Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 65, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 April 1908 — MANLY ANSWERS MIERS. [ARTICLE]

MANLY ANSWERS MIERS.

It hM been the Intention of the Democrats in this campaign to make % great ado about the extravagance Of the Republican state administration. Some Republicans'felt alarmed •n this question and were fearful of the result Chairman Miers of the Democratic state convention dwelt at length on the appropriations of the last legislature and on the surface made a showing. But when Governor Hanly analyzed his figures in his masterly speech there was nothing left of Mr. Miers’s startling statement. As Governor Hanly clearly and conclusively showed, the Democratic chairman was not "fair nor honest” in his dealing with the public records. Mr. Miers made a comparison of expenditures by the Democrats of 1893 jand by the Republicans of 1908. In this he was not fair nor honest, as he did not explain that in 1893 Democratic state officials got both salaries and fees, while Republicans in 1908 only get salaries. He left out of his account the fees drawn by Democratic Officials. The records show that the attorney general’s office under a Democratic official from 1890 (to 1894 cost $240,271.55, and that during the last four years of Republican rule the cost of administering of said office was $177,896.33, a difference of $162,375.22 In favor of Republican administration. Like comparisons will hold good in other state offices. The salaries may be higher now than fifteen years ago, but there is reason and justification for them. There is four times as much work in some of these state offices as there was in 1893. In the state auditor’s office great additional burdens have been plaoed there by reason of the banking and Insurance laws passed by the legislature. For Ins tan oe: In 1895 there were twentytwo insurance companies doing business in Indiana; in 1907 there were 883. In 1895 there were issued 6,430 Insurance agents’ licenses; in 1907 there were 17,055. In 1896 there were 105 state banks and trust companies doing business in Indiana; in 1908 there were 555 such Institutions in the state. The auditor of state must look carefully after the Insurance companies and examine all these banks and trust companies. For doing this work a large amount of fees are collected, but such fees go into the state treasury and not into the pockets of the auditor of state, as was the case in the good'old panic days of 1893. The speech of Governor Hanly <m this subject is so clear, convincing and comprehensive that every taxpayer in the state should carefully read it