The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-01-10
Message OF the Governor OF Delaware.

| Message OF the Governor OF Delaware.
The Delaware Legislature assembled at Dover,
on Tuesday Gas learn from the Baltimore
sun,) and organized by electing, in Senate, II. b.
Fiddeman, Speaker; w. G. Whiteley, Clerk; and
Leonard A. Collins, Sergeant, at arms. In the
House, Samuel Jefferson, Speaker; William b.
| Tinker, Clerk and Nathaniel p. Covington, Ser
geant- at arms Governor Tharp sent in his mes.
sage He gives the following statement of the
| finances Of that little State
The entire annual revenue of the State, derived
from investments OF It's surplus funds fees for vari
Gus licenses and commissions, fines, &c, may be
estimated at $1,000 but by the liberal provision
| made for common school education, the far larger
proportion OF this amount has been appropriated to
the schoolfund, leaving to the State for the support
OF its government about IA 900 annually consist
ing OF dividends upon stock of the Farmers Bank
and ofthe Bank OF Delaware, taxes upon certain
poraons fines, fees for commissions, for retailers,
pedlars, and lottery licenses, and the proceeds of
| sale OF vacant lands.
| The ordinary public expenditures, during the
year in which the General Assembly is in session,
| may be estimated, from data furnished by the
nual reports of the auditor, at 2l,oS 80, and for
| the year during which there is session of the
General Assembly, at S9,7S3 33, making an ag
| gregae expenditure for the two years of y 81 900
To meet this expenditure, the public revenues for
the like period, above exhibited, can hardly
coed $2S ,0O0 and, therefore, supposng the State
to depend upon its ordinary resources, there would
be biennial deficiency Of about $4,000.
| The deficiency, which has existed more or less
during the period of the present constitution, and
which must otherwise have accumulated to a large
amount, has been fortunately supplied by several
extraordinary accessions to the public funds. In
1887, this State received from the General Govern
ent for its share Of the surplus of the Uni
ted States, distributed by act of Congress, $685.,
| 75l 40, of which $265,793 SO invested for the
benefit OF the school fund. The balance, $20,957 Co.
passed into the treasury. Also, between the years
1886 and lS45, the Delaware College Lottery afford
ed additional relief to the treasury, yielding to
| the State in the period referred to aggregate
| sum Of Sl3,206 80.
! 1t appears from the report of the Legislative COM
mitee, appointed TO settle with the State treasurer
| in January, 1910, that the interest and dividends
| upon the investments of the surplus revenue, di
rected by the act of 22d February, 1897 to be APP
portoned among the several counties chiefly for the
benefit of the school districts, not distri
buted, but that the sum of s ,752 rs of such in
terest and dividends was carried into the treasury
nor does it appear that this sum restored
| to the school fund
The effect of these extraordinary accessions to
the public funds III sustaining the treasury Of the
State is now about exhausted. By them, in addi-
| ton to the ordinary revenues, the public expendi-
lures were fully betrayed to the close of the year
l54S, and balance then left in the treasury Of
$3,93l 02.
During the past two years the expenditures Of the
State have exceeded the ordinary biennial cxpend-
itures to the amount of about six thousand dollars
this excess being composed of the cost of investi
eating the claim of Hall and Matthews to seats in
| the last House OF Representatives, amounting TO
| about $2,437 49, the expense of the commission re-
| ative to the junction stone between this State,
Pennsylvania, and Maryland, amounting TO $2,-
1874 o. and the appropriation Of = 200 for the pur
| chase Of Smith & Wistar's map OF the State.
The extraordinary burden thus imposed upon the
treasury may have been relieved by the surplus of
ls4S above referred to, and the bonus of 5000 paid
| by the Bank of Delaware for the extension OF its
charter Ifso, it may be presumed there but
a small deficiency, II any, at the close OF the last
| year; but the important consideration which 1t Is
the object OF these remarks 70 leave with the Legls
ature is, that the treasury, although from the cir
| cumstances have stated it may now be unembar-
raised, is without reliable sources adequate Tor fu
| ture expenditures. l shall content myself with
having spread these facts before you, without OBJ
| truding suggestions OF my own as to Legislative
| action
The Governor has considerable to say in favor of
n Legislative proposition for convention to re-
form the State constitutions notices the satisfactory
settlement of the boundary between Maryland
nnsyvania, and that State; recommends the es-
Establishment of bureau OF agriculture in connexion
with the Department of the Interior at Washing
ton; and, after noticing other minor State matters
| passes to the slavery subject. He communicates
the preamble and resolutions of the Nashville Con-
| vention, sent TO him for that purpose, and says
their recommendations for Southern Congress- to
provide for future safety independence, directly
conravene the Constitution of the United States in
its prohibitions against State treaties, alliances,
&c, and where ii says emo State shall, without the
consent of Congress, enter into any agreement
compact with another State" The sentiments of
| Governor Tharp are given at length on the whole
subject, and are eminently patriotic. OF the COM
| promise measures he saye:
90 Most of them are, in fact and all should be,
garded as irrevocable; and further agitation can
only be productive of increased evaporation and
distraction-I heartily assent to these measures;
and see not how any lover of his country, any
well wisher to the progress and extension of human
liberty and happiness, can do otherwise than re-
joice at this restoration of harmony to the Union.
Ii is true that faneticism in some Of the Northern
States is exertng itself with all its vigor to pre-
vent the healing efficacy of these measures but
this fanaticism although active and noisy, is con-
fined to few-the public mind is against it"