Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1942-10-22

fluence, $1,50O,O00 additional in one
year would have gone into the trust
fund.
No, the Stassen administration can
not claim credit for putting money
in the trust fund, but it is respon-
sible for the fact that a larger sum
did not 60 into this fund.
The total expenditure by the State
of Minnesota in 1888 was $91, 1885,
220.52; in 1894, $92, $780,; and
in 1885 it was Sill, O02, 313.06.
In 1899 the state expenditure was
$144, 8OO,818.71, in 1910 it jumped to
$3.50, 122, 631.73, and in 1912 the state
expenditure reached the staggering
total of $188,244,599.26.
Let me ask you, Governor Stassen,
if it is not true that during the fiscal
years 1899, 1910, 1941 and 1912 the
state expenditures totaled $642, 203,-
426.92 and if it is not true that this
is $1O6,254, 057.55 more than has been
paid out during any other four years
period in our states history?
And while you are explaining,
Governor, would it not be good
time for you to tell the people of this
state that in 1889 a, law was passed
which required quarterly and annual
financial reports of the states fl
nances? And tell the people why
Is quarters and annual periods
have passed since that law went into
effect and not single report has
been issued Seventeen reports are
due and your score, Governor, is an
absolute zero. These reports should
be issued so the public can secure
the facts and not have to depend
on political juggling of state finan-
cial figures.
l am demanding to know why you
have never made an effort to have
these reports issued. Don't blame
the state auditor for he stated pub
licly in 1910 that he had not been
provided with the necessary funds
to get out the reports. Why did you
not provide the funds for the state
auditor? Why have you been so
silent on this matter that is so i'm
portant? You did much talking about
your going to give us business ad-
ministration. Do you call that good
business? The stockholders of the
great state of Minnesota are asking
why you have deliberately kept them
in the dark. Are you afraid to have
these reports published? 1 repeat,
are you afraid to have these reports
published? Don't you want the peo-
pie to have the whole picture of how
you spent $188,244, 59926 in. 1912
which is $33, 100000 more than has
ever been spent in one year by any
other administration in the history
of our state?
Look on the financial page of your
daily paper and you will find that
the Federal government publishes
each day a financial statement that
tells us how much money the Fed
eral government collected the pre-
vious day, how much money is ex-
pended, the cash balance, the gold
reserve and the Federal debt as of
that day.
But Minnesota's governor in spite
of his many promises in political
campaigns and in spite of law that
requires it, has been unable to give
us one single quarterly report al
though Is quarters have passed since
the law went into effect He has not
given us one single annual report of
the state finances in spite of the fact
that four annual reports are due since
the law went into effect.
I charge that the governor has de-
liberately withheld funds from the
state auditors office so that financial
reports could not be compiled and
published.
I charge that he has deliberately
kept the people in the dark on the
states financial condition.
1 charge that II times during his
administration the law has been vio-
lated in not compiling and publish
ing financial reports.
l maintain that one of the main
reasons why Mr.. Stassen wants to be
governor for four months, while the
1913 Legislature is in session, is to
continue to keep the state in the
dark on this important matter and
prevent any investigation into the
squandering of the peoples money
and the betrayal of the state in the
matter of iron ore taxes that has
already cost all the other taxpayers
millions of dollars.
AS your governor I shall recon-
mend to the Legislature and do
everything in my power to put an
end to the confusion in state finances.
If the Federal government can give
us daily reports of its receipts and
L. \ -