the build
ing having already been completed
at Nampa. When shedding tears owe
the unfortunate mothers at Blackfoo
he did not mention the unfortunat
children.
1t is only five weeks ago since
feeble minded mother and two feebl
minded children from Power count
in accordance with law after an e!
animation, were committed to II
state institution for the feeble mindt
at Nampa. Deputy Sheriff Charl'
Torrance took them to the institutio
and found il locked. He boarded Il
first car for Boise, took the unfo
tunates into the governors offic
turning them over to the goyerno
fainted-no. o4L ~. sympathy for u
., u..ultuDa es.bat because he reali
ed ,...t part OF his halo of glory wou
fade wle.. lac fruits of his veto We
u. So, nome to hi mand to publ
knowledge. The governor could
nothing for the unfortunates, "tal
them away" he said. Mr.. Torran
said there was no place to take the
and its up to you to arrange place
II didn't take the governor long to
so. And the unfortunates were TAX
to the asylum at Orofino, and plac
alongside a cage containing an u
fortunate boy who raves and shrie
until he is exhausted and falls in
faint, and as soon as his strength !
turns repeats the performance. HI
ing, under such conditions. will it