Democratic Handbook

The voters of Michigan must be on their guard. Every honest man should constitute himself a vigilance committee of one to run down and head ort Democratie cainpaigu lies and never relax bis activity until the ballots are cast, honestly counted and saiely returned. The Republican party is entitled to a victory in Michigan tlus vear. No half-way victory will suffice. ït would bc almost a defeat. The Democrats do not cxpect to cavry the state, but they are straining every nerve to take the edge otï of the ivepublican victory whieh issure to come. They wish to keep the majority down . to so low a figure as to deprive gan Kepubiicans of any real cause lor rejoicing-. In their anxiety to accomplish th:,s the Democratie managers have resorted to the most shameful misrepresentations about the relative expenses of the Winans and lüch administrations of the state. They are endeavoring to convince the pcople that the present Repubhcan adramistration of the state has been criminally extravagant in expentütures anti nas exceeded all former adrainistrations ia the lavish outlay of the people's money. The Demócrata have just issued a "Campaig-n handbook, 181)4," filled full of misrepresentatiens well caleulated to cheat the honest voter out of his vote. They present for his consideration the following array of figures: State taxes levied during Winans' term 2,8ii.0ol 23 State taxes levied during Richs term d,b-u-i)U o Excessof Ricli's administration.S 757.299 38 The first of these sums is correct and so is the second. Hut the conclusión is false. It raay seem an anomaly tliat írom tvvo truths a falsehooil niay be deduced, but it is no novelty in Democratie campaign reasoning-. Th e fallacy here consists in a half-truth, whicli is well known to be vvorse than a, lie, especially in Democratie mouths. The Democratie "handbook" keeps out of sight the fact that. in addition to the taxes levied Winans' term, the Hepublicans turned over S6O3,515.7ti and got back only 5345,878.8S, a differenceof$257,636.88, which was all spent and must be charged up to the AVinans' administration. The book also ignores the fact that the Democrats received from the United States the sum of 1420,865.66 which must also be charged to them. Jlere is a discrepaney in tiie Democratie showing of 078,502.54. This, added to the taxes raised during Winans' term, show the cost of his administration to be 83,541,553.78. The Republiean administration, on the contrary, is entitled to a large deduotion froin the taxes levied during Kich's term, in estimating the cost of his administration. The sum of S4O2,423 was raised for repairs, improvements and new buildings, made necessary by Democratie neglect. Tliis is i no part of the cost of running the state government. When this i tion is made, it shows that the lïich administration cost the people only 83,217,927.58, or $323,62'6.18 less than Winans' admistration. The Democratie "Tiandbook," by telling- only part of the trilth, is expected to deceive the people into repudiating the best and most economical state goTernment they ever had. This "handbook" pretends to be a statement oL the cost of running the state goverument under the two administrations, and yet that it is an imperfect statement, intended only to deceive, is apparent from a comparison of one part of the book with another. After representing the total reeeipts of the Kepublican administration at $3,620,350.58, it charges the administration with a total disbursement of 87,139,757.40. This leaves a discrepaney in the Democratie statement of ï;s,519,406.82 to be accounted for. Even if the disbursement of the educational funds, arising under constitutional provisions from the collection of specifie taxes, is charged up to the Rich administration, the discrepancy is by no means removed. The total amount of speciflc taxes collected during the last two fiscal years is 82,284,659.06. This, added to the total tax levy of 1893-4, makes tlie receipts of the Kich administration 85,905,009.64, or 81,234,747.76 short of vvhat the Democratie "handbook" charges the Kicli adraiuistration with disbursing. Nothing better shows the dishonesty of Democratie campaign work more than this oue fact. In the iirst place the "handbook" exaggerates the total of disburseinents far beyond vvhat it canpossibly be and then includes in the disbursenients for running the state government the disbursement of the educational funds, which are in no way connected with the running of the state government. A moment's reflection shows the dishonesty of such a charge against the llich administration. The specitic taxes are turned into the primary school fund by the express provisions of the constitntion and are expended for educational purposes alone. The reeeiptaud expenditure of specific taxes, being Unís expressly dictated y the constitution, is not att'ected by change ot administration, but remains the same. The present administraron merely colJected and expended for edueational purposes just what the constitution and laws require. If a faitliful observance of tlie constitution and tlie laws is an oft'ense in the eyes of the üemocracy, then theRepublican administration pleads guilty. lint tlie receipt and disbursement of specific taxes has nothing whalever to do with the expense of running the state Government. The only purpose of alluding to the disbarsemeut of thein by tlie "handbook" was to créate tlie inipression that the present administration is squandering huge surns of the people's rnoney. One of the most amusing instances of the capiuity of theaverage Democratie campaign writer to juggle with figures was found in the "handbook" as it was first published. It contained the etartling assertion that tlie legislatura of 1803 appropriated 81,856,000,000. That is more than all the legislatures, both Democratie and Kepublican, have appropriated together since the state was boni. The assertion was t liought to be a trifle too strocg and afler conEullation by the Uiuaocratic managers, the book was hauled off and a revised versión run off Hut the incident well illustrates tlie capacity of the Democratie party for misrepresentation and downright falsehood.