Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1849-05-17
LITCHFIELD ENQUIRER
HTCHFTELD, May IA, Isls.


OF money IN the state treasury on the
LIST of April ls49, including SIS, ZOO
borrowed within the year from the Schoo
Fund was 2O,24l, 90. The ,OhOle amown
of Indebtedness from the State to III,
School Fund for money borrOWed at ga
yious times is equal to $46,2l2,4s."
The above extract from Gov. Trum.
bulls Message it seems to us ought tc
arrest the attention of the People Of this
State. 1t appears from the statements
of the Governor, that the sum Of thir-
teen thousand dollars was borrowed Of
the School Fund during the past year,
to exc out our State revenue, or in 9th
er words to make the same equal to the
current expenses of the State Govern
ment, and that the monies borrowed OF
the same Fund for a like purpose, cat
various TINES" amount to no less than
$46,2le,4S. Now this We hold to be a
state of things which should excite gen
eral alarm. In the first place it seems
that our revenue is not and has not been
for a long time equal to our expenses, for
our State Authorities have not only Dor,
rowed SIS. 1000 during the late financial
year. Terminating On the LIST Of Apnll
but have done SO GA various ether eeea'
sions. so that the aggregate is now near
" $4,000, We venture to say that
this debt has been running up several
years. though we tanaot tell precisely
how long, and the 6rst question which
arises is, why has not the Legislature
applied an appropriate remedy Why
have not they taken measures either to
hxtag sp the reveaae to the expenses o.
saeas aawa the expenses 10 the seNe@se :
We snsseea tAs Aasasr gSNeess wsaa be
To aas lining al aas Rsngasa The hard
working Eansns sma MrnhHiiiss nf Gam
naatiurG mrY nut psrsi1suanig a1iisih u
hsaT q lingering nj ttia,il ntGissaSss Nv asir'
Ss:lfa Authorities unnecessarily, We ara
aur awrre that 1a.z paying las agar assn
rsgarfaI IL 4 Iuz,uv anungss usS Baars-
fore, Messss. Legtssatnrs g1 Co WnEA In
earnest amt reduce qur expenses IN tie
level af our means D0as ayeFv a-Igul
man would do under ike circumstances
if curtaIiment of the expenses Il ImpraC
ticahls then we say law Additional bur
thens on the People. but do not 20 skull
king into the School Fund I'd ilGh IN ex-
oneration from the responsibilities of your
portion. But we hold that this business
of borrowing money of the School Fund
for State purposes is wrong in principle,
and inexpedient in practice, We do not be-
lieve that the Legislature has right to
do so. The Constitution of the State
provides that:
"The Fund called the School Fund
shall remain perpetual Fund, the inter-
est of which shall be inviolably appropri-
ated to the support and encouragement
of the public or Common Schools
throughout the State, and for the equal
benefit Of all the people thereof. The
value and amount of said fund shall as
soon as practicable be ascertained in such
manner as the General Assembly may
prescribe, published and recorded in the
Comptrollers Office, and no law shall ever.
be made authorizing said fund to be devo-
ted to any other use than the encourage
ment and support of public or Common
Schools among the Several School Dis
tricts as justice and equality shall re-
quire."
From this 1t appears that the trainers Of
our Constitution, have not only provided
that the School Fund shall be perpetual
with the interestto be inviola>ly apprOpri>
a,ed for the use of schools, but they have
expressly inhibited the Legislature from
making law to authorize the diversion of
the same from any other use than the en-.
couragement and support Of public or com.
mon schools. Il seems to US that this bu-
siness Of borrowing Of the School Fund (as
indicased) is a palpable infraction Of the
Constitution. The State is trustee of the
fund or monies thereunto aPpertaining for
a specified object. The monies are in the
Golfers OF the trustee, and what does he
doa Having occasion to use some por.1
ton Of these monies the Trustee quietly
takes the amount needed, and appropriates
it at pleasure, calling it money borrowed.
The word "borrowed" is Elusive in this
connection. The State can not borrow mo-
ney of itself. To borrow, supposes both q
lender and borrower. "yMoney taken" from
the School Fund would be much more an.
propria,e, and if the Legislature do no,
adopt measures to refund the amount right
speedily, the people may substitute for emo.
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