Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-08-19

SSON>
with the credit of lapses an'. large
increase of the inheritance tax. the
Haines administration showed
gain in surplus of S2Sb,ooo.ol'
against what you call Gov. Plalsted s
gain of s1,45S,457.04, although ex-
State Auditor Stevens gives the
amount as s1.s2s.9s2.55. Even this
lis not the ledger accounts of the
state auditors office-ex-Stat Audi
tor Hatch's report at the close OF
1910 showing net State debt OF ~
oo6 4sO.6S and the Stevens report
at the close of 1912 showing the net
State debt as $1,249,663.92, a gain Of
$956,796.76.
Whether intended or not you
have confirmed the claim that GOV.
Haines gave the State a good imam
cial and business administration py
reducing the State tax Y mill by
the appropriating for necessary pub
lie improvements ever $l,4oo,o ,oVo.oo
more than Gov. Plaisted, reducing
the State debt $2S7,794.20 and leaV-
ing cash in the treasury at the close
of December 81, 1914, of $7|S,o4o'o9'
OF this amount only $49,692.46 pc
ing highway money, S'2s'5oo.zo
being general funds. This recoro
seems to have disturbed You from
the start and it is but natural that
if should do so now. Your increased
State valuation of $2O,000,oo0. your
increased tax rate to 10 mills (potA
netting YOUR administration $43s,-
600 90 over that of Gov. Haines)
and YOUR do-nothing policy in the
vav of public improvements up to
the present time, are certainly not
record to be proud of by any State
government.
In your statement Of taxes Tor the
Plaisted and Haines years you omit
giving the total cash received from
State taxes by each administrator
during it's two years. l Will give
both Gov. Plaisted's tax rate was
10 mills: his State tax, $4,o2l, '2o.oa
and his receipts from the State tax
were s4,694, ,23S.51. Gov. Haines' tax
rate was 91-2 mills; his State tax
s4546.776.76 and his receipts from state
taxes s4.25S,35S35, which was $43o,
sso16 less than Plaisted's. Why not
give the whole truth to the public!
A Pertinent Question.
To help your case further you say
.'If Plaisted could pay the bills alreadS
mentioned on an income of s9,345,'9o.2 z
what was the need of Haines, with nc
deficit to make up, raising $lo,04o, $3.50:
DO YOU really think you can mislead the
nuhlic by such reasoning, without giving
full information? The total approprla-
+ions for 1el1-1912, Plaisted's two years
were ss.74a. .556ss. His tax rate was II
willis Won saw his income was $9,345, 19o Is
That is nearly 100000 more than he need
ed to pay his bills. You cannot Say 'h'S
entire money was to pay deficit, as those
bills were taken care of IN the appropiiA'
tion of 1911.
The total appropriations for 1sl5-l9l4
(Haines' two years. were slo,lso''s9ll
His State tax was 81 mills and the income
as Won state 1t was $1,000, 1886 or sl45,-
Ooe Is less than the appropriation. we
surely cannot be accused OF taxing from
the people more than was necessary III
the vay Of direct taxation. You see IL Is
only necessary to follow out your neure-
to show the successful financial business
administration of Gov. Haines. 1t IS
! well-known fact that the Plaisted ADMIN
istration made practically no approprla-
tions for any new public buildings iol
State institutions. This threw an aool-
+;ona1 burden on the legislature or l9l3
which was successfully met with the re-
su,t that about 100000 was appropriated
for nuhlic improvements and the tax rate
6xed at fve mills for 1918 and four and q
half mills for 1914. All information giving
the estimated receipts for the two years
,o13-,q14. both direct and indirect taxes
was given to the committee on appropr.a-
+,on as we'll as to the public press. BE-
fore the final rate was recommended IL
was passed upon at a meeting at "hlch
the Governor president OF the oena'o'
sneaker Of the House, committee OH dp-
nronriations, and committee on ways ana
,,eans were present How different from
the close Of two years later!
The Press Reports.
The public press at Augusta reports YOU
as giving a statement from your once a.
the Capitol Wednesday, July 49, OF "n'cn
the following is a part: "At the end OF
the Haines administration the state owed
current liabilities, outside OF the lano re-
served fund. Of 81. .252. 1928. At the end OF
our first wear the State owed only sols'-
900 "a in current liabilities. outside OF the
land reserved fund. Both of these. with
all lapses deducted, on July 1 we owed
less than Haines by S,6SS,l424s Ihls
would 20 to show that we had expended
some money; but still Haines had OF casn
to pay his 81, e52. IS only $7os s5s2 q. while
we had 81 .o54 .223.e4 to pay our se1s'20.S6.
II is not easy to understand how such a
statement can be issued. If. as you say
the state owed at the end Of your first
YEAR 81 .e33.142.4s less than the Haines ad-
roinistration did at its close and had in
addition the same total Of quick assets
(cash and taxesl, then you have done
we'll for an administration which at the
close of the legislature gave out the state
ment that the total appropriation made
would exceed the revenue by about $685.
uo. As no State auditors report for the
wear 1915 has yet appeared. showing the
assets and liabilities January l. 1916. the
general public are not In position to
know anything about the figures relating
"a your nsn< year. The standing Of the