Robbery Of The People!

Tliere are certain totalsMn the report of the State Treasurer for the fiscal year ending June 3Oth, 1S9S, that teil a bad story to the taxpayere regarding Pingree's administration, when contrasted with that of the honest old farmer, true Dernorcat and noble gentleman, Governor Edwin B. Winans. The reader is asked to candidly consider these official figures from the report of State Treasurer Steel for the fiscal year ending June 3Oth, 1SÜS. A Startllng Contrast. Bal. on hand July 1, 1897.$ 7S3.8S8 04 Total receipts 5,122,S59 33 $5,90(5,747 40 Disbursements 4,090,534 79 Balance on hand $1,216,212 61 Now see the following statement frorn the state treasurer when Winans was governor for the year ending June 30th, 1892. Bal. on hand July 1, 1S91. $1,224,644 32 Receipts 3,210,S32 00 $4,435,477 22 Disbursements 3,193,505 40 Balance $1,241,971 82 Pingree's disbursements. .$4,690,534 79 Winan's disbursements . . 3,193,505 40 The Difference $1,407,020 39 Thus it appears that in total disbursements Pingree in one year spent nearly One MHIIon and a Half Dollars more than Winans in a corresponding year of his administration. These enormous figures in dollars represent to the farmers of Michigan fully three million bushels of wheat more than Winang asked for the conduct of the State administratioa. Is a man a reformer who is so reckless In squandering other people's money? Is he worth the price asked? What has he done or what can he do that makes him worth to the people this enormous sum of money? A nother Bad Snowlngr. It may be said that Pingfee spent a part of this rnoney for the war, but that is not so. ïhe foregoing figures have notbing to do with the war fuud. The expenditures are entirely outside of the war expenses. These figures, liowever, do includ the usual expenditures for the State militia. which uuder Winaus were $61,961.26, but were swelled under Pingree to $70,966.50. beiug over fifteen thousand dollars more than Winans spent for the same purpose. How Salarien Have Been Swellïfl l'nder Pingree. Another item of these expenditures by Pingree is the salary account which for the year ending .Tune 30. 1808, was $422,856.39, while under Winans for the year ending June 30, 1892. this same item was ouly $290,551.92, showing a difference favorable to Governor Winans over Pingree of $132,304.47 IX THE MATTER OF SALARIES ALONE. How Plngrte Gets Hls Campalgrn Fnnd. This is a very important item to notice for it ineludes the additional offices created to provide soft snaps for party .workers at the expense of the taxpayers, and here too i found an increase of salaries to make up to the office-holders from the taxpayers the assessments levied on salaries for campaign purposes. It should be known to all taxpayers that under Govemor Pingree's administration there has been a large increase in the nuniber of clorks in all the departments at Lansing, as well as an increase in salaries. Take for instance the auditor genofal's department: Under Auditor General Stone, one of the best ofticers the State ever had, there were in 1891 55 clerks and in 1892 only 35. Pingree'-s auditor general (Dix) had 110 clerks at the end of the fiscal year. June 30. 1S97. The average pay of clerks under Auditor General Stone for 1S91 was $64.77 per month eaeh. and in 1892 it was $63.60; but undor Auditor General Dix for 1S97 the average monthly pay of clerks was $79.55. which is $15.37 a month more than the average paid by Stone during bis two years. This enormous increase in salaries is made at a time when prices and wages have been steadily falling. until the toilers receive on an average less than a dollar a day. and the Parmer's wheat brings less than 60 cents a bushel. This increase in salaries was demanded by the neeessities of Pingree's party management. The office-holders were aseessed for eampaign funds and the assessmeut thus pald was taken out of the state treasury by the indirect but dishonest plan of raislng salades. This allusio.n to campaign assessments is not an idle tule. It is absolutcly true, a can be [troven by receiiits given for assessments levled uijon these Increased salarles. In some instances, at least, this assessment has been ten per cent of the salary, so that for instanse a raise from $900 to $1,000 would put the extra $100 into I'ingree's campaigu fund.