The Sauk Centre herald., 1932-10-27
MIR. HENDRICKsON TAKEN TO TASK

The Herald of last week was very glat
to give it's good friend, A. H. Hendrickson
nearly two columns of space to discuss stat
politics from the standpoint of a Farmer
Laborite.
In this article Mr. Hendrickson mad'
use of figures literally to demonstrate tina
taxes had not in fact increased under the ad
ministration of Gov. Olson, but were reall!
lower.
The following statement from a citizen
not state official for whose veracity th'
Herald editor will vouch, has answered Mr.
Hendrickson showing up what he insists ar
glaring mis-statements in the gentleman
article. This communication follows here
with:
To the Editor of The Herald:
If the voters pay any attention to state
ments made by men like A II. Hendrick-
son. who last week had a letter in the Herald,
which contained nothing but misstatements,
it will be tough for the country. He says
that state taxes went up instead of down
when Theodore Christianson was governor,
and that finally in 1929 he had to make big
reduction in order to make a showing, and
cut too much.
The fact is that Governor Christanson
made his biggest cut in appropriation bills in
1926 when he vetoed nearly 100000 in
money bills. After that the Legislature was
careful, and he did not have a chance
to chop off much. The statement that
state taxes went up in the Christianson per-
iod is untrue. Both in mileage rates and in
the number of dollars levied there
gradual reduction. as will be shown by the
following comparison between the last term
of his predecessor and the three terms under
ChristianSon
1923-tPreus -------------------. $27,201, $3.50
1925-6-Christianson $25,682, 1880
-Christianson $25,436,3 1889
1929-30 Christianson $23,620, ,01286
Rut Mr. in
make showing in 1929, there was a law
passed giving the Executive Council power
to borrow money to spend in addition to the
amount appropriated He does not seem to
know that the Executive Council has had
that power for many years, in order to meet
unforeseen emergencies. He should know
that it cannot borrow money for other pur-
poses However if Hendrickson had known
the facts, he probably would not have men
toned it, for it happens that during six years
of Chrstianson the Executive Council bor-
rowed more than $4,OOO00O, in other words
in order to find out how much Olson actual
ly spent you should add not only the mill
lions in increased appropriations from the
legislature, but the 100000 he got from the
Executive Council Add to that the $780,
100000 road bonds he signed, which Chris
tianson had successfully fought for many
years. and you get total which should not
make any Olson supporter feel good.
Then Hendrickson goes on to say that the
reasons appropriations were higher under Oh
SON was that Christianson had been too tight
with the state institutions. Again he over
looks the fact that the institutions got ST.
100000 more in 1929 than in 1y25, and $780,
600 more in 1927 than in 1925, so the explana-
ton does not explain. Christianson provided
more money for the states unrorrunates by
cutting in other places. There was nobody
in the state institutions sleeping on the floor,
Hendrickson says. A few children less
than years old slept two in bed at Owa-
tonna for awhile, but there lots of us who
have slept two in a bed.
Christianson did not create debts when he
Governor, as Hendrickson says. He paid
off the part of the debt payable out of gen.
eral taxes from $15yOO0,0OO to little
over $3,OOO,OOO, and he did not let them get
by with any highway bonds.
Hendrickson says that Olson could not veto
any appropriations because the bills came to
him too late. He got them earlier than his
predecessor did, and Christianson reduced
appropriations $4,O00O0O
Where there is will there is way. Olson
did not want to cut appropriations. If he
did, why did he tell the Legislature in the
message to go ahead and spend more