Cannot Explain Away The Increase

"A hit bird fluiters." Never was the truth of this oíd adage better illustrated than in this week's Conrier, which flutters vigorously over the table of county expeuditnres for two years which appeared in the Argns of last week, and which showed that the oonnty Oxpenditnres for the year endinf October 1, 1895, were $8,951 more than they were for tbe yenr ending October 1, 1894. The bnrdeu of the Cut-rier'f. contention was that the very wicked demorrats were respoosible for this increase of over 25 per ceut in counfy ex penses, and to prove it they instiim e certa iu expensas which they charge uj to the democrats, uot giving the tots 1 or auy comparison, not sayiug auything abont oonesponding repnblicaa expenses or inscaucing any of thetn. The Argns had no iutention wi:en Jast week it published in parallel oolnraus the totals of conuty expenses fonnd by the sapervisors' committees of so stirring up the animáis in the repnlilioau camp, bnt the trnth evidently Imirs now, and there is evidently a s roug desire to break tljë forne ff it. To indioate that the Argns is not actuated by partisan motives, we desire to again state, as we did last week, that onr figures are fignres, not of expenses inonrred, bnt of cash paid. We published the official figures and made no attempt to deduct from them. For in stance, in the year 1893-4 was found $1,371.60 for insurance. This paid the insnrauce for three years. But the Argus made no attempt to pettifog and claim a reduction, so as to further increase the difference bewteen that year and the past year. For, on the other hand, the commisioner of schools' orders in 1893-4 are put down for $1,350. Ihat was the cash actually paid that year, bnt as his salary was $1,500, it is plain that he did not draw some of his pay nntil the next year. If the Argus wished to adopt the Courier's mefchoó it might go throngh the expenses of the democratie year and claim dednetions, as the Conrier has done with the republican year, but we do not do this because it would be nnfair. When all these things are carefully considered, it will be fouud that they about offset eaoh other, and the difference between the two years will be left about where it is now. There is no getting aronnd the facts as they stand. Further, the Argns may be perruitted to state thafc the orders allowed by the board of supervisors in October of this year andnot included in the figures given by the Argns np to October 1, 1895, are in the neighborhood of $4,000 more than the orders allowed in the October sessioa of 1894, so that if the time of statement were altered to January 1, instead of October 1, the diffrence between the two years, the democratie and the republioan years, would have been about $13,000 instead of $9,000. We shall take occasion next week to show the Qourier how this figures ont.