Profligacy And Waste

Republicanism is the same the country .over. Whenever you find that party in control, then you will find profligacy and waste. In 1889 when it returned to power in Washington, it found an overflowing treasury. In four years it squandered this great surplus and brought the government to the condition of a borrower. In Michigan this history has been repeated. Following the economical administraron of Governor Winans came the scandalous and extravagant administration of Governor Rich. No sooner was the party, through its representatives, seated in places of honor, trust and power, than it began to prostitute its position and the interests of the people for private gain and party advancement. In order to reward its heelers for services rendered, the majority in the legislature increased the salaries of various officials thróughout the state, as well as members of the supreme court. This was an outrage on the people, because there was absolutely no demand for it. Then in order to doublé up the salaries of those officers whom it could not reach by legislative enactment alone, it submitted to the people certain constitutional amendments. The people placed the seal of their condemnation upon the whole salary increasing business by burying these under an adverse majority of more than 11,000. Notwithstanding the emphatic disapproval of the people, by one of the most infamous conspiracies ever concocted in the state, they falsified the returns and placed a foul blot upon the fundamental law. Then they proceeded to enjoy the fruits of their infamy, and drew from the state treasary the increased salaries which the people had denied them. And even now, though their crooked work has been discovered and they are under indictment for the same, they continue to hold on to the people's money. Although the legislature was the most extravagant the state has been affiicted with in years, not one of its jobs met the disapproval of the governor. The result of all this has been an enormous increase of state taxes this year, as any person can see by cotnparing his tax receipts of this year with those of the year before. The history of republican control in Ohio under the immaculate McKinley himself has been even worse. Various scandals in state institutions, such as the deaf and dumb asylum scandal, the penitentiary scandal, and various others. The state finances, also, which were left in a satisfactory condition by his democratie predecessors, have been badly if not criminally mismanaged; and while there is a prospect of a $4,000,000 deficit in the near future, a bilí is now pending in the legislature providing for the issue of #600,000 in certificates of indebtedness to keep the state from bankruptcy. If the people would only study these facts carefully and look beneath the surface for the causes which have brought on the effects from which tve are now suffering, instead of alindly charging up all these evils :o the present administration, there vould be no question as to the reults of the elections this fall.