Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 97, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 March 1917 — GOODRICH IS IN BAD LIGHT [ARTICLE]

GOODRICH IS IN BAD LIGHT

Judge Eichhorn Points Out the Inconsistencies of Governor. Judge William H. Eichhorn of Bluffton is about as well known over the state as is Governor, Goodrich. He is one of the leaders who is sincere in his progressive Democracy but never one who is noted for blind partisanship. In the last campaign he took -issue with the Republican candidate for governor when Goodrich attacked the state institutions for spending too much money. The other day Judge Eichhorn was at Indianapolis discussing the present attitude of the governor on taxation matters. “During the campaign Goodrich assailed the state institutions for spending $250,000 a year more than necessary,” says the judge. “Now as governor he says they must have $300,000 more than they had under the Democrats. He has no more than taken his seat until he makes the demand and proposes to resort to ah excise tax to raise the extra money. And he says further that he must have about $-2,000,000 more a -year to run the stale than the Democrats spent. There is nothing now requiring money that was not known to exist when he was making his campaign speeches. “My notion - is that Goodrich would fare better, and that he be accorded more respect by the people if he would come out and admit he was either a pettifogger or ignorant of state needs when he was making those campaign spteeches. He would at that time have had the people believe the Democrats were wasting money. s{ow he demands $2,000,000 a year more than the Democratic high record." ' . The facts are that when the Democrats came into power in the state they assumed a debt of $2,609.163.12, all of which had been made by Republicans. The Republicans left only $9,463.91 cash in the state treasury, /rhe Democrats paid this debt of $2,609,163.12, built several new institutions, remodeled and repaired others, increased the efficiency in all departments and when Governor Goodrich was inaugurated there was in the state treasury $5,699,331.9 4; and the state had not one penny of debt of any sort. Eor the first time in over eighty years the state was free from all debt and had the largest cash balance ever

known. , With more than $5,000,000 to start his administration Goodrich calls for an excise tax or declares he will bankrupt the state and the taxpayers in doing the things he proposes to do. Never once in all his tirades on the people wlho oppose his extravagant notions has he refererd to his campaign speeches which were all promises that he would manage the state government with millions less than the Democrats were spending. Even with the excise tax to help him along, he declares he must also name all the county assessors ot the state so he can control the valuations placed on property in older to raise further funds that may be needed to conduct his administration. The most conservative estimates are that if there were an election tomorrow the state would go all the way from .100,000 to 150,000 retaining the Democrats in power.