Fisher's Folly

The Democratie candidate for governor, Spencer O. Fisher, is going about the state exposing his lack of information as to state aiïairs in a conspicuous manner. In the formoi questions and unsupported assertions he is repeating1 the same stuff about the extravagance of (J!ov. Rich's administration that has been published in the Democratie ■handbook" and already refuted by Kepublican papers. At Ann Arbor and elsewhere he has made the wild assertion that Gov. Eich's administration has cost the people $733,788.25. more than Gov. Winans' did, when, as has been already shown, theRepublican administration has been 323,62(3. 18 more eeonomical than the Democratie. Mr. Fislier's lack of candor, if not downright dishonesty, is shown by the fact that he never tells his hearers that the Democrats had the .advantage of receiving $420, 805. üü f rom the United States and alsoreduced the workiag funds of the state 8257,636.88, thus making 8078,502.54 spent, of which they are not willing to give a word of explanation. Are the people willing to trust such men to manage their affairs? No, they have had one experience with Democratie management in Michigan of late years and that one is enough. Mr. Fisher asserted that the treasury of the state had been overdrawn within the last 30 days. So f ar f rom being overdrawn was the state treasury on the first day of October inst., that it contained $492,638.19', which shows that the Republicim administration has pot only stood the strain of Democratie deSeiencies and heavy expenditures, but has also brought the treasury up to its normal condition. He also represented that there had been a great inerease in the number and cost of clerical help in the several departments. The fact is, as has already been shown, that there is absolutely no inerease in clerical help throughout the departments, except in the auditor-general's office and in the secretary of state's. The former is caused by a return to the state system of the collection of delinquent taxes. The work which was done under the Democratie administration in the 84 counties is now done by the state, but at no inerease of expense to the people. About 50 extra clerks are now employed in the state department on the eompilation of the state census. It is true, as he asserted, that the salaries of the justices of the supreme court were increased, but at the same time they were required to move to Lansing and devote themselves continuously to the legal business before them. The court has thus been praetically always in session. Business has been dispatched as never before. The court has caught up with its work. Unless this change had been made additional judges would have been necessary, so that virtually there has been no inerease of expense. Why cannot a Democrat teil the whole truth? The Eepublicans are willing to go before the people with the question of inerease in the judges' salaries. The salary of the governor's clerk, however, was not increased as Mr. Fisher asserts. Although this is a small matter, it is worth notice as an instance of Democratie misrepresentation. The legislature of 1893 sanetioned by law what the Democrats did without law. The Republicans put on the statute book what the Democrats did under cover. These are the facts: The law originally provided for an executive clerk at a siilary of not to exceed SSOU. When the pardon board was first created, S400 were allowed for clerical help. The executivo clerk did the work under the Luce and Winans administrations both, making 551,200 salary. When the Democratie legislature created a "board of inspeetors" for the prisons, that board wanted a clerk at the capitol and he was paid S300 out of the general fund by the state auditors, although the law provided for no such clerk. The whole amount, SI, 500, was first given to Executive Clerk Hovey, under Gov. Winans. When the pardon board was reorganized by the last legislature, the same provisión as to clerical help was continuedand the compensation placed at fel, 500, as it stood before, the amount having been first fixed by the Democrats. Why isn't the whole truth better than a lie? The auditor-general's salary was increased when it was Bupposed by Democrats and lïepublicans alike that the salaries of all the state officers had been increased by the people. It is recognized by all who are familiar with state aft'airs that the auditor-general and the attorney-general - whose inerease of salary Mr. Fisher does not notice - are entitled to greater salaries than the other ofticers. Mr. Fisher lays great stress on the fact that the state prison made some money in 1892. A consideration of that tion raises some refiections that Fisher ought to keep out of sight for his party's good. In 1892, when everything in the business world was booming and every convict in the state prison was working on contracts, that institution made money; but today, when manufacturing has been killed i ícinocratic administration and the prejudice against prison labor has been intensified by Democratie agitation for political purposes and 300 eonvicts are idle, the institution is not makin; inoncy and cannot be expected to do so. lnstead of being a profit to the state, the house of correction at Ionia, under Democratie auspices, cost $56,000 more than its estímate for 1891-2, and the Marquette prison .HOOO more- an. aggregate deficiency of 898,000, which the Kich administration had to assume au il pay. lnstead of being extravagant, the administration of Uov. Rich has been the best the state has had for many a da y. It has honestly met its obligations, paid every man his due and will leave no deficieneies or depleted treasury to its successor. Did ever a Democratie administration do as well? History answers "No." And when Mr. 1 isher recovers from his malignant attack of Democratie eandidacy and regains his normal condition of honesty ae will ansvier the same.