A.
.Vol. XV.
LINCOLN NEB., JANUARY 28, 1904.
No. 36.
INARTISTIC FALSIFIERS
Crude Attempts of RepvibH
pan Press Bureau to Apolo
gize for Nebraska "Redeemers"
llfa
The Independent's first page article
three weeks ago regarding the beauties
of republican "redemption," and the
consequent alarming increase in the
state debt, has smoked out the re
publican "bureau of information" at
the state house. Sunday's Slate Jour
nal (24th) contained a column and a
quarter of even funnier special plead
ing than that which made the "ket
tle case" famous. And Monday's Star
contains an editorial rehash of the
Journal article.
' "The fusion organs," say the col
laborators of this tissue of fact and
fancy, "are already ' beginning their
campaign to demonstrate that the re
publican party has pursued an extrav
agant policy in the state." No cam
paign is -necessary to demonstrate
that. All the average taxpayer has
to do is to consult his 1903 tax re
ceipt. "
"Republican leaders," the special
pleaders go on, "are not greatly con
cerned, however." Doubtless. They
have a mullet-head following that can
be depended ' upon to "vote 'er
straight." Still, if they are really riot
greatly concerneu, wuy waoLo cv
much valuable space making explan
ations which do not explain?
"They admit that the debt has
crown somewhat since the beginning
of the last republican regime" why
not "redemption?" "but insistence is
placed on the fact that the fusion ad
ministration allowed the state build
ings to deteriorate," etc. , Now, there's
gall for you! The "deteriorating"
n m m m 1 i J - MAMUrn
lires wnicn uesiroyeu me yeiiuen
tiary and Norfolk asylum are with
'.'insistence" and by inference charged
lip 10 tne lUSlon a,uiuimi5i.ittviuii
even, though these occurred through
.-the carelessness criminal neglect of
republican officials after Nebraska had
been "redeemed."
-''The claim is made" (but the
"claimant" wisely conceals his; iden
tity) "that a comparison of the-expenditures,
of the fusionists with
those of the republicans will show
that much of the increase has been
due'to the additions made to the per
manent state investments." Another
characteristic republican statement,
nnrooselv intended to ' deceive the
mullet heads. Calling a building, a
"permanent state investment ' may be
theoretically sound, but the intention
is to have the :.iullet head think that
the big investments made by Treas
urer Mortensen for the permanent edu
cational funds in " Massachusetts
bonds, state warrants, etc. have
caused part of the $535,000 increase
which the "redeemers" have added to
the state debt.
The republican campaign bureau
then gives a tabulated statement of
"extraordinary expenses due to un
foreseen and previously contracted
debts from January, 1901, to Novem
ber 30. 1903, which were added to the
state debt are as follows:
For rebuilding and refur
nishing the state peniten-
llary. which was burned
Feb. 28, 1901 $118,200.00
For wolf bounties partly ac
cumulated under fusion
administration .......... 40,000.00
Deficiency from fusion ad
ministration which a re
publican legislature had to
make good in order to
preserve the stato's credit 1S2,735.97
For return of First Nebras
ka regiment from San
Francisco ..... 47,370.73
For addition to Hastings
asylum, the Inmate hav
ing Increased from 512 In
H'J7, to 1.013, Jan. 1, 190J &5.0OO.00
Fr nine supreme court
wmmlKslonorrt and their
aatHtanU
For .(vn-.mrliMn exjxud-
Uon at IMffalt lo.iHHt.no
For h nntUit nt locution in
Nebraska tit fair 3S.Ohj.ou
Total extraordinary e. .1 "TS.10n.T2
Adroitly rallliiK attention to tha
tl.S76.nS3.Mfi of Mat (Win d-bl on
NoMiaber 30, ISJ7, but artfully con
cealing tha f Act that it wa I. ':. -273,47
on Novrml-r 3D. , ihowing
A rvdmtloo. of 93M.S51CI mad by th
populists in one year, these republi
can apologists are forced to admit
that the "redeemers," have increased
the debt $535,729.40 in the lst three
years. They dare not deny that the
populist officials in four years made a
net reduction qf $208,825.75 in the
floating debt and wholly wiped out
the bonded debt. Hence, they trump
up the table above as a special de
fense. Let us see if it is good.
The penitentiary item cannot be al
lowed. Republican carelessness caused
the fire, and the rebuilding is a legiti
mate charge against the "redeemers"
in giving an account of their steward
ship. -
The wolf bounty claim is legitimate
in a way, but is offset by a similar
one of $60,000 paid off under the fu
sion administration. Here the arrant
demagogy of the "redeemers" crops
out Listen;
"It is proper to state that the wolf
bounties had been accumulating for
years, under a law which-made
their payment obligatory. A fusion
legislature failed to make sufficient
appropriation for the payment of
these claims, in. an effort to make a
grandstand exhibition of economy.
A republican legislature made pro
vision for the payment of the ac
crued debt and then repealed the
law."
The "wolf bounty" law was enacted
In 1877. It provided that upon pro
duction of a wolf scalp to tne county
clerk and certain other satisfactory
proof, the county clerk should issue a
certificate, which, after filing with the
state auditor, would bo paid by. war
rant upon the state treasurer. The
Eugene Moore-sugar bounty case,
however, Long ago settled the question
of payUg bounties where no appro
priation has been made therefor. No
warrant can legally be drawn unless
the legislature has made an appro
priation to cover it and whenever a
wolf bounty appropriation was ex
hausted the claims necessarily piled
up.
At first, perhaps, there was some
reason for the law, but in later years
it was kept for log-rolling purposes,
until Representative E. H. Kittell of
Sherman county an Old Guard pop
ulist, by the way introduced a bill
in the last legislature for its repeal.
These redemption apologists would
leave the impression that the last
$40,000 was to cover claims of many
years standing, when the fact is that
the populist legislature Of:189i appro
priated $15,000.. while the republican
legislature of 1895. and the -"populist
legislatures of 1893 and 1S97 failed
to make any appropriation to pay the
claims. Hence, by 1899 a large num
ber of claims had accrued and the
republican legislature that year tock
pleasure in appropriating $00,000 all
told to pay bounty claims because
that would increase the populist ex
penditures a paying for-a republican
"dead horse" as it were. Hence, the
wolf bounty item is $20,000 on the
wrong side for the "redeemers."
The question of "deficiencies" has
been discussed by The Independent
so often that it would seem that ev
ery reader must' fully understand it.
Referenco to the auditor's statement
for 1901 (pp. 9 to 30) shows a total
of $149,112.05 "to pay miscellaneous
deficiency claims," but through home
hocus pocus this -seems to have grown
over thirty thousand dollars under
the "redeemers' " manipulation. . Hut
the $149,000 Itself I so manifestly un
fair that a little dissection w(l t.ot
Improve the case the apologUU try to
inahe out. For example, pages 27 to
20 show a Iht of claims aggregating
$l.t.2S0.ss NlHUL'nrlos" for "otlHirH'
expense ami fees for tatting eonvkts
to the penitentiary." Nebraska fciier
1?T have rerxsnu to remember how thh
"deilt leju y" occurred. It eaa to told
nraihttally by a table:
ApproM'Utiona for "fuKltlte from
Jmtli-e, olSlcer; fees," etc., various
;rMor:
tssr, i:puMli-an fJJ.YSO
1sh7 RtpublU an 4 .)
1&V UepublU ju (Records destroyed)
llUl l0,tllUt t. 40,000
UM-l'opulUt S'i.Oi'O
1S',5 Republican ,,,,, 4.0,000
1S37 Populist 50,000
1899 Republican 1,500
1901 Republican 15,000
1903 Republican ....i 15,000
Had the republican legislature of
1899 made its appropriation $15,000
instead of only one-tenth that amount,
there would have been no "populist
deficiency." ', .
So much for this item. Another Is
the penitentiary "deficiency" running
up into a good many thousands. Rea
son: .
Year. Appropriations.
1885 . . .$ 75,770.0
1887 201,422.15
1889 Nc records
1891 1C8.34S.00
1893 129,935.00
1895 13S.700.00
1897 63.100.00
1899..'. 32,950.00
1901 116,072.30
1903 ....... 216,750.00
Warden Hopkins was' allowed the
convicts earnings and $30,00Tj, by the
republican legislature -of 1899 to run
the penitentiary two years. . Warden
Beemer was given $87,600 by the re
publican legislature of 1903 for the
same purpose. Yet these apologists
talk about "populist deficiencies" and
want to account for the big state debt
increase by reason thereof! What
consummate gall!
It is a fact that the "deficiencies"
f resulting from populist expenditure of
the 1899 appropriation are somewhat
larger than usual, but not Doticeably
so. The republican legislature of 1S99
purposely cut the vital appropriations
short as for fuei and lights, board
arid clothing, etc., but were very lib
eral with wolf bounty appropriations.
However, let us look at seme "de
ficiencies," which, like the poor, are
always with us: " - ;;
Prior to 1895 deficiencies were In
cluded with other items and cannot
be separated without consulting the
original records and prior to 1901 de
ficiency items were not separately
classified, but were made under the
particular head where created. The
account stands thus:
1895 .....$ 39.415.5S
1897 13.677.36
1899 38,646.15
1901 149,112.05
1903 121,287.76
When, however, we consider the
"fugitive from justice" and peniten
tiary part of the "populist deficiency"
of $149,000 met by the legislature of
1901,- it is not much larger than the
"redeemers' " deficiency met in 1203
and that, too, in the face of Candi
date Mickey's solemn ' assurance on
the stump in 1902 that "we will close
the books without a deficiency." He
lied a little over $121.000 but that's
not so bad for a Christian who can
make a successful tie-up with the
brewers at Omaha.
But that isn't all. Foynter s admin
istration was r-Howed to spend ap
propriations aggregating
$2,591 ,o73.60
Add deficiencies 149,112.05
Making a total of .$2,740,485.65
The "redeemers" were given by the
legislature of 1901 $2,675,28.51
Add deficiencies 121.27 7C
Making a total $2,996,577.27
But please remember that the UkU
laturo of 1903 the new revenue law
making body authorized tho "re
deemers" to fpewl $3.7to,2M).70, anl
God only knows how big a bunch of
defti lent leg tha next legislature, will
havo to meet.
Hence, tho (-oncluslon h Irresistible
that the "popi!ht derb-leuey" cry Is
a I tor defense.
The item for return of the FlrM Ne
braska may Im charRfd to the funUm
lain. They contracted that detit and
ate not ahaut 'd of It. Bit, luvitiK
no utate fund to pay at lh. tlrm
teuuxirarlly borrowed tun moury
from patriotic Ncbrnkn!', the M ;
e t contributor be in it ihe man who
wa defeated inr rotted Mate Kim
tor by th Journal' effort.
Tho addition to lUitlng asylum
cannot be allowul became a larsa
part of the Int rewed popuUtlou there
resulted from the Norfolk asylum fire
and consequent transfer of patients.
Two-thirds of the supreme court
commissioner item is legitimate de
fense. One-third is offset by the fact
that three commissioners and assist
ants were provided for by the legisla
ture , of . 1897. ,
The pan-American appropiiation of
tm f( a ntiln r.nn.flnth o a httr fla iht
one made in 1897 for the trans-Mississippi
exposition. Hence, this delense
is $90,000 "in the red." ,
Whether the state fair item te a
good defense, is , left for others to
judge.. ' The Independent looks upon
that transaction as strongly, tinged
with "graft" but will not object to
its being admitted in evidence.
Summing up the apologists defense,
the nenitentiarv. ' doo deficiency," and
Hastings asylum claims are nil. The
return of First Nebraska is good -and
so is about $60,000 of the supreme
court claim. Th wolf bounty and -
pan-American claims, however, put
the "redeemers" in debt $110,000. And
the state fair Is offset -.by the govern
or's mansion and site for Milford sol
diers' home.
That leaves the "redeemers" in debt
some three or four thousand dollars,
but let's call it square. Both sides
are about even on extraordinary ex
penditures not inspired by downright
extravagance. Hence, the increase in
the state debt, $535,000, in three years,
must be attributed to something
wrong with the "redemption."
"But," continue the apologists,
''there Is another rational explana
tion to the increase of debt. In 1897
the appropriation for the support of
the state university . . . amounted to
$252,500.', . . In 1903 . . , an appro
priation of $779,500 was necessary.
This item again, accounts for nearly
the whole, increase of stafe aebt dur
ing the past three years" ($535,000).
In the language of the street gamin,
"wouldn't that jar you!" The un
initiated might fall into this trap-
especially the mullet' head but It
would seem that no man' with the
slightest knowledge of state fiuancea
would.
i The state debt, dear, reader,- is made
up at present of the -outstanding
general fund- warrants; The
great bulk of university appropria
tions are made against tke iollowing
funds: Temporary university; agricul
ture and mechanic arts, U. S. agricul
tural experiment station, and univer
sity cash. No warrant, except against
the firet named, could ever by any
possibility be classed as a "debt."
Against the last three no warrant can
be drawn unless there is cash in the
treasury to meet and pay it.
How could warrants drawn against
the temporary university fund cause
an increase in the amount of out
standing' general fund warrants? O,
bosh; and, O, fudge! John Doe could
with equal, propriety excuse his get-
Hnnr flnnnai In nVif w nfflrmlni Hint
Richard Roe is spending a large
amount of money!
The "redeemers" and their apolog
ists must be hard pressed when they
can tell no more artistic lie than
that. One ought to expect a hand
painted affair with carved legs, but'
this is ruder than a slab bench in a
backwoods school house.
"It must be borne in mind," ay the
apologists, "that the state's revenues
during the entire period were raised
under the provision of a revenue law
which was universally conceded to be
Inadequate, which was inelastic and
which could rot be adapted to tha
state' growing need. In other words,
the state and Its necessities wera
Krowlntj all thi time while the rev
enue, law remained unchanged and
could not be tstreUhed to meet the in
creased dennvds. It h true, t'ut
there ha been a sllsrht tmre,e o
revenue under the o!d law on account
of the natural prowth of the state In
wealth, but it ha been In no r.
commensurate with tho giowih of
U rltlmnte expend an hai never ap
ptoxlmatd to th point where a te
diKttott of debt wa iHM-ilble,"
It I not "universally conceded
that th lurlwth Ity of the old rev
enue law wa Incurable. By removlnf