Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-10-03
DEMOCRATS IN
PLIGHT TO FIND
GOOD ARGUMENT
Increased Expense Matter of
Record and All Talk in
World Will Not Alter
Cold Facts.
From a Staff Correspondent.


Lincoln, Oct. 2.-(Special.)-
Democratic submarines sailing be-
meath the political ocean are find
ing plenty OF trouble locating re-
, publican arguments which their tor
pedoes have any chance to pene-
trate.
They are discharging plenty of
high explosives, but somehow they
miss the mark. Republican destroy
ers are keeping the gateway to po-
litIcal success pretty we'll clear of
the underSeas craft of the opposi-
ton.
Charging S. r. McKelvie, republic
can candidate for the governorship
with saying ard doing things, only
to ind that his statements were alb
solutely founded on fact, or that
such statements never were made,
is about all the satisfaction they
have received so far in the cam
paien.
Arguments Fall Down.
The opposition is having a hard
time trying to convince the voter
that when Mr.. McKelvie charged
that the tax burdens of the state
had increased from $4,367.2573l to
$9,594, 1904, he misrepresented the
facts.
Mr.. McKelvie quoted figures from
the republican state platform of the
last state convention, which are
shown to be true by the records of
the state archives kept by demo-
cratic state officers.
However the democrats ATTEMPT
to prove that Mr.. McKelvie gross
ly mlsrepresented and miSled the
voter" by giving out yearly figures
furnished by the same rtcords.
The facts in the matter are that
Mr.. McKelvie quoted the appropri-
atoms for state expenses passed by
the different legislatures for the BIZ
ennluV or two year period They
show how fair they can be by quot
ing yearly expense figures of the
state in comparison to those of the
republican candidate for governor,
saying nothing about the latter being
biennial appropriations. The whole
matter becomes huge joke when
one takes the figures of the demo-
cratic statesmen for the two years
and adds them together.
Take One Example.
For instance take the appropria-
ton of the legislature for the last
biennium as quoted by Mr. McKelvie
as 1884, 1904, which covers the
years 1917 and 1918, Then take the
yearly figures furnished from the
democratic records and they are
shown as follows:
1917 ................ s4,4s49se.27
1918 ................ 4,361,S39.4O
Add these together and the
amount is found to be not so very
far away from the figures of Mr..
Mckelvie. and surely shows that the
latter's figures are not more than
100 per cent greater than the true
figures" as charged that Mr.. Nc
Kelvie quoted.
j. Property Values Higher.
Then the democrats again seek
to justify their position on the finan-
cial condition of the state by show
, ing that the tax levy for the four
last years the republicans controlled
the state board of assessment, which
fixes the levy, was 3.5S mills more
than the total for the four years the
democrats have controlled the board,
which according to the records is
doubtless true But there is reason
for the lower levy and the demo-
cratic board is not entitled to any
credit unless it be for doing its duty.
The board. with all the effort it is
making to claim everything in sight.
will probably not insist that the i'll
crease in the value of land, or crops,
or stock, or grain, or houses or lots,
is the result of its great wisdom,
but the reason of the lowering of the
levy is due to the increased value
of property of all kinds in Nebras-
ka.
Since the change in the political
complexion of the state real estate
and other values have been steadily
increasing Ahd each year the board
of assessment has found greater