Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-08-13

with Governor Brewster's statements
oil February Is, 1925, that this fund
has now been exhausted; until it
vanished during the first weeks of
the present administrator; with
the disappearance of this Fund"
Inc ngures and statements do not
correspond, for it appears that the
contingent fund actually has never
been overdrawn in red ink on the
States ledger.
1t is true that if all the drafts
authorized by my Administration
against this Fund actually had been
"set-up' against it, at certain times
In the middle of the last fiscal year
1t would have shown book keeping
balance of the wrong side of the
ledger, but not an "overdraft" in
cash. If these actually had been
"set-up," however, the credit of the
State and its solvency would not
have been affected in the slightest
Governor Brewster referred to the
state Contingent Fund as having
been 81 Dol ,447.61 on June so, 1921.
During the four years that followed,
this fund was drawn upon to carry
on the States business, and additions
to and subtractions from it were fire.
quently made. On July /, 1925, the
fund stood at $612 1868, notwith-
standing the fact that 'one single
item of $402 ,6S7.70 for the State
Prison previously had been taken
from it. not to mention other drafts
both large and small. I Welcome an
investigation into the expenditure of
every dollar taken from the State
Contingent Fund during my two
terms as Governor.
A Governors Burdens
The reverberations of Governor
BreWster's attack have not died
down. EX-President c. c. Little of
I the University of Maine recently re-
ferred to the unwarranted expendi-
lures of the previous (Baxter) Ad-
ministration as having left the State
SO crippled that it could not ade-
quately provide for his University.
Evidently the Ex-President would
subordinate the needs of the sick,
insane, tubercular and the other ac-
tivities of the State to those of his
own institution
No doubt, thanks to Governor
Brewster, for lon time to come
the alleged extravagances and lille
gal' expenditures of the Baxter Adj
ministration will be used as a target
by hostile critics and as a smoke
screen by jealous politicians. The
burdens a Governor bears are many
but not often, as in my case, is he
criticised for trying to save every
dollar of the States money and
called "close" and "penurious," and
then later on after retirement have
new and inexperienced Governor
who had occupied the office for the
brief period of ~ days (January s
to Feb. IS, 1920 aissue a startling
statement accusing him of breaking
the law and of unlawful financial
methods. / retired from Office with
the reputation of having given close
attention to the public business and
of having been law-abiding and
thrifty: 1 returned from South
America few months later to dis
cover I had been publicly proclaimed
a crook and a spendthrift.
An Unwarranted Claim
Governor Brewster apparently
does not hesitate to claim credit for
he in nowise is entitled to it. In an
address to the Welfare Workers at
Augusta on July 18th, last, he is
quoted as having said 1.-The finances
of the State are now In comfort
able position owing to the prudent
! provision made by the last Legis-
lature." AS a matter of fact the
present comfortable position" is due
to the Baxter administration which
planned the States finances so as to