I have been assailed by the Repub
lican speakers and newspapers be
cause I have been successful in some
small degree in my personal business
endeavors. I have no apology to make
on that score, and I do not believe that
the people of this city will hold it
against a candidate for public office
that he has been successful in his own
business affairs.
As Mayor, I will serve the whole
people as faithfully as I did when I
was City Treasurer, and I would give
to the conduct of the city's affairs
the same business care and intelli
gence that I give my personal affairs.
I leave it to the people who know
me, to say whether in private and offi
cial life I have been efficient, suc
cessful and honorable.
Two years ago the Republican party
charged us with squandering the peo
ple's money. They promised the peo
ple the taxes would be reduced. But
have they fulfilled their promises? Mr.
Keller himself is silent about it. Not
a word of fact in his speech to prove
the contention of lower taxes. As a
matter of fact the buget of 1910
under Democratic administration
amounted to $3,563,773, the budget
of 1911 shows a total of $3,766,368,
while for 1912 the aggregate amounts
to $4,098,633. I have no comment to
make on these figures. They speak
for themselves. They are trying to
mislead you by statistics by figuring
out a lower ratio of taxation, and a
lower per capita tax. But the peo
ple will not be fooled* in that way. The
tax bills that you have to pay tell the
true story.
