The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1916-11-03
LAMM DISCUSSES
GARDNERPARTY'S
EXTRAVAGANZA
Says State will be $4,000, 900
in Debt by the First of
the Year.
CALLS LAND BANK
UNCONSTITUTIONAL
Says Instead Of Helping Farmers
Ii Would Increase Their
Taxes.

JUiGn Henry Ian,n, the Republican,
nominee for Governor, cnthuscd tv"o
great audiences last night by his OK
Doaur2s for the mismanagemcHto OF the
State affairs by the present Demo-
cratic administration 1t Jefferson City.
Every Democratic member of the
Legislature" charged judge hamm,"
Ia seven clerks on the State payroll.
! legislator has no more use for seven
CLERKS than tomcat has for seven
tails" he said is the big crowd reared
WITH laughter
Judge LaEm asserted that the
States finances were never in such
a condition as they are today, and he
declared that Missouri would be more
than &2,0O0.0C0 in debt by January I,
1917, due TO acknowledgement and a
chronic desire of the State officials to
Keep ward heclers in employment.
The Republican nominee said the
people must take care Of this shortage
by taxation, and he charged that the
Gardner land barl, bill would increase
the number of useless State employees
and pile up 4 great tax burden upon
the people.
THE Democratic leaders themselves
knox that this land bank scheme is IN
constitutional. ! have made this charge
time and time again and have offered
to prove ii, but they refuse to give
me The opportunity. The project was
originated to provide leg for Mr..
Gardner to stand upon. 'He claims
that it will be savior to the farmer.
How could 4 bank, run by politicians
and under the control Of political lead
crS who know nothing Of banking OPP
crate it so that it would benefit any
one? A bank. to be a success, must
he in the hands Of bankers. not profess
sional politicians. Under the Gardner
scheme. the bank would be placed in
charge Of a new set Of officials every
time We held political election. It's
clerks would be politicians. appointed
by The patty that happened to be in
power, and the men who would b" di-
rrrtIv in control Of it would be the off
riaI whom the people elected to take
care Of the States interests in Jeffer-
son City.
To Sc aside o.c million dollars for
this scheme. even if we had money in
the State treasury, would he a crime.
But if the bank were to be created
now, we would have to borrow the
money to start it and maintain it. and
instead of the farmers being able to
get cheap money they would have to
subject themselves to an additional
tax. net only to establish the bank, but
to keep it going.
But Missouri at present is not fl
financially able to start anything. II
have told The people in every county |
Of the State that Missouri was broke |
and have dciied the Democrats to re-
flute it. 1t is we'll known that the
State schools have never received the
money appropriated for their use by
Inc last Legislature. Every Normal
school and TIC State University are
now running or borrowed money, sim
ply because the money that was set
lsidc for them by the Legislature has
jccn used to pay the salaries of use
"ss State employees.
"Thc Democrats have attempted to
'cply to these charges by saying that
here is money in the State treasury.
IF course. there is money in the treas
lry. But it was obtained by selling
he bonds for the new State capital, 1
md any State official who uses one
.ollar of that money for any other !
purpose is guilty of a felony and may
e sent to the penitentiary. ,
81 have asked the Dcmocratic State r
nicials to say how much money the
tate now owes. how much money the !
tate University and the Normal ;,
chools have been compelled to borrow /,
nd pay interest on, but they have not
cpied. The people have not been
aiken into the confidence Of the Demo :
ratio State officers. What has become d
f the money, no one seems to know, q
ut everybody knows that it has been I
Dcnt.
The Democrats secretly decided to 5
IKE more than 100000 from the pub r
c school fund, which can only be used L
or the support of the public schools, u
nd use it to pay the salaries of the
tate officials and their employees. The f
lot was discovered after they had h
Sed all but $4,000 of this sum and F
re Supreme Court made the Demo S
ATTIC officials put the money back. il