A Very Unfair Statement

Last -week the Ann Arbor A.rgus pubüshed a comparative statement oí expenditures for the year ending Oct. Ist 1895, charging the large lncrenfe 1l;erein over the preceding year, up t) the repuWican officials now in office, and who had been in office only rine monthe. Nothing could be more i;nfair, for two reasons. The first reason is that these exptnditures inelude three months expenses of retiring democratie Oflicials nfter tbey knew fchey we re to retire --that somethnes niftkes a diïferem-e The second reason is that there wat an extra session of the board of mpervisors- in January, and fuUy onefeurth oí the year's bilis were allowed and paiiï which are usually aliowed and paid at the next October's session, and whloh are nsually enumered in the expenses of the year followIiig The table given by the Argus starts o.f with the county clerk, charging l:in with an expenditure of $1,418.C'ï, when in fact he should be cliaigeil witb only $900, the balance being íor expenses before his time. The county treasurer's expenses are l!aced at $1,295.75, when the truth i-i Mr. Kehfuss has only drawn $750 salary, which, when the year is completeu ■will be a saving of $200 to the couijty. In this connection it might be weH tu reruark that of the increase yiven thero is quite a lot to be charged ui' to extra expense made the oount; by deialcation of the Jate dejatoixath: inciimbent of the treasurer's clf;ce, Mi. P. C!. Suekey. Several hv.ndre.] dollars expense, includiüg' '.ui i xtra session oí the board o! isupervis cis, ih chargeable to that, and surely caunot 'be rung in as repubiican oxtiavagance. The prosecuting attorney's office is made to show an increase of $545. In this increase we i'ind three signi.icant items : A. J. Sawyer, íor assisting Prosecuting Attorney T. D. Kearney in the Hand murder trial, $;00. Thos. D. Kearney íor office rent, $L00. M. J. Lehman for office rent, $200. There is $900, v-hich -vould make the alleged iuciease a decrease, and there are other items to add which we iiave not haü the time to look up. The eommissioner of schools is p'nurget. witü $825 increase, wlieij there has been a decrease. The appau-Bt increase comes from the fact tbat Mr. Cavanaugh's time as commissiOner did not expire until July 3st, an(' consequently three-fonrths oí the expenses in that item are ehaigqble to his incumbency. The supervisors are down for an increaso o! $1,008.30. As the board ii deïnocratic the Argus can not charge that to repubiican extravagance. But in justice to the board it eliouUl be stated that this entire amount comes from the cosfc of the exlra sessions held in January. Jt aws an extra expense to be sure, but one that law provides íor, and one the republicans are in no "way to blnme for. The deputy sheriffs and justices are cuarged Avith nearly $1,000 extra. Gne reason for this is that three nvonth's services of these officials are palö for -which would usually not cemo in until the following year, and acother reason is alleged to be that v;hen these gentlemen, the deputies, fcuniï that the people laad officially Lieheaded them they made the most of the time lelt and ran up bils that ■were unusually large. Sincc tvriting this artlcle we iind I hal the republican deputy sheriff have not drawn one cent oï the moncy given in the Argus figures. E ve. y cení of that money, increase and all, wa paid to the democratie deputies. No republican extravaganèé there, my friend. Another item of "Books, etc.," is charged Avith au increase oí 5S776.98 Of tliis account Clert Tansingburg's books show that of Ihü $2,819.50 expended, only $563.SS have been expended during hi term of ofiice. AU the balance is rhargeab-e to democratie extravairance, if there has been any, whieb. Thih paper does not beheve. Tliere is also a great increase alloged in tile Sheriff's office. The reasor. ior this is apparent. Mr. Urenets 's board and turnkey constitvtc the greater abare oi the figures giren, ior the books show that up to the lst or last Oetober Sheriff Judson was paid only $1.383.28 ior turnkey fees and board bi'J of jv.is,oners. In this connection might Ie girer a Httle inside history. The biLls of Sheriff Brenner that ■ ere allowed at the Üetober Bession "vere marked paid on the tréasurer's bcoks before the orders liad been ilraivn. This was done to tide over the Tréasurer's shortage and in that way tlie committee of the supervisors was successfully hoodwinked a te the condition of the treasury. And tho increased amount shown in the Argus tatole includes those bilis. Ve sip informed on excellent authority tli at our genial ex-sheriff had poiiü! aiffleulty in securing his pay by reasoi' of these false entries. Tlie Soldier's Relief and Burial of old Soldters accounts are charged with au increase of $321.89. It is but natural that the o!d soldiere should be falling off rapidly now, but as the lie.licf Coiumission is composed of sucia mee as Capt. Manly, F. P. BogarOuti and Jas. Kelly, all demócrata, thf. Argus would not acense theni of iutieasing expenses unnecessarily. Only $250 is charged up to expert lettimony for the year 1893-4, and $1 00 for the year 1894--5. W"dei what the $500 alknved Dr. Sibbes In tlie Hand case, was charged up to? it nat alloived in 1893-4. The increase ol' the sparrow bounty comes from the change in the law alkj-H-ing 1he killing of these birds at imy time oi' year. and is money well iL'sested. Here is a stunner. Oontagious ciseases comes in for an increase of $1,558.21. This is chargod up ta the republiean account, alchough over $1400 came from the small pox cases in Manchester of the year previous, and the balance from Ypsilanti, alto oi the year previous. And bota were then represented by demon atic supervisors. The republicans are charged with an iucrease of $591.35 for a hog house at the county farm. Well, öiat is a pretty expensive hag house, 'out it v at) built by direction oí a democratie board of supervisors, under che supervisión of a ' democratie board of' .ounty poor commissioners, and as the Argus-. made no kick about it after isiting the county farm and taking öinner there with the supervisors reccntly, we are inelined to think that hv believfs it to bo all rig-ht. There are a number of other minor items, ior which the republicans are In nc way to blamo, and which the above Avill explain to all fair minded people. tako the figures the Argus did, and hold the republicans responsible for 1he increase, is not only unfair, but not good politics, for when the people come to sift the matter, and find out tlie true status oL the case, the attempt to bring discredit upon the republieans, will react upon the Argus' own party. Tou can not hold republicaus responsible ior a year's business when 1hey have only been in office nine months. Then again the county xas. levied this year will be only $20,000 against $25,000 last year. The proof of [Continued on 8th pagel í VERY UNFAIR STATEMENT. (Continued from lst Page.) 1i pudding is in paying for it as far as thc tax-payers are concerned, and Tbey are not called upon to pay for any extras tliis year. F the Argus desires to make a comparative statement, it should wait un tÜ the republicana have ñad a year of it, and then try ifs hand.