Our Figures Are Official

The Argus last week published the flgnres compiled by the committees of the board of supervisors for two years, in parallel columns, showing the actual money paid out of the counby treasury. As these figures showed a large increase in the expenses of the past year the republican county officials and press have been greatly disturbed by their publication. To indícate to what lengths they go to explain thern away.we quote what the Aun Arbor Register has to say on the subject : For shrewd manipulation of figures and twisting of facts to misrepresent the truth, the Argus, as usual, takes the persimmous. Last week it came out onder glaring headlines with an aritcle deolaring that the republican administraron in this county had already cost the county at l6ast $9,000 more than the last year under democratio adrninistratiou. The statements are so lleras that they do not deserve an anwer.and we shall not attempt to reply. Por the amusement of our readers, however we shall show, by giving a few items, how the Argus succeeded in reaching the conolusions that it did. The sheriff each month draws three-fcmrths of the jail board bill. During the past nine months this amounted to about $3.000. The sheriff bas received threefonrths of this. When the supervisors met, he hauded in his bill for the remaining fourth. The board, however, required him to hand in the eutire bill of f2,000, his receipts, of eourse, as sbowing that three quatrers had been paid. The Argos at once jumped to the conclusión that the sheriffs' e,ntire bill was $3,000! The present administration also comes in as being to blame lor f 1,500 expenses for contagious diseases. These two items" alone make up fully one-third of the $9, 000 extra expense attributed to the republican administration by the Argus. Almost very other item is just about as near the truth. A correct showing will prove beyond the shadow of a doubt ♦hat the present republioan administraron has been the most economical the onnty has had for years. Our only wonder, in reading the Argus artiole. -was that it did not attribute the damagj done by the recent earthquake to tfae republican county officials. This would have been rieht in keeDine with tte statements it made. Th is very wise editorial can be utterTjr demolished in a fe(w words. The 4gnres given in onr table were not ompnted by the Argus at all. They may be found in the back pages of the official proceedings of the board of supervisors for tbe years 1894 and 1895. They do not include any bilis brought before the board of supervisors this October, as of necessity such bilis could aot be paid out of the county treasury wntil after October 1. The Argus mever arrived at the figures by any such ridicnlons legerdemain as the Register ■nggests, and the figurea were not made tor any policical purpose whatever. They are absolutely colorless. The people, however, are entitled to draw their conclusions from them. They nade a change last year supposedly with the intention of securing a better and more economioal administration of onnty affairs. That the figures of actual expenses do not show that they eonred a more economical administration, makes fair to qnestion if the people did not make a mistake. Bnt to return to the Register's remarks. If between October 1, 1894. and September 30. 1895, tbere was not paid ont of the county treasury for the board of prisoners the sum of $3,499.Í3. as against the sum of $2,192.15, paid out between October 1, 1893, and September 30, 1894, then an expert shoTild be put at work on the county treasurer's books at once. For he has been credited by the county with that f3,499.93. Ifany one fnrther questions the Argns figures, all we can say to him is to get the paphmlet proceedings of the supervisors and look on page 36 of the proceedings of 1894, and on page 49 of the proceedings of 1895, and 88e if our figures are not absülutely correct. And we dare the Register to look at the pages indicated and publicly state nexfc week that the Argus misquoted any of the figures given.